Bregenz

Bregenz is the capital of Vorarlberg in Austria at the Lake Constance. The shore of Lake Constance, one of the biggest lakes in Europe, meets with the town centre. Go down to the lake in the evening and check out the beautiful sunset.

Understand
Bregenz has 29,000 inhabitants (2022) and its roots go back to Roman times. The city was founded by the Romans in 15 BC, when it was known as Brigantium.

Bregenz sits at the northern edge of the Alps, between Lake Constance (the Bodensee) and the Pfänder (1064 m). To the west lies the Rhine delta, a huge valley dividing Switzerland and Austria. To the south lie the mountains of Switzerland and southern Vorarlberg. To the north, overlooking Lake Constance, are the hills of Allgäu of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria in Germany.

Bregenz is the capital of Austria's most modern province. Inhabitants of Vorarlberg are said to be much more friendly and open than the rest of Austria.



By plane
Zürich-Kloten is quite a big airport, about 1 hour with train/car (100 km).

Friedrichshafen is smaller but closer, about 40 km from Bregenz. Approached by some companies like Condor and Ryanair (from Stansted London).

Munich is the biggest airport around. About 2½ hr to Bregenz.

Altenrhein : Switzerland, about 20 km to Bregenz but few connections to Vienna.

By car
From direction Vienna: on the A1 via Salzburg via Germany. In Rosenheim (Germany), you have to decide if you drive via Munich (heavy traffic) or via Innsbruck (Arlberg Tunnel €11).

From Chur/Zürich: about 10 km to the Swiss motorway.

Austria requires autobahn drivers to pay a fee and purchase a Vignette (Austrian: Pickerl), a sticker which must be affixed to the windshield. Vignettes are available for €9.99 (10 days), €29 (2 months), and €96.40 (1 year); prices for motocycles are approximately 55% less. Careful: The Vignette is only valid 18 days after the purchase. The fine for not having a vignette is €120, payable on the spot (if you can't pay on the spot it goes up to €300). The well-known tactic of affixing vignettes with Vaseline (so that they can be easily removed and re-used) earns a fine of €240. The vignette must be pasted on the windshield; they are considered invalid if kept in the glovebox, which also earns a fine. The vignettes are available for sale at ADAC, ÖAMTC and TCS motor club offices (in Germany, Austria and Switzerland respectively; membership is not required), as well as at almost all petrol stations before the Austrian border. You can purchase them here.The more affordable so-called Korridorvignette for the 23-km-long stretch of the A14 between the German border and Hohenems is no longer available.

Drivers from Germany should take Exit 2 (Lindau) before reaching the border, as the A14 then enters a tunnel and only emerges south of Bregenz. Likewise when driving toward Germany drivers should head north on 190 and cross the border before driving onto the autobahn.

By bus
Check out Eurolines from Vienna and Berlin. There are also connections with Flixbus from Milan and Munich.

By foot
Many sights in the centre toward the lakefront are easily accessible by foot.

By bicycle
In summer, bicycles are perhaps the best way to get around, as Bregenz is quite small.

By car

 * Carsharing Zipcars are available in Bregenz.

See

 * The city wall from the 13th to 16th centuries surrounding the upper part of town (Oberstadt) has been largely preserved.

Sport and outdoor activities
The Lake Promenade (Strandweg) is a very popular place for residents to stroll and spend the evening. There are shaded paths and outdoor restaurants. The sunsets in Bregenz are beautiful from any place at the lake.

In summer, Bregenz offers many possibilities. Bregenz is splendid for swimming in the lake (the lake's temperature reaches 26°C in the summer), hiking, cycling, and several other sports. The tourist office offers a map of hiking paths in Bregenz and the immediate vicinity, as well as a map of trails in the nearby Bregenz Woods (Bregenzwald).



Buy
Kaiserstraße is the main pedestrian shopping street, and was renovated in 2006. The inner city in particular has many smaller shops which invite one to browse. In general, stores are open Monday to Saturday from 09:00 to 18:00. Local shops and markets here.



Sleep
From the genteel Dueringschlössle to budget-friendly guesthouses, Bregenz offers a range of accommodation for all budgets. The city becomes very busy during the Festival season that runs from mid-July to mid-August; during this time it's advisable to book accommodation ahead of time. Prices posted below are for the high-season summer months; if you don't travel in July and August, prices are a lot cheaper.

Budget






Mid-range




Go next
It is possible to travel along the lakeshore by railway to both Switzerland and Germany.
 * Dornbirn &mdash; 20-minute drive south of Bregenz; features a Rolls-Royce Museum
 * Lindau &mdash; a nearby island in Germany with a picturesque harbor and lots of little shopping streets.
 * Liechtenstein &mdash; the fourth smallest country in Europe. Bus and train service is available daily from Bregenz to the capital city of Vaduz. The trip is about 1.5 hours.
 * Mainau Island &mdash; in Germany, "The Flower Island" is known for its warm climate and beautiful botanical gardens