BRAND VALLEY - HOTELS & TOURIST INFORMATION

Usually visited from Bludenz, the Brand Valley is one of Austria's most scenic valleys, a magic place of rare beauty surrounded by glaciers. The valley runs for about fifteen kilometers before reaching Brand, and along the way are romantic little villages and lush pastureland set against a panoramic alpine backdrop. This valley offers a wealth of inns and hotels, especially at Brand, and skiers are drawn to the mountain ranges, namely Niggenkopf and Palud.
There are no rail lines running into Brand. The easiest way to reach the resort is by taking the train to Bludenz, from which a dozen buses per day make an half hour trip to Brand. Each bus makes at least five different stops in Brand
Brand is situated on sixty-nine kilometers south of Bregenz, ten km. southwest of Bludenz, and 171 km east of Zurich. If driving, follow the directions to Bludenz and then cut southwest along the road that's marked Brand.
A few centuries ago, exiles from the Valais, in Switzerland, established this village at the mouth of the Zalimtal, near the Swiss border. At an elevation of about 1,030 meters, Brand has long been a popular mountain health resort spread out along a mile-long stretch at the base of the Scesaplana mountain range. Now a famous winter-sports centre, the main resort of the Ratikon district of Vorarlberg.
One can take a cableway to the top of the Tschengla, at an elevation of 1,250 meters as well as a chairlift to Eggen, at 1,270 meters. From Eggen, one can easily make connections to Niggenkopf, at 1,600m (5,235 ft.).
About six kilometers south of Brand, beside the only road leading south of town one will find the Lunersee Talstation. Here, the hardier can start an hour taking climb leading steeply uphill to the Lünersee (Lake Luner) - a glacial lake whose size has been increased with the construction of a dam and whose western edge borders the frontier of Switzerland. If you find the climb daunting, you can take a cable car, which operates from 9 am to 4:30 pm daily from June to mid-October (but note that snowfalls shut it down in winter). Also there is a cafe and snack bar at the top. Once there, one might opt for a relatively flat walk around the lake, a trek that takes most hikers about two hours. Don’t forget that the last cable car downhill departs at 5 pm.