While planning our summer vacation I was most excited about my trip to Lichtenstein and Luxembourg. Those are the two famous micro countries in Europe. I have always had a fascination for collecting souvenirs from unusual places.
Lichtenstein
Lichtenstein(160 sq. km) is a tiny country sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria. It is one of the smallest country in Europe, it is formally known as Principality of Lichtenstein. Two main cities are Vaduz, its Capital and Schaan.
We drove from Berne, Switzerland to Vaduz, Lichtenstein. The drive is about two hours. It is a beautiful drive across Switzerland and into Lichtenstein after crossing the Rhine, although it is very hard to know when you left Switzerland and entered Lichtenstein.
Vaduz is the little capital city with a population of 5000 people. The main street is traffic free and lined with modern art shops and slick office buildings.
The Princess Castle is situated right at the top and has a beautiful view of the city. It is closed to the public. The city tour train of Lichtenstein is the main highlight which leaves every half an hour. You can just sit and take a ride around the city of Vaduz covering the wineries and get to know the history. There is a souvenir shop right in the train station booth.
Accessibility
-Lichtenstein is completely accessible. And if there are any challenges, the people are very friendly and helpful and will help you out if needed.
-You can park underground at Marktplatz right under the castle. There is an ♿ accessible parking on Landstrasse across the Coop super market.
-There are ♿ accessible bathrooms right at the tourist information center.
-The train ride is a must to get a nice overview of the Principality of Lichtenstein.
Tips
-Make sure to start early as the shops and the city closes at 5 pm
-Don’t forget to take pictures with the tourist information building as the background. The building has the Flag and the name of the country on its wall.
-Make sure to get off the train near the wineries to soak up the full view of the city of Vaduz and the Rhine
-On your return make sure to visit the special lush green
cowbell county of Appenzel in Switzerland.
Luxembourg
We visited Luxembourg en route to Strasbourg, France. We were driving from Brugge to Strasbourg via Luxembourg. It was a quick stop for couple of hours. Didn’t get time to do much but got a feel of the place. It reminded me of Rhonda in Southern Spain. The city is in middle of the deep gorges cutting the Alzette and Pétrusse rivers. What I found interesting was that there were parks and many houses along the gorges. We parked in the cross section of Avenue de la Pettruse and Blvd Royal. We could get the full view of Notre Dame Cathedral, Adolph bridge and the Bock.
Accessibility
There are few ♿ accessible parking in the Parkplatz near the Pont Adolf. You can get down and take picture with the Bock, Cathedral and the beautiful rustic houses in the background.
There is a little souvenir shop in the middle of the parking lot where you can buy souvenirs, but they are priced very high.
