Written by John Morris, WheelTravel.org, June 20, 2024
My first attempt to visit the Principality of Liechtenstein failed, but a second attempt was successful — the trip was worth the wait.
In the Spring of 2022, I took a long tour through Europe, visiting a host of cities for the first time and building accessible travel guides for each one. Here are some of those cities, each a worthwhile accessible destination that I enjoyed visiting:
I also traveled to Warsaw, Poland (no travel guide yet, sorry!) — it was my second time within the borders of Poland, but the first trip that really counted (read about my criteria for counting a state or country as visited).
My trip to Warsaw left me with a wildly memorable story when, in the hotel lobby, a well-connected American aid worker read me in on a clandestine plot to recover nuclear weapons. It’s one of my favorite memories in all my years of travel.
That story aside, my trip to Poland wasn’t a great one, largely because my wheelchair had been damaged en route. The damage hindered my ability to explore, and also forced me to extend the trip while I sought repairs. The delays forced me to abandon a planned side quest to another bucket list destination, the Principality of Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein eludes most people, even the most committed of travelers. The country is Europe’s fourth-smallest, and receives the fewest visitors of any country on the continent, with the exception of Moldova.
While Liechtenstein isn’t all that difficult to reach (it’s about two hours from Zurich, Switzerland by train and bus), there are no flights directly to the country and it’s a small dot on the map which many travelers overlook. If this is the first time you’ve heard of Liechtenstein, don’t fret — many people are in the same boat!
Earlier this month, two years after my last failed attempt, I decided that it was time to add Liechtenstein to my travel map. Already in Europe to cover the development of two wheelchair securement spaces for airplanes (one, two), I set off for Zurich. The city’s proximity to Liechtenstein makes it an ideal home base (there are very few hotels in Liechtenstein, and it’s better suited to day trips) but, when I arrived there, the forecast of heavy rain looked ominous. Was I destined to fail again?
I decided to wait it out and, on my second to last day in Zurich, the weather improved and I was blessed with a (mostly) rain-free day in Liechtenstein’s capital city. The second time is the charm, it seems, and what a charming city it was!
From that trip, I created the brand-new Vaduz, Liechtenstein Wheelchair Accessible Travel Guide, which is free and available today. In it, you’ll learn why this small country left such a great impression on me, and why it’s a destination you shouldn’t skip if you are already exploring one if its neighbors, Austria or Switzerland.
The Principality of Liechtenstein joins a long list of wheelchair accessible destinations in Europe that are covered in detail on my website, with information on wheelchair accessible things to do, wheelchair accessible transportation and more.
Liechtenstein marks the 27th country that I have visited in Europe and, with its addition, here is my updated European travel map:
There are still a few holes in my map and I would like you to decide where I go next! Understanding that I won’t be able to visit Belarus or Ukraine for quite some time, please help me choose from these five destinations:
One dot that isn’t on the map but will be soon is Monaco — I’ll be visiting that micro-state, Europe’s second-smallest, next month during my trip to France for the Olympic Games (read about how I decided to attend the Olympics). In the next newsletter, I’ll be sharing some information about how subscribers who are attending the games can meet me in Paris — stay tuned for that!
Talk to you soon,
—John