Vorarlberg

Some say Vorarlberg is Austria in miniature. Start with the historic state capital Bregenz. At the end of July it becomes the "Summer Capital of Austria" when the Bregenz Festival opens with the Viennese Symphonic Orchestra playing. Thousands flock to see operas and musicals by Giuseppe Verdi or Leonard Bernstein—to name just two—which take place on a huge floating stage with Lake Constance and the Swiss mountains as a backdrop. Next head to the Bregenzerwald—a wide area of dense forests, charming valleys, and lush meadows dotted with thick clusters of red, white, and yellow Alpine flowers—a region that remains unostentatiously beautiful. Music devotees descend on Vorarlberg every summer for its elegant Schubertiade—held in Schwarzenberg and Hohenems. The valley from Bludenz to Feldkirch, Dornbirn, and Bregenz is an economic and industrial powerhouse of Austria, dotted with small and medium-sized factories. Literature buffs come to the village of Tschagguns, where Hemingway spent several winters writing The Sun Also Rises. You can also venture into the famous Arlberg ski resorts, where for many, skiing is almost as important as being seen. More »