Hello everyone!
I am planning a tour through Liechtenstein, the Vorarlberg region in Austria and then back into Liechtenstein.
I intended to go by bicycle and camp a few nights out in the open.
By searching online I found out that camping laws are not really clear in Austria, so I was wondering if someone who has been through that region already could tell me whether camping out in the open is a realistic option and if I risk encountering wild animals such as boars, bears and wolves.
Tip: move your thread to Austria forum. There you will find likely more experts that can answer this question.
I used to follow a YouTube channel called the Bicycle Touring Pro and he did lots of bike camping adventures across Europe and elsewhere. He turned the business over to another guy last year, but the videos he posted to YouTube pre-pandemic mostly are pretty fun. He's quirky, but he definitely was living the life riding, camping, and exploring Europe by bike. Don't remember him hitting Liechtenstein but he did Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and more.
Forest areas may be entered in all federal states, unless they are marked accordingly, but overnight stays are prohibited unless you have permission from the owner.
The laws for wild camping in alpine uncultivated land (the areas above the tree line) vary from province to province.
In Vorarlberg there is no general ban, but each municipality and nature reserve may have its own rules.
In general, unplanned emergency bivouacs are tolerated throughout Austria.
Perhaps the Vorarlberg Alpine Club can help you find out which rules apply to your planned tour.
office@alpenverein-vlbg.at
+43 5552 626390
The alternative: There is a good network of mountain huts for multi-day hut-to-hut hikes or bike tours.
https://www.alpenverein.at/huetten-en/finder.php
