Slung high above the lake is the Oberstadt, Bregenz’ tiny old town of winding streets, candy-coloured houses and flowery gardens. It’s still enclosed by defensive walls and the sturdy Martinstor.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
![SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 01: Library of the monastery St. Gallen, Switzerland. 2000 hand writings, 1635 incunable and almost 100.000 books. The library was built between 1758 and 1767 und richly decorated. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) [St. Gallen, Schweiz: Ehemaliges Benediktiner-Kloster. Stiftsbibliothek mit 2000 Handschriften, 1635 Wiegen- und Fruehdrucken (Inkunabeln) und schliesslich 100.000 Buechern, 1758-1767 erbaut und kunstvoll ausgestattet. Stift St. Gallen: 612 Zelle des hl. Gallus, eines Gefaehrten Columbans, 719 wird durch den hl. Otmar das Kloster errichtet, das 747 die Regel Benedikts annimmt, 1805 saekularisiert.]
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Abbeys, Architecture, Books, Interiors, Libraries, Photo tgg06/01](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
18.32 MILES
If the greatest masterpieces on earth are wrought for the glory of God, St Gallen’s Stiftsbibliothek (Abbey Library), is like a living prayer. Religious…
27.1 MILES
A riot of turrets and towers plonked high on a hillside and set against the theatrical backdrop of jagged mountains, Schloss Vaduz is quite the fairy-tale…
27.12 MILES
This black concrete and basalt cuboid on pedestrianised Städtle hosts temporary exhibitions, revolving around the gallery’s collection of contemporary art…
Liechtensteinisches Landesmuseum
27.24 MILES
This museum provides a fascinating romp through the principality’s past, heritage and natural history, from medieval witch trials to the manufacture of…
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16.25 MILES
Near the eastern end of Friedrichshafen’s lake-front promenade is the Zeppelin Museum, housed in the Bauhaus-style former Hafenbahnhof (harbour station),…
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29.12 MILES
Crowned by a filigreed spire and looking proudly back on 1000 years of history, the sandstone Münster was the church of the Diocese of Konstanz until 1821…
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28.92 MILES
Awarded Unesco World Heritage status in 2011, the Pfahlbauten represent one of 11 prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps. Based on the findings of…
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7.52 MILES
This ultramodern museum houses rotating exhibitions in summer of Swiss-Austrian neoclassical painter Angelika Kauffmann’s works. The artist had strong…
![SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 01: Library of the monastery St. Gallen, Switzerland. 2000 hand writings, 1635 incunable and almost 100.000 books. The library was built between 1758 and 1767 und richly decorated. (Photo by Imagno/Getty Images) [St. Gallen, Schweiz: Ehemaliges Benediktiner-Kloster. Stiftsbibliothek mit 2000 Handschriften, 1635 Wiegen- und Fruehdrucken (Inkunabeln) und schliesslich 100.000 Buechern, 1758-1767 erbaut und kunstvoll ausgestattet. Stift St. Gallen: 612 Zelle des hl. Gallus, eines Gefaehrten Columbans, 719 wird durch den hl. Otmar das Kloster errichtet, das 747 die Regel Benedikts annimmt, 1805 saekularisiert.]
56463766
Abbeys, Architecture, Books, Interiors, Libraries, Photo tgg06/01](https://lp-cms-production.imgix.net/2023-06/StiftsbibliothekStGallen.jpeg?fit=crop&ar=1%3A1&w=1200&auto=format&q=75)
Nearby attractions
0.07 MILES
Not far past Martinstor is this baroque tower, topped by the largest onion dome in Central Europe. It’s worth seeing the 14th-century Gothic frescoes in…
0.08 MILES
Part of the original defensive walls in Bregenz' Oberstadt, this fortified gate is guarded by the grotesque, mummified remains of a shark.
0.32 MILES
A cable car whizzes to the 1064m peak of the Pfänder, a wooded mountain rearing above Bregenz and affording a breathtaking panorama of the Bodensee and…
0.34 MILES
Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, this giant glass and steel cube is said to resemble a lamp, reflecting the changing light of the sky and lake…
0.34 MILES
One of Bregenz' most striking landmarks is this white cuboid emblazoned with what appears to be 16,656 flowers (actually PET bottle bases imprinted in…
0.41 MILES
At the top of the Pfänder, a 30-minute circular trail brings you close to deer, wild boar, ibex and whistling marmots at the year-round Alpine Game Park…
0.69 MILES
Even if you can’t bag tickets for the Bregenzer Festspiele, the Festival Hall is a must-see. All tinted glass, smooth concrete and sharp angles, this is…
4.29 MILES
Climb 139 steps to the top of this 36m-high lighthouse for cracking views out over Lindau and Lake Constance, especially on clear days when the Alps are…