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Marktplatz

Dornbirn is the biggest city of Vorarlberg in Austria.

Understand

Get in

Map
47°24′44″N 9°44′18″E
Map of Dornbirn

By air

The airport shuttle bus from Friedrichshafen stops at the Messepark on the outskirts of town.

By rail

  • 2 Hauptbahnhof Dornbirn (Dornbirn Main Train Station), Eisenbahnlinie 7, ☏ +43 512 930000. Ticket counter: M-F 06:45-19:00, Sa Su 7:30-19:00; ticket automats: 24hr. Some intercity trains running through Austria stop in Dornbirn; the most frequent rail connections are via Bregenz and Feldkirch. Use ÖBB's SCOTTY to look up train information online. Storage lockers available. 

By car

Dornbirn is just a few kilometres south of Bregenz and can be reached from the north or south via the A14 expressway.

Get around

By foot

From the main station, it is only a 5-minute walk to the city centre, which is fairly small. However, many attractions and museums are outside and you might want to take a bus.

By bus and bicycle

Dornbirn has a great public transport considering its relatively small size. Nine Stadtbus lines operate inside the city and several Landbus lines connect Dornbirn with neighbouring towns. A comprehensive route map for both services can be downloaded here.

  • 6 Stadtbus (City bus), Eisenbahnlinie 7 (in front of the main train station), ☏ +43 5572 32 300, . Customer service: M-F 07:00-19:00, Sa 08:00-12:00. All routes also run a night bus (Nachtbus) on Friday and Saturday nights as well as the eves of holidays. Schedules for all routes can be downloaded here. Single trip: €1.30 (adults), €1 (concessions); day ticket: €2.40; week ticket: €8; month ticket: €20. 
  • Landbus Unterland, Eisenbahnlinie 7 (in front of the main train station), ☏ +43 5572 32 300, . Customer service: M-F 07:00-19:00, Sa 08:00-12:00. A complete list of all schedules to download is available here. Price depends on zone and distance travelled.. 
  • Rental bicycles (Leihfahrräder), Eisenbahnlinie 7 (in front of the main train station), ☏ +43 5572 32 300. Customer service: M-F 07:00-19:00, Sa 08:00-12:00. The Stadtbus rents out bicycles, for a maximum of 7 days. Minimum age is 12 years. Arrangements can be made at the main office by the train station. Half day: €6 (adults), €5 (seniors/children under 19); full day: €10 (adults), €8 (seniors/children under 19). 

By taxi

See

Church of St Martin
Rolls-Royce Museum
  • 1 Church of St Martin (Stadtpfarrkirche St Martin), Marktplatz 1. The foundations date to the 13th century. The current structure was built in 1840 in the neoclassical style. 
  • 2 Rolls-Royce Museum, Gütle 11a (take Stadtbus 5), ☏ +43 5572 52652, fax: +43 5572 52652-6, . Apr-Oct T-Su and holidays 10:00-18:00, Nov-Mar T-Su and holidays 10:00-17:00; closed 24-26 Dec, 1 Jan, 07-31 Jan. This museum is the most extensive of its kind in the world. Founded in 1999, it houses more than 1000 exhibits, including several dozen classic vehicles, in a space of about 3000m². The museum also organises special rides. €9 (adults), €4.50 (children 6-16), €10 (photography permit). 
  • 3 Inatura Erlebnis Naturschau, Jahngasse 19 (Stadtbus 7 direction Hatler Kirche; or Stadtbus 1 direction Messepark, Steggasse exit), ☏ +43 5572 232 35-0. Daily 10:00-18:00; closed 25 Dec and 1 Jan. This historic factory has been modernised and now houses a science center, with interactive exhibits focusing on the natural sciences. Also has a gift shop, library, and restaurant. €9.50 (adults), €4.80 (children 6-15). 
  • 5 Flatz Museum, Marktstrasse 33 (former Natural History Museum). F 15:00-17:00, Sa 11:00-17:00, and by appt. A small two-room museum exhibiting pieces by the provocative Dornbirn-born performance artist Wolfgang Flatz. €3.50 (adults), €2.50 (concessions), €1 (children 6-15). 

