Express Liechtensteiner Panoramaweg

This is the big one. From Planken you climb more than 1,200 metres straight up to the Drei Schwestern, the jagged grey limestone towers that are the signature of the whole Panoramaweg, before following the ridge to the legendary Fürstensteig. Cables, ladders, wooden steps and some hands-on scrambling make this a day for experienced hikers with sure feet and a head for heights. The Fürstensteig itself is T4 terrain.

From the Planken Saroja bus stop the trail follows the Nendler Bach into the forest and soon starts climbing in earnest. Higher up you pass a rock window that frames the Drei Schwestern, then wooden steps, ladders and cable-secured sections lead to the summit area at just over 2,000 metres. The views are huge: Garsellikopf and Kuegrat right next to you, the Rhine Valley and the towns of Liechtenstein far below. Along the ridge you continue south to the Fürstensteig, a narrow path cut into the cliffs with cables for support, and descend towards Gaflei.

Running low on energy or time? At the Gaflei Klinik bus stop you can take the bus to Triesenberg Dorfzentrum. It saves you about 620 metres of descent and roughly 2 hours; check the times on the LIEmobil website. Otherwise the trail drops through forest and meadows to Triesenberg, the old Walser village where your hotel is waiting. About 18.8 kilometres, 1,410 metres up and 1,320 metres down: count on a long 9 hours.

Today is all about going up. Between Triesenberg and the Pfälzerhütte you gain about 1,280 metres and lose barely 60, so almost every step of the day is a climb. It comes in three main pushes, with easier stretches on village lanes and gravel roads in between, but your legs will feel it by the time the hut appears on the border ridge. Views over the Rhine Valley and the high ridges keep you nicely distracted.

Right after leaving the hotel you follow sections of the Walser Sagenweg, the Walser Legends Trail. Keep your eyes open for the carved wooden sculptures along the path: each one tells a Walser legend, myth or tale. The Walser were mountain farmers from the Valais who left their homeland in the 12th and 13th centuries and settled on these slopes. Higher up you reach the Old Tunnel, only 48 metres long but a real landmark: dug in 1867, it was the very first road connection to Steg. Just beyond it lies the Sücka mountain inn, a nice spot for a break if it happens to be open.

The trail then runs above Steg, with views down to the reservoir and the small Gänglesee, before turning south into the Valüna Valley, where the climb gets serious. You follow the valley past the Valüna alp pastures and the Valüna-Waldboden hut, then head up into the Naaf Valley. The final climb crosses wide alpine pastures, with views toward Hochspeler at 2,226 metres and Plasteikopf at 2,345 metres. The Pfälzerhütte sits at 2,108 metres right on the Austrian border. The hut is frequently used by hikers who want to summit the Naafkopf, which is only about 1.5 hours away.

A short final day that saves some of its best views for the first hour. From the hut you climb about 240 metres onto the ridge, and from there it is mostly downhill: around 730 metres of descent to Malbun. About 6.3 kilometres, count on 2 hours 45, so there is no need to rush.

The route follows the Fürstin-Gina-Weg, a ridge trail named after Princess Gina of Liechtenstein. Soon after leaving the hut you reach the summit cross of the Augstenberg at 2,365 metres, the highest point of the day. From here the path runs along a green ridge with open views on both sides: Malbun on your left, and on your right the Nenzinger Himmel, a high alpine valley across the border in Austria.

Today the landscape stays green all the way. A second summit cross waits at the Sareiserjoch, and even up there grassy slopes surround you. From there you descend through rolling meadows and green hills towards Malbun, a small alpine village surrounded by green slopes and peaks. The trail ends at the bus stop in the village. Take a moment to look back up at the ridge before you head home or travel on.