Travel to Liechtenstein

[AndreaU]

I did a search and didn't come up with any previous posts (though we know the search function isn't 100% accurate!).

Has anyone ever been to Liechtenstein? Ever since DH and I read about being able to "rent" the whole country- yes, the whole 160 square mile country- we've been intrigued but I have never met anyone who has been there. We have always wanted to go to Switzerland and Austria and, being that it is smack between these two countries, it looks similar and equally appealing. Besides, being the world's largest exporter of false teeth, how could you not want to go there? :p

TIA for any info!

[oceanjasper]

I have been there, but I was on a high school trip, so it was in the mid-late 80's. :) I remember being fascinated to be there and I converted some money, so that I could save it. Our group also travelled around in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. I know I also saved some documentation from when I was there, but I am not sure how easily I could find it right now. I have some extra time over the holidays, I will see if I can dig it out...

[Angela]

I've actually been twice!! Though I can't offer much advice as I was only passing through and that doesn't take very long! :)

Both times I stopped in Vaduz (the capital) for a few hours, ate lunch, bought the necessary souvieners. It's very beautiful. The owners/rulers of the principality welcome guests into their home (castle) that sits on top of the hill overlooking Vaduz.

Sorry I'm not much help. I don't know that I'd make that my only destination to the gorgeous Alps, but I think a few days there would be very nice.

[Angelina]

What does renting the country get you? I have been in Austria and Switzerland, and I absolutely LOVE them both. Switzerland is soo soo beautiful. Nothing beats those childhood memories of seeing small Swiss villages on the edge of the lakes at night, reflecting their lights in the water, with those huge mountains looming behind them...I guess Liechtenstein would be just as pretty. :) And anyway, you can use it as a home base for visiting the other two countries!

Angela

[Food Fussy]

Ever since DH and I read about being able to "rent" the whole country- yes, the whole 160 square mile country

For those who are interested:

Rent-a-country - Prince for a Day - Brief Article

Sara Rimensnyder
CARE TO BE king for a day? Rent Liechtenstein.

Actually, Liechtenstein doesn't have a king; it has a prince. But for $375 to $500 a head, with a minimum of 450 heads, corporations can now rent the entire 160-square-kilometer country, with full access to one of the royal castles.

"The basic idea is that an entire, small country plays host to a conference with all the various possibilities at its disposal," Roland Buechel, director of the state tourism agency, told the London Times. When a company signs up, the mayor of Liechtenstein's capital, Vaduz, hands over the keys to the principality and flies the company's flag. The tourism agency plans to offer "corporate team-building activities" such as tobogganing, museum visits, and wine tasting in the royal cellars.

Meanwhile, the country's real royalty, 56-year-old Prince HansAdam II, has business plans of his own for the kingdom: He recently threatened to sell Liechtenstein to Bill Gates and rename it Microsoft if he wasn't granted more political power. Though he later said he was joking, his threats to move to Austria, taking his considerable riches with him, might have been more serious.

Either or both bluffs seem to have paid off: In March a referendum granting the prince extensive new powers passed easily, with voter turnout upward of So percent. According to The New York Times, the resulting constitutional amendments will allow Hans-Adam to dissolve Parliament; influence the appointment of judges; be removed from the jurisdiction of the constitutional court; and veto legislation passed by Parliament. But the amendment also gives citizens the right to vote the prince out, though various males in his extended family would ultimately decide whether to replace him.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Reason Foundation
COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group

[Capucine]

LOL!! Sell the entire country to Bill Gates? I'm wondering if Bill has expressed interest in buying the country.

Never been, but I'd definately go through it and stop for a bit if I was in the area. BTW, you might check the European Forum on Fodors. Lots of travelers in that group.