Do

View from Zanzenberg
Road to Ebnit
Cable car to Karren (Karrenseilbahn)

Cultural events

During Advent a large Advent market is held in the market place and surrounding streets and squares. In the evenings the Glühwein stands stay open and the atmosphere gets quite merry and fun. Another great time of year is Fasching, the run up to Lent, when there are often parades and bands in the market place.

  • 1 Spielboden (Rhombergs factory), Färbergasse 15, Rohrbach (Stadtbus 4/5/6), ☏ +43 5572 21933, fax: +43 5572 21933-44, . For cultural events (art-house films, music, dance) the Spielboden is worth a visit. Tickets for events are sold at the tourist information office and all Raiffeisenbank branches, as well as online. 

Sport

  • 2 Stadtbad (indoor swimming pool), Schillerstraße 18, ☏ +43 5572 22687. Pool: T 07:00-21:00, W-Sa 09:00-21:00, Su and holidays 09:00-18:00; ladies sauna: M 17:00-22:00, Th 14:00-22:00; mens' sauna: F 14:00-18:00; mixed sauna: Tu W 14:00-22:00, F 18:00-22:00. Worth a visit for the modern architecture alone. The facilities are brand new – there are 3 pools, 2 diving boards and a water flume as well as a sauna. 2 hrs: €5.90 (adults), €5 (concessions), €3 (children); 3 hrs: €7.50 (adults), €6.50 (concessions), €3.90 (children). 

Hiking

Most of the land comprising the Dornbirn district is mountainous. The well-developed trails offer numerous hiking opportunities, not only for short outings with children, but also for experienced mountain climbers with a head for heights. The tourist information has free hiking maps, and an interactive map is available online.

Zanzenberg

Go for a short hike and visit the Scouts' (Pfadfindergruppe) 3 camp site. Offers great views over the Hatlerdorf district of Dornbirn.

Rappenloch

For an interesting trek, take Stadtbus 5 to Rappenloch stop, and then head straight into the 4 Rappenlochschlucht (30mins), one of the largest 'chines' (a type of gorge) in central Europe. Pass the 5 Staufensee, continue to 6 Alplochschlucht and then up to the 7 Kirchle, a great natural halfcave, impressive to look at. Continuing toward 8 Ebnit, you will see strange geologic formations on side. Two cheap restaurants or at least Reststations are on that track. Ebnit itself is a recreational area and is likewise an excellent starting point for trekking. A brochure with trail map (in English) can be downloaded here.

Karren

9 Karren.  is one of the mountains which has good views of Vorarlberg. In good weather the 976m mountain offers views extending to the Swiss Alps as well as to the Überlingen part of Lake Constance. The mountain top can be accessed via public transportation (Stadtbus 5, then Minibus 47 to Ebnit), as well as by 10 cable car (Seilbahn). The Panorama Restaurant is located at the top (see listing below). From this point a network of hiking trails can be accessed; a trail map (in German) can be downloaded here.

Education

Fachhochschule Vorarlberg [1]

Buy

Dornbirn has a lively city centre with a large pedestrian zone and many shops. If you can't find what you are looking for inside the city, there is also a large mall on the outskirts.

  • Wochenmarkt (Farmers' Market), Marktplatz, ☏ +43 5572-306-7105. W Sa 08:00-12:00. There are stalls selling anything you could possibly desire; cheese and meat from small farms in the Bregenzerwald, socks, fresh bread, fruit and veg, organic beauty products, flowers... It's nice to spend a while wandering round it, and if you buy something you can be sure it's locally produced and therefore better for the regional economy. Everyone's a winner! 
  • 1 Messepark (Shopping Mall), Messestraße 2 (Landbus lines 50/52 or Stadtbus lines 1/4/8), ☏ +43 5572 29380-0, fax: +43 5572 29380-14, . M-Th 09:00-19:30, F 09:00-21:00, Sa 08:30-18:00. A typical shopping mall with all the usual chain stores. Also has an Interspar grocery store (opens daily ½hr earlier). 

