Dornbirn is Vorarlberg’s largest and most industrial city, a Rhine valley commercial center that grew from 19th-century textile manufacturing. It is less charming than Bregenz or Feldkirch but more practical as a regional base. The Rappenlochschlucht gorge, one of Austria’s most dramatic gorge walks, starts 20 minutes from the city center. The Inatura natural history museum is a well-regarded natural science facility. Dornbirn functions as the transit hub for the Rhine valley corridor between Bregenz and Feldkirch. About 10 minutes from Bregenz by train.
city
Dornbirn
Dornbirn is Vorarlberg's largest city and its most industrial one: the textile factories that made Vorarlberg's economy in the 19th and early 20th centuries were largely here in the Rhine valley, and the market square architecture reflects that mercantile prosperity. The city is not charming in the alpine sense but it is functional and well-connected.