Bludenz
Bludenz (Alemannic: Bludaz) is a town in the westernmost Austrian state of Vorarlberg. Bludenz is a popular starting point for hiking and mountain-biking in spring, summer, and autumn. It is located not far from many skiing resorts (e.g., Brand and Lech).
Understand
[edit]Bludenz has 15,000 inhabitants (2023) and was first mentioned in 830 CE. It is the administrative seat of the Bludenz District, which encompasses about half of Vorarlberg's territory.
The town is located on the Ill River, a direct tributary of the Rhine. It is surrounded by the ranges of the Bregenz Forest Mountains in the north, and by the Rätikon and Silvretta ranges in the south. Bludenz lies at the meeting point of five valleys: Walgau and Montafon (Ill), Brandnertal, Klostertal up to Arlberg Pass, and Großes Walsertal.
Bludenz Tourismus, Rathausgasse 5, ☏ +43 5552 63621-790, fax: +43 5552 30227-1712, [email protected]. M-F 08:00-18:00. Office for tourist information
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]- Zurich Airport (ZRH): 150 km from Bludenz
- Friedrichshafen (FDH): 90 km from Bludenz, but poor public transport connection
- Munich (MUC):= 260 km away, poor public transport connection
- St. Gallen - Altenrhein (ACH): 60 km away
By train
[edit]Bludenz has a train station. Check your route on ÖBB The sooner you book in advance the cheaper tickets are.
1 Train station Bludenz 
By car
[edit]From Vienna via A1, 6 hr 40 min. In order to drive on Austrian motorways you need to purchase a Vignette.
From Zurich via A3 it's about 1 hr 50 min
From Munich Via A96: about 1 hr 30 min
From Bregenz: 30 min
Austria requires autobahn drivers to pay a fee and purchase a Vignette (Austrian: Pickerl), a sticker which must be affixed to the windshield. Vignettes are available for €9.99 (10 days), €29 (2 months), and €96.40 (1 year); prices for motocycles are approximately 55% less. Careful: the Vignette is only valid 18 days after the purchase. The fine for not having a vignette is €120, payable on the spot (if you can't pay on the spot it goes up to €300). The well-known tactic of affixing vignettes with Vaseline (so that they can be easily removed and re-used) earns a fine of €240. The vignette must be pasted on the windshield; they are considered invalid if kept in the glovebox, which also earns a fine. The vignettes are available for sale at ADAC, ÖAMTC and TCS motor club offices (in Germany, Austria and Switzerland respectively; membership is not required), as well as at almost all petrol stations before the Austrian border. You can purchase them here.
By bus
[edit]There are no bus services to Bludenz.
Get around
[edit]
The best way to get around town is by foot or bicycle.
- Stadtbus Bludenz (city bus), Bahnhofplatz 3, ☏ +43 5522 839 51-7461, fax: +43 5522 755 80-7469, [email protected].
- City Taxi, Sankt-Peter-Straße 18, ☏ +43 5552 62000, [email protected].
See
[edit]- 6 Stadtmuseum Bludenz (City museum)
- 7 Burg Ramschwag
- 8 Montjola waterfall
- 9 Schesa-Murbruch
Do
[edit]Cultural events
[edit]- Alpinale Short Film Festival, Raiffeisenplatz 1, ☏ +43 699 81446705, [email protected]. The next festival will take place from 6 - 10 August 2024, the horror shortfilm night on October 31 2023.. The short film festival draws around 1,000 visitors to Bludenz. Every year, about 30 hand-picked international short films are screened. The best films are awarded the Golden Unicorn.
- Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik (Bludenz Days of Contemporary Music), Am Raiffeisenplatz 1, ☏ +43 664 500 55 36, [email protected]. late October. The Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik (Bludenz Days of Contemporary Music) is an international festival of contemporary music that has been taking place in autumn since 1988.
- Remise Bludenz, Werdenbergerstraße 42, ☏ +43 5552 63621-234, [email protected]. Remise Bludenz is a cultural institute, which offers movie nights, theater plays, concerts, standup comedy, etc.throughout the year.
- Milka Lädele, Fohrenburgstraße 1 A. M Sa 09:00-12:00, Tu-F 09:00 – 16:30. Milka chocolate hast been produced in Bludenz for over 100 years. Here, you can learn about its history, find out how it is produced and buy lots of chocolate.
Outdoor activities
[edit]- Sunna Weg (Sun Trail). The Sunna Weg is a cultural-historical path along the municipalities of Nüziders, Bludenz and Braz. It can be hiked as a day tour or in several stages. On the way there are also places to stop for refreshments. More info from the tourist office.
You can find many more hiking trails around Bludenz on this link. There are also many options to go mountain biking or e-biking.
Examples:
- 5 Zimba
- 5 Zimba
- 6 Muttersberg
In the winter there is plenty to do: snowshoeing, tobogganing, cross-country skiing, and, of course, skiing. Check out all your options here and here for skiing.
Eat
[edit]- Restaurant Bludenzer, Klarenbrunnstraße 12, ☏ +43 5552 22300. M F 11:00 - 23:00; Tu 10:00 - 14:00, Th 10:00 - 14:00, 17:00 - 22:00; Sa 11:00 - 01:00; Su 10:00 - 14:00, 17:00 - 21:30. Situated on the river Ill along the bike path. Offers Austrian cuisine.
- La Noi, Untersteinstraße 5, ☏ +435552 30130, [email protected]. W-Sa 11:30 – 14:00, 17:00 – 22:00; Su 11:30 – 19:00. Family business, Moldavian and Austrian cuisine. €7-20.
- Schlosshotel Restaurant, Schloss-Gayenhof-Platz 5, ☏ +43 5552 63016, [email protected]. For lunch opens Tu-Th at 11:30, for dinner opens M-Sa at 17:30
Sundays only pizzas between 15:00 and 21:00. Gourmet food, you can also book a fondue night €20-30 main meal a la carte.
- Cafe Konditorei Fenkart, Wichnerstraße 18, ☏ +43 5552 62565, [email protected]. Tu - F 08:00 - 18:00, Sa 08:00 - 14:00, Su 10:00 - 18:00. Serve breakfast (gluten- and lactose free options available), and home-made cakes and desserts.
- 1 Sarotla Hut
Drink
[edit]- Cafe Bar Remise, Raiffeisenplatz 1, ☏ +43 681 2055 4015, [email protected]. M-Th 11:00 - 17:00, F 14:00 - 22:00, weekends closed. They serve lunch (€8-14), hot and cold drinks
- Herr Muk, Rathausgasse 14, ☏ +4369917073961, [email protected]. W Th 18:00 – 00:00, F Sa 18:00 - 01:00. Serve food and drinks, outside seating available