Eat

Rotes Haus
  • 1 Rotes Haus (Red House), Marktplatz 13, ☏ +43 5572 31555. Apr-Sep daily 11:30-24:00; Oct-Mar T-Su 11:30-14:00, 17:30-24:00. This wooden house dating from 1639 houses a well-regarded restaurant for traditional Austrian cuisine. 
  • 4 Panoramarestaurant Karren, Karren, Bergstation (Stadtbus 5 to Karrenseilbahn), ☏ +43 5572 54711, fax: +43 5572 54711 4, . Breakfast buffet (reservation only) Sa Su and holidays 09:00-11:00; lunch M-F 11:30-16:00. Perches on the side of a mountain above town. They serve mainly good typically Austrian cuisine! You can see it from everywhere in the city. The view over the Rhine Valley and Lake Constance is stunning night and day and it's often sunny up there when it's foggy down below. They do a very good value cable car and meal combination ticket on weekday lunchtimes. €13+/person (including cable car ticket). 

Drink

Cafés on Marktplatz

On those warm summer nights it's great to go to the Marktplatz, the centre of all activity with a number of cosy cafés and more lively venues. Especially Thursdays and Fridays can be recommended.

  • 1 Klappe 2, Marktstraße 2, ☏ +45 0664-4778781. M-F 17:00-02:00; Sa 10:00-14:00, 19:30-02:00; Su 19:30-24:00. A movie-themed cafe bar a little further up the street. 
  • 3 7er Bar, Eisengasse 7, ☏ +43 650 8422027, . S-Th 17:00-01:00, Fr Sa 17:00-02:00. This is the true alternative scene, with live rock music and other events. They even sell beer! It's often packed and is a great place to have a quick drink or spend the entire evening. 
  • 5 Conrad Sohm, Boden 1 (Stadtbus 7, about 10min from the main train station), ☏ +43 5572 35433, . An alternative music venue. Tickets to events can be purchased online here and here. On weekends there is a free shuttle bus which offers service from the main train station – Rathaus (Marktplatz) – Conrad Sohm and back (F Sa and holidays every 15min from 22:30 until closing; last bus leaves at 03:00). 

Sleep

  • 3 Hotel Hirschen, Haselstauderstraße 31, ☏ +43 5572 26363, fax: +43 5572 26363-4, . Check-in: 16:00-18:00, earlier/later times by request, check-out: M-F 06:45-11:30, Su and holidays 07:30-11:30; late checkout up to 13:00 by request. Doubles/€67+ including breakfast. 
  • 6 Martinspark Hotel, Mozartstraße 2 (5min walk from the train station), ☏ +43 5572 3760, fax: +43 5572 3760 376, . Also offers long-stay holiday apartments. All rooms are nonsmoking with free wi-fi. There is an onsite restaurant and bar. €125+. 
  • 7 Four Points by Shearton Panoramahaus Dornbirn, Messestrasse 1. The Four Points is located out of town by the A14 motorway, in the oval Panoramahaus tower, which sits atop the "Home of balance" fitness and wellness centre with an outdoor pool. On the hotel's top floor, the "Sky-Restaurant" and "Sky-Bar" offer excellent views over the city of Dornbirn and the surroundings. Some of the rooms on lower floors do overlook the neighbouring Messepark shopping centrum, which is far less spectacular. Rooms have varying categories, and their appointments and features belie the brand's humble character. Rack rates from €145 incl. breakfast. 

Go next

Routes through Dornbirn
Becomes ← Bregenz ←  N  S  → Feldkirch → Bludenz
Becomes ← Bregenz ←  N  S  → Feldkirch → Bludenz



This city travel guide to Dornbirn is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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