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Rätikon scenic drive: Brandnertal & Walgau

Half-day loop, 110 km: Bludenz – Brandnertal to the Lünersee cable car – Bürs – Walgau with the little Schnifis cable car – and back, the Rätikon in view all the way.

all year 👨‍👩‍👧 Family friendly

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Elevation profile

This driving loop circles the Vorarlberg side of the Rätikon, whose highest summit, the Schesaplana (2,965 m), stands on the border with Graubünden. From St. Gallenkirch you drive to Bludenz and up the Brandnertal to the valley station of the Lünersee cable car (1,568 m). The aerial tramway, rebuilt in 2020, lifts 65 people to the Lünersee (1,970 m) in under three minutes – the turquoise-green reservoir that ORF viewers voted Austria's most beautiful place in 2019, with a lake circuit of about 6 km and the Douglasshütte at the top station. Back via Brand and Bürs into the Walgau, where the little 'Schnüfner Bähnle' has run at Schnifis since 1961: a cable car with 5-person cabins from 674 to 1,328 m up to the Henslerstüble inn high above the Ill valley.

About 110 km, 4 to 6 hours depending on stops. The Lünersee cable car runs 23 May–26 Oct 2026 daily 8 am–5 pm (return €26 adults, €15.60 children, as of 2026), the Schnifisberg cable car 9 Apr–8 Nov 2026 Wednesday to Sunday with a lunch break; both are included with the Freizeit-WildPass in summer. On fine weekends the car park at the Lünersee cable car fills up early – Dutch and English travel reports alike advise getting there as early in the morning as possible. If you want more mountain, walk from the Douglasshütte to the Totalphütte (2,385 m), the base for the Schesaplana.

📍 Stages

  1. Ferienhaus
  2. Bludenz
  3. Brand
  4. Lünerseebahn Talstation
  5. Brand
  6. Bürs
  7. Nenzing / Schnifisberg
  8. Bludenz
  9. Ferienhaus

💡 Tips & refreshments

Lünersee only in clear weather – in cloud the colour is lost. Dogs travel free on the Lünersee cable car but must be muzzled and on a lead. Schnifisberg: closed 13–28 July 2026 and on Mon/Tue. The loop can be driven all year, but the cable cars run only in season.

🕒 Opening hours

Lünersee cable car 23 May–26 Oct 2026 daily 8 am–5 pm; Schnifisberg cable car 9 Apr–8 Nov 2026 Wed–Sun mornings and afternoons with a lunch break, Thu until 9 pm (as of 2026).

💶 Prices

Lünersee cable car return adults €26, children €15.60 (as of 2026); WildPass valid for both cable cars.

Last updated: 13 Sep 2026 · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)

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