Liechtenstein · Switzerland

Liechtenstein without a car

Three nights in Vaduz, a whole country by shared e-bike, a spa afternoon in Bad Ragaz and a night in Zurich, all by train and bus.

By Kate Titova · Trip taken in July 2026

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The Rhine and the Swiss mountains seen from the Liechtenstein cycle path — The Rhine, between Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

Liechtenstein is easy without a car: you take the train from Zurich to Sargans on the Swiss border, and if you sleep at least one night in Liechtenstein, the buses into the country are free. We stayed 3 nights in Vaduz, cycled the whole country along the Rhine, spent an afternoon at a thermal spa across the border in Switzerland, and finished with a night in Zurich. We were two, so hotel prices are per room.

The route

Day	What we did	Where we slept
1	Flight Milan to Zurich, train to Sargans, free bus to Vaduz	Vaduz
2	The whole country by shared e-bike	Vaduz
3	Tamina Therme spa in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland	Vaduz
4	Back to Zurich the same way, walk around the city	Zurich
5	Flight Zurich to Barcelona (Vueling)

Getting there from Zurich

We flew from Milan to Zurich with Swiss: 84.89 € per person. From the airport, a train takes about 10 to 12 minutes to Zurich main station (Zürich HB).

From Zürich HB, take the train to Sargans: CHF 22.20 per person, one way. Tip: you can buy one ticket straight from Zurich Airport to Sargans in the SBB app.

In Sargans, change to a LIEmobil bus to Vaduz. It's free if you stay at least one night in Liechtenstein: overnight guests get the WELCOME Adventure Pass from their hotel, which covers the buses from Sargans, Buchs or Feldkirch and all public transport in the country for your whole stay. It also gives 20% off a few museums and attractions. Ask your hotel to send it before you arrive.

Vaduz: our base for 3 nights

We stayed at Hotel Vaduzerhof by b-smart: CHF 450 for 3 nights for two. A pretty good hotel, even with a small sauna (we didn't use it: it was already hot outside). There's no staff on site: check-in, check-out and cleaning requests are all done online. It sounds strange, but it was actually convenient.

Breakfast isn't included and costs about CHF 40 per person. For a standard hotel breakfast, we didn't think it was worth it.

Food is expensive in Liechtenstein. A take-away portion of chicken noodles at Coa Asia cost about 20 € (the portion was huge, to be fair). So we mostly bought food at the Coop supermarket, about a 5-minute walk from the hotel.

Colourful houses on the pedestrian street of Vaduz, with the cathedral spire — The pedestrian street in Vaduz.

The government building and St. Florin cathedral in Vaduz — The government building and the cathedral.

Vaduz Castle on the wooded hillside above the town — Vaduz Castle, home of the prince.

The Red House, a red stepped-gable house with a stone tower in Vaduz — The Red House in Vaduz.

Day 2: the whole country by bike

We rented e-bikes from LIEbike, the country's bike-sharing service, and rode across Liechtenstein in one day along the big cycle path by the Rhine. We didn't visit any museums: we preferred to ride and walk around.

How LIEbike works:

Download the LIEbike app and create an account.
Find the nearest station on the app's map.
Scan the QR code on a bike: it unlocks automatically.
To finish, park it at any LIEbike station, end the ride in the app, and the bike locks itself.

Prices (checked in 2026): CHF 2 per 30 minutes, or a day ticket for CHF 20 (24 hours). For a full day of riding, choose the day ticket in the app before you start.

We didn't take any tours, but if you'd rather not cycle, there are two other ways to see Vaduz:

Vaduz: city train tour. A 35-minute ride around the capital in a little tourist train, leaving from beside the City Hall. A cheap and easy option if you're short on time.

See the city train on GetYourGuide Affiliate link

Vaduz: walk with a local. A short guided walk around Vaduz with someone who lives there. It's on the pricey side for such a small town, so it's for readers who want local stories rather than just the sights.

See the walking tour on GetYourGuide Affiliate link

Cyclists on a gravel path through meadows below the mountains — On the cycle paths.

Gutenberg Castle on a terraced hill in Balzers — Gutenberg Castle in Balzers.

A small wooden barn in a meadow below rocky mountains — Meadows along the way.

