Discover Frastanz: Hiking, Water and Culture

Frastanz combines signposted hiking trails with swimming areas, museums and historical connections. When looking for a hotel in Frastanz, you can first consider whether hiking, water or culture will be the main focus of your stay. There are specific points of interest for each: from hikes with views of four countries and routes along the Samina to locally sourced collections and a dated historical event.

Hikes and Cycling Route

Frastanz is the starting point for 87 kilometres of signposted hiking trails. A hike from the Amerlugalpe to the Feldkircher Hütte offers views of the four-country corner where Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria and Germany meet. The hike through the Saminatal runs along the Samina. This lets you distinguish between the routes based on their different, specifically described features: views of the four-country corner in one case, and a route along the river in the other.

The Drei-Schwestern-Steig has wire cables as handrails and two iron ladders over larger rock steps. When choosing a route, these different features can be considered alongside one another: views of the four-country corner, a route along the Samina, and cables and ladders on the Drei-Schwestern-Steig. This comparison helps you choose among the hikes described according to each route’s character.

For cyclists, the regional cycling route between Vorderland and Walgau includes an approximately 880-metre-long section along the Ill towards Frastanz. This distance refers to that section, not to the entire cycling route. This makes it possible to consider the cycle path as a separate focus alongside the signposted hiking trails.

Swimming Lakes and Swimming Pool History

The Untere Au natural swimming area includes a 14,000-square-metre swimming lake. It also has a dedicated children’s area and a sandy beach for building sandcastles. Building sandcastles is specifically associated with the sandy beach; the children’s area and the lake itself are other distinct features of the natural swimming area.

Felsenau Swimming Pool is Vorarlberg’s oldest swimming pool still in operation. Compared with Untere Au, its distinguishing feature is the pool’s history: Felsenau stands out as the oldest swimming pool still in operation, while at Untere Au the swimming lake, children’s area and sandy beach are the main attractions. The two swimming areas therefore differ in the specific features highlighted.

Museums and History

The Vorarlberg Museumswelt presents its collections in the premises of the former Ganahl textile mills, now the Energiefabrik on the Samina in Frastanz. For travellers interested in culture, the building’s history is another point of interest alongside the collections: the former textile site is now known as the Energiefabrik.

The Frastanz Tobacco Museum houses a collection of pipes, snuff boxes and other smoking accessories gathered from households in Frastanz. The collection’s origins connect it to the town, while the items mentioned give it a clear thematic focus. Together with the Vorarlberg Museumswelt, the Tobacco Museum offers another way to explore the collections and history of Frastanz.

The Battle of Frastanz is another historical connection. It took place on 20 April 1499 at the Letze and in the Ried. The date and locations firmly link the event to Frastanz and add a historical focus to the themes of hiking, cycling and swimming.

Discover more destinations: Klaus, Schnifis, Rankweil, Zwischenwasser, Röns, Schlins, Meiningen, Dünserberg.

For the higher-level travel overview: Feldkirch.