Hiking, mountain biking or relaxing in Damüls and Faschina-Fontanella, the alpine Walser villages between the Bregenzerwald and the Großes Walsertal biosphere reserve. Enjoy Austrian hospitality with the Guest Card. Damüls and Faschina-Fontanella invite you to enjoy mountain hiking, mountain biking, relaxing and wellness in summer. A wide and varied range of nearby excursion destinations ensures that you won't get bored even in bad weather.

There are numerous opportunities for families with children to discover and get to know nature in the mountains. The Bregenzerwald & Großes Walsertal Guest Card is your ticket to unforgettable vacation experiences in the region. With this card, you can use the mountain railroads, swimming pools, bus lines and other attractions in the Bregenzerwald and Großes Walsertal free of charge for stays of three nights or more.

The Bregenzerwald in Vorarlberg is the largest region in Austria's westernmost province. It stretches almost from Lake Constance in the west to the border with Tyrol in the east and offers a huge variety of landscapes. From hilly Alpine foothills to high Alpine mountains, the Bregenzerwald has it all, making it a popular place to live and experience.

Around 32,000 people live in the Bregenzerwald region, in 23 villages. The people of the Bregenzerwald have always taken care to carefully design their living space and the agricultural cultural landscape. Many of the villages surprise visitors with an exciting combination of old and new (wooden) architecture. Architecture and craftsmanship play a pioneering role. Working closely together, architects and craftsmen create houses and spaces of remarkable quality on the one hand, and on the other, they form an awareness of aesthetics and ecology that inspires other disciplines.

Visitors to the Bregenzerwald can experience this awareness in many different ways:
- When living in houses that combine old and new or that have been sensitively rebuilt in recent years.
- When eating and enjoying in the inns, hotels and restaurants. Culinary highlights are certainly the famous Bregenzerwald cheeses, especially the mountain and alpine cheeses. The KäseStrasse Bregenzerwald (Bregenzerwald Cheese Route) is especially dedicated to this cheese culture with its informative and enjoyable stops.
- Cultural events and exhibitions combine the classic and the modern and often incorporate the surrounding nature. The annual musical highlight is the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg. The "Werkraum" in Andelsbuch is a showcase for innovative craftsmanship.

To this day, a large part of the Bregenzerwald is a region characterized by agriculture. The three-stage management of the pastures (valley - Mittelalpe "Vorsäß" - Hochalpe) is an important basis for the preservation and maintenance of the cultural landscape. It has now been included in the Austrian UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. The cultural landscape can be explored on numerous hiking and themed trails that tell stories about the region. A mountain bike map with detailed descriptions of the 23 top routes for beginners, advanced and professionals is available from the Damüls Faschina tourist office. Some outdoor providers also accompany adventurers and nature lovers on special trails.

Slowing down is a top priority in the Großes Walsertal Biosphere Reserve. Living in harmony with nature is the motto here and is reflected in the relaxed atmosphere of the valley, where you can switch off, calm down and consciously enjoy nature.

Arrive - relax - enjoy. The snow-covered mountain ridges of the Grosses Walsertal invite you to dream and unwind. Whether skiing, winter hiking or enjoying culinary delights: Here you can come to rest and spend precious time in nature and with your loved ones.

As varied as our natural landscape is - so are your opportunities to experience summer here.
Whether it's classic hiking on over 230 kilometers of hiking trails and exciting themed trails, mountain biking or something completely different - for example on horseback, fishing or climbing - summer in the mountains of the Grosses Walsertal is guaranteed to be an experience for you. By the way, you can easily reach your starting points with the summer mountain lifts or with our special hiking buses.

A vacation in the Großes Walsertal Biosphere Reserve means finding peace and quiet and time for yourself with the Walser people. Taking time for special moments, having time to get involved in extraordinary experiences and allowing personal encounters to take effect. Have time to marvel and enjoy. This is exactly what "wohl.zeit" promises. Very special, guided programs and hikes allow for a time of inspiration in the Großes Walsertal Biosphere Reserve. Come to rest in special places - that's what the wohl.plätze offer. Take your time, sit down on a wohl.platz bench and simply enjoy the moment and the view. Special places have been defined whose views are so special that you should sit here for a moment. Or even two.

The "Man and Biosphere" program was launched by UNESCO in the 1970s. The ambitious goal: to show ways in which habitats that are particularly worthy of protection can be preserved for future generations. Over the years, a global network of model regions for sustainable living and economic practices has been established. These model regions are called biosphere reserves and include such famous places as the Rocky Mountains, the Galápagos Islands and the Serengeti. In a biosphere park, people and nature should interact with each other and complement each other positively. Using nature without harming it is the motto of a biosphere reserve. The Große Walsertal was designated a biosphere reserve by UNESCO on November 10, 2000.

In Damüls-Faschina, past and future meet with respect. Here, things are not replaced, but developed further. Tradition serves as a foundation - innovation grows from it: quietly, thoughtfully and with a clear view to the future.

This can be seen in many different ways - sometimes quite obviously, sometimes only at second glance. Whether in architecture, tourism, agriculture or education.

For example, the biomass heating plant in Damüls, which arose from the desire to make the heat supply sustainable and environmentally friendly. Or buildings that blend naturally into the townscape - with wood from the region, a clear design language and a feel for the big picture.

Innovation here also means listening. To what moves people. To what nature dictates. To what a place wants to tell. The "Land of Swings" project is a good example of this. More than just a photo spot - an invitation to change your perspective. Movement becomes a pause, view becomes insight. A swing made of local wood, in a place that was chosen with feeling.

A breath of fresh air is also blowing in agriculture and gastronomy. Young Alpler:innen are bringing new ideas to old huts, focusing on direct marketing and combining climate-friendly travel with enjoyable hiking trails.

In Damüls-Faschina, a form of innovation is growing that doesn't need a big stage. It is quiet, consistent - and deeply rooted in what makes this part of Vorarlberg so special. It is not the loudest that works here - but the most genuine.