Inside the old covered wooden bridge over the Rhine — The old wooden bridge from Liechtenstein to Switzerland.

A farmhouse with AUHOF spelled in pink flowers — A farmhouse along the route.

Day 3: Tamina Therme in Bad Ragaz

On day 3 we crossed back into Switzerland for a spa afternoon:

Free bus from Vaduz to Sargans (the guest pass again).
Train from Sargans to Bad Ragaz: about 4 minutes, about CHF 5 per person each way (a 2-zone regional ticket).
Bus 456 from Bad Ragaz station to Tamina Therme: CHF 3.30 per person (checked in 2026). On the way back, we walked to the station instead: about 20 minutes.

We bought 2-hour tickets: CHF 37 per person on a weekday, CHF 44 at the weekend. The spa was good. What to bring: a swimsuit, a towel and slippers.

The white arched building of Tamina Therme with a row of statues — Tamina Therme.

Swiss and Liechtenstein flags in front of a golf course and a mountain in Bad Ragaz — The resort grounds in Bad Ragaz.

Old houses along the Tamina river in Bad Ragaz, with flowers on a bridge — Bad Ragaz, by the Tamina river.

The stone church of Bad Ragaz with a tall spire — The church on the walk to the station.

A pond with fountains and mountains in Bad Ragaz — Mountain views all the way.

Zurich: one night

On day 4 we checked out and went back to Zurich the same way: free bus to Sargans, then the train. We stayed at SleepandGo: CHF 122 for one night for two. It was the cheapest option available, and I don't recommend it. It has shared and private rooms; we had a private one, and it was very small. The bathrooms are shared. The only air conditioning was a mobile unit with a big tube out of the window, and it couldn't keep up, so the room was very hot. The entrance is hard to find too: it's in a small side street, and first you have to go to a souvenir shop around the corner to find the owners and get the key.

We just walked around the city: museums aren't really our thing. Even in summer it was rainy and a bit chilly, so we warmed up at Raclette Stube with a fondue fribourgeoise half and half (half Gruyère, half Vacherin, with wine and Kirsch): CHF 32.80 per person.

What I'd add next time: the Lindt Home of Chocolate. I only found out about it afterwards. It's in Kilchberg, just south of Zurich, open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, and an adult ticket costs about CHF 17 (book a time slot in advance). Take the S8 train to Kilchberg and walk about 10 minutes, or bus 165 from Bürkliplatz, which stops right in front.

Lindt Home of Chocolate: entry ticket. Choose your time slot in advance, especially at weekends, when slots sell out.

See the ticket on GetYourGuide Affiliate link

The Limmat river and St. Peter's church clock tower in Zurich — The Limmat and St. Peter's church.

Old houses with shutters along the Limmat in Zurich — Old houses along the river.

A pot of cheese fondue with bread and potatoes on a checked tablecloth — Fondue at Raclette Stube.

Our budget

For two people, in July 2026:

Item	Cost
Flights Milan to Zurich, Swiss, 2 people	169.78 €
Flights Zurich to Barcelona, Vueling, 2 people	339.98 €
Train Zurich to Sargans and back, 2 people	CHF 88.80
Bus Sargans to Vaduz and back	Free with the guest pass
Hotel Vaduzerhof by b-smart, 3 nights	CHF 450.00
Train Sargans to Bad Ragaz and back, 2 people	about CHF 20.00
Tamina Therme, 2 hours, 2 people (weekday)	CHF 74.00
Bus to Tamina Therme, 2 people	CHF 6.60
SleepandGo, Zurich, 1 night	CHF 122.00
Fondue at Raclette Stube, 2 people	CHF 65.60
Total, without food shopping, bikes and the airport train	about CHF 827 + 509.76 €

Not included: LIEbike (CHF 20 per person for a day ticket), the airport train, and supermarket food.

What I'd tell a friend

Sleep at least one night in Liechtenstein to get free buses with the guest pass.
Skip the hotel breakfast and shop at Coop: food is expensive.
Use LIEbike to see the whole country in a day along the Rhine.
Go to Tamina Therme on a weekday: CHF 7 cheaper per person.
In Zurich, book the Lindt Home of Chocolate in advance, and pack a jacket even in summer.

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