On the 27th to the 29th July we explored the small but perfectly formed region of Vorarlberg in beautiful Austria as part of the Captivate ‪#‎RoundtripAustria trip with Urlaubsland Vorarlberg and Visit Austria. Nestled in between Switzerland and Germany, the state is almost entirely mountainous and very affluent – in fact it enjoys one of the highest standards of living and income levels in the whole of Austria. It’s also a visually stunning place and a utopia for nature lovers (in both winter and summer) – blessed with pristine lakes, tranquil meadows, forest-clad hills, snow peaked mountains and its own strong identity. Vorarlberg is home to the Alemannic alpine culture which gives it a very different feel to the rest of Austria – it has its own distinctive dialect and unique set of traditions. Tranquil, enchanting with a bountiful supply of impeccable Austrian hospitality always on hand, Vorarlberg is a place to escape your everyday hassles, relax and rejuvenate or hike through the spectacular alpine scenery.

We started our round trip Vorarlberg journey in the small but classy capital of the region, Bregenz (which lies on the shores of beautiful Lake Constance), travelled to the peaceful Alps town of Krumbach (which is also home to a fabulous collection of architect-designed bus stops), stopped to explore the postcard pretty traditional architecture of Schwarzenberg, hiked through the jaw-dropping Alpine scenery on the idyllic Green Ring (in Lech Zürs), learnt gourmet cheffing skills in Zug and then scaled Loischkopf mountain to watch the sunrise – a very unique and special experience! Here is our Vorarlberg journey in BIG Pictures…

#roundtripAustria is a project involving five blogs which I’m sure you will also enjoy reading. Go on over to LiveShareTravel on the 25th July to read about the next Austrian region in the series. You can also read more on #roundtripAustria on Borders of Adventure, Inside the travel lab, Time travel turtle, and Live Share Travel by the end of the July.

All words and images by Becky Padmore. This post was brought to you as part of Captivate campaign in partnership with the Austrian National Tourist Office but all my opinions are my own.