From Hohenems we can largely follow the yellow and white „Rheintalweg“ and „Römerweg“ hiking trail signs.
It is interesting to note that at the southern end of Hohenems we pass 3 cemeteries of 3 different religious communities within a distance of about 3 km: first the Christian cemetery at the St. Anton chapel, then the Jewish cemetery (Hohenems had a large Jewish community until the war) and and finally the new Islamic cemetery (Hohenems has around 10% Muslim, predominantly Turkish-born residents).
Some sights and facts
| Km 5 | Götzis. At the entrance to the village of Götzis, we see the Kobel Chapel,
slightly elevated. Erected in 1797, it commemorates the battles that the residents fought against Napoleon’s armies. The foundations of a tower from the year 1340 were discovered during excavations in 1980. In 1509, the St Ulrich Church was extended and in 1514 it was reconsecrated. The ruins of the Neu-Montfort Castle are Götzis’ landmark. The castle was built in the foothills of the Theren Mountains by the Earls of Montfort between 1311 and 1319. Fifty years later they sold their command of it to the Habsburgs who were then able to acquire their first area of the Vorarlberg in 1363. |
From Götzis we hike through the wild and romantic Örflaschlucht
to St. Arbogast
and Klaus. The pilgrimage chapel of St. Arbogast was built at the beginning of the 18th century, but was first mentioned in 1473. Since 1767, every year from May to September, processions have been held on Saturdays.
On the further way to Klaus we pass the St. Loy Chapel, built in 1648. Loy, French for Eligius, is highly venerated in Vorarlberg.
| Km 10 | Klaus. This place name was first mentioned in 890 as ‘Kalchern’, which is reminiscent of the lime kilns of that period. A church was documented here in 1265 and in 1500 a church consecrated to Saint Agnes was built.
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| Km 15 | Rankweil. Rankweil has been well-known as a place of pilgrimage since the Liebfrauenbergkirche was elevated to the status of a basilica minor in 1985. It was built between 1657-1658.
At the time of the Roman Empire, Rankwell was an important transport junction where the fortified Roman roads came together, among them the main road from Chur to Augsburg. The first documented mention of Rankwell was in 842. 
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We pass by the privately-owned Schloss Amberg, built by Elector Ludwig III von der Pfalz in 1417 and we now reach our destination for today, Feldkirch.
| Km 23 | Feldkirch. St John’s Monastery in Feldkirch is worth a visit. It belonged to the Benedictine Monastery in Weingarten for a long period. The Schattenburg, with its museum and restaurant, is also of interest, towering over Feldkirch. It is one of the best preserved castles from the High Middle Ages in Central Europe. It was erected in 1200 by Count Hugo, the founder of the town of Feldkirch.
In the time of the early medieval Christianization, the area of today’s Vorarlberg was divided into the three dioceses of Augsburg, Chur and Constance. Like Liechtenstein, Feldkirch, Walgau, Klostertal and Montafon belonged to the diocese of Chur. After the Bavarian administration and return to Austria, the Vorarlberg parts of the dioceses were combined in 1816 and ceded to the diocese of Brixen. In 1818, a Vicariate General for Vorarlberg was established in Feldkirch, which remained in existence after the First World War as part of the Innsbruck-Feldkirch Apostolic Administration. In 1968 the diocese of Feldkirch was established. 
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