Run with the Sun!
To meet the sunrise on the crest of a mountain and then run at full pelt down the path to a lower viewing platform – many years ago this could be done for sports whenever we managed to spend a vacation in the mountains. The winner was the most dexterous climber who managed to “catch” most sunrises.
Not that this trick should be repeated in nowadays Vorarlberg, but the excellent marking of the local trails and clear signs in the Austrian Alps would make this pastime a lot safer. A good option for those mountain tourists who prefer less extreme hikes is to spend the night at the house Mansaura and early in the morning set off up the mountain road to Rellstal by bus, which starts its journey 300 metres from the house (departing from the Vandans train station and from Rellstal on summer evenings).
By hiking from Rellstal, you can reach the Swiss Gate (Schweizertor, 2137 m) in a few hours and enter Switzerland, or turn right past the pointed peak of Zimba (2643 m), cross the Lünerkrinne Pass and enjoy the sight of the turquoise Lake Lünersee, which is one of the highest in the Alps. Having enjoyed your second cup of morning coffee in the cosy Douglasshütte (1979 m), you can go for a walk around the lake (approx. 1 hour) and take a different route back to Rellstal or use the comfortable cable car lift to descend to Brandtal, visit the mountain village of Brand with its stylish small hotels and a golf course and return to the Montafon Valley by bus.
And this is just one of countless possibilities! Throughout the summer, you can make use of the Golmbahn lift, whose upper station (1890 m) marks the beginning of several hiking trails with a descent straight to the house Mansaura. In addition, you can finish your hike by riding the summer toboggan to the lower lift station. Having explored Rellstal, hiking enthusiasts can set out early in the morning to Silbertal, which branches off from the Montafon Valley on the opposite side in the direction of Tyrol, or take the bus departing from Partenen and go up the winding serpentine road to the mountain range of Silvretta in the Alps to see the peak of Piz Buin (3312 m) or go towards Tyrol to visit the famous winter ski resorts of Ischgl and Galtür.
During the summer, tourists to the Montafon Valley can take advantage of the hiking trails of varying difficulty with a total length of 500 km and 19 lifts of different types.
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