Liechtenstein is a tiny micronation that’s only home to around 38,000 people. I was excited to explore the beautiful scenery here, but I didn’t have high hopes for gluten-free dining especially since I could barely find any information about restaurants in Liechtenstein on the internet before I went. However, I was pleasantly surprised – and ate better in Liechtenstein than I did in Switzerland!

Here’s what you need to know about planning a trip to Liechtenstein:

The Best Gluten-Free Restaurants in Liechtenstein

Marée

I’m not exaggerating when I say that I would fly back to Europe and drive into Liechtenstein solely to eat at Marée again – it was that good. I rate the dinner I had here as one of my top five restaurant meals of all time (and that includes pre-Celiac diagnosis!)

Marée is a Michelin-listed restaurant in one of the most expensive countries in the world, so I thought that this was going to be one of the priciest meals of all time. However, the prices here were surprisingly reasonable, and we paid less for this meal than we did for some casual dinners in Switzerland. Maree is located in the stunning Park Hotel Sonnenhof in Vaduz, Liechtenstein’s capital city.( If you can afford to stay at this five-star hotel, I highly recommend treating yourself, as the property was gorgeous.)

Make sure you email ahead of time when you make a reservation to let the restaurant know of your gluten-free needs, and they will go above and beyond to accommodate you. Without having to ask, they brought me out multiple types of gluten-free rolls, substituted gluten-free bread for crackers on our cheese plate, and confirmed that almost everything on the menu could be made gluten-free. They were really great about cross-contact as well. The service here was impeccable – we visited the day after my birthday, and the staff noticed my birthdate on the electronic COVID certificate (that you must show to eat inside anywhere in Liechtenstein) and without saying anything, surprised me at the end of the meal with a flourless chocolate cake, candles, and a happy birthday song from the waitstaff!

Everything we ate was incredible – I had a cheese plate with local cheeses and a decadent risotto and it was all cooked to perfection.

Restaurant Adler

This charming restaurant in downtown Vaduz has an old-Europe feel, delicious traditional food, gluten-free items clearly marked on the menu, and a staff that’s conscientious about cross-contact. When I clarified that the rosti was cooked in its own pan and not fried with other items, the waitress told me “Of course it is, we wouldn’t mark it gluten-free otherwise.” There are a bunch of gluten-free traditional foods available here, as well as innovative dishes – don’t miss the superfood salad that’s made with quinoa and is amazing!

Tang Restaurant

If you’re out in the Ruggell area, this traditional Chinese restaurant serves up safe gluten-free food if you give them advance notice.

The Best Restaurants in Liechtenstein

If you’ve stumbled across this blog because you’re not gluten-free, but you’re looking for the best restaurants in Liechtenstein, go to Lio in Schaan (just outside Vaduz). We got an after-dinner drink here and the definitely not-gluten-free pizzas looked amazing – baked in a huge wood-burning pizza oven.

The Best Bars in Liechtenstein

• Long John Bar
• Zwei
• Esquire
• The Black Pearl

The Best Gluten-Free Grocery Stores in Liechtenstein

The grocery stores in Liechtenstein are pretty small. To get to Liechtenstein, you’ll likely be driving in (unless you’re going by train or bus), and there are plenty of larger grocery stores along the highway that you can stop in to stock up on food for your stay.

However, we randomly stumbled across one very tiny grocery store in Triesenberg that had a huge stash of Schar products (including cookies and candy) – so if you’re in Triesenberg, hit up the small grocery store in the main square that’s by the post office.

The Best Things to Do in Liechtenstein

Hiking

There are lots of interesting museums in Liechtenstein, but I came for the hiking. The scenery here is beautiful and the country has an incredible network of well-maintained trails. You can request paper copies of trail maps online from Liechtenstein’s Tourism Board, and they will send them to you in the mail for free so you can plan your trip!

We had planned to do the stunning Princess Gina Trail and also the amazingly fun looking Malbun Swing Trail, but we visited in November… so there was already snow at the higher elevations, and the trails (and chairlifts to get to them) were closed for the season.

Luckily, it was still warm and snow-free in the lower elevations, so we did a beautiful fall hike among the changing foliage. There’s a well-marked trail from the town center in Vaduz that leads up past the castle (the Prince actually lives here, so you can’t go in), and then winds through the mountains and forest to Triesenberg, where you can continue on or catch the bus back to Vaduz.

If you’re here in the summer and have time, there’s a three-day hike that will take you around the entire country!

The Winery

When else can you say you drank at a Prince’s winery? The Prince of Liechtenstein has his very own vineyard (of course) that’s located about a 10 minute walk from the city center in Vaduz. You can show up and do a tasting Monday through Saturday, but check the website for hours first to confirm they are open. We wandered over at 5pm on a Monday and had a private tasting since we were the only ones there!

How Much Time Should You Spend in Liechtenstein?

If you’re not planning on hiking or skiing, a day would definitely be enough to explore Liechtenstein. (You can walk around the town center of Vaduz in about five minutes.) However, if you’re coming in the summer, you could spend at least two nights here and not be bored – there are so many beautiful hikes and bike trails here to explore. There are even free bikes available to borrow outside the tourism board!

Where to Stay in Liechtenstein

If you’re coming in the off-season like we did (in November) you’ll want to stay in Vaduz, as that’s where the most stuff is open. (We took a side trip to Malbun, the ski town, and almost everything was closed for the season.) Vaduz is also the easiest place to stay if you don’t have a car.

We stayed at the Hotel Vaduzerhof, which was decent for the price. It has a great location in downtown Vaduz, comfortable beds, a clean bathroom, and electronic blackout blinds to help you sleep. Breakfast was included as a buffet which offered individually packaged gluten-free muesli, yogurt, and fruit. There were some significant downsides to this property – like many hotels in Liechtenstein, it’s an unstaffed hotel, meaning check-in and check-out is done electronically, and there is no front desk or anyone to help you if you have questions. The second downside is that there is no individual climate control! In the winter, the heat is on, and you can only turn it down 1-2 degrees in your room – so our room was way too hot to sleep. We did send an email and they left us a fan on the second night, but it was not very comfortable. So if you have to be cool to sleep, I would recommend the nearby Residence Hotel instead.

Or, make your trip to Liechtenstein truly special with a stay at the five-star Park Hotel Sonnenhof in Vaduz, Liechtenstein’s capital city. It’s a little outside of the center of Vaduz, but still walkable to everything – and the property is stunning.

Read More: Driving from Switzerland to Liechtenstein? Check out my gluten-free guide to Switzerland.