Dornbirn is the biggest town in Vorarlberg, with nearly fifty thousand people, and it sits at a hinge in the landscape. To the west lies the flat floor of the Rhine valley and, beyond it, Lake Constance and the Swiss hills. To the east the land rises abruptly into the green, steep country of the Bregenzerwald, with the Karren, a hill above the town reached by a cable car, giving a view of the lake and the Alps. The town lies at about 437 metres.
It is a prosperous, practical place, with an old textile industry and a modern trade-fair centre, and the centre has a pleasant pedestrian zone with cafes and bakeries. Nearby, the Rappenlochschlucht, a narrow gorge carved by the Dornbirner Ach, has a path with wooden walkways, and is a favourite walk. The town's market square is lively on Saturday mornings, and local cheeses and sausages are worth buying.
For a rider, Dornbirn is an excellent finishing point, with fuel stations on every approach and the motorway close by. The A14 Rhine valley motorway runs along the valley, and in Austria a vignette is required for motorways, so make sure you have one if you plan to use it. The best riding is on the roads up into the Bregenzerwald, which twist through steep meadows and woods, with views of farms and the occasional waterfall. Traffic is light, but cyclists are common, and the weather can change quickly in the mountains.
The evening light over the Rhine valley is lovely, and in autumn, a warm southerly wind called the Föhn can bring remarkable clarity to the air, with the mountains seeming close enough to touch. On the other hand, it can make the weather unsettled, so watch the sky.
If you are ending a ride here, try a Kaspressknödel, a cheese dumpling in broth, or a plate of Käsespätzle, cheese noodles with fried onions. They are the right food for a day in the mountains, and the cafes and inns around the old centre serve both.