Bregenz

Bregenz needs 2 days: the old town and the cable car to Mount Pfänder, with views of Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Liechtenstein all at once from a single viewpoint, on one, and the Bregenz Festival, with operas staged on a floating stage over Lake Constance, on the other (if it coincides with the July-August season). June-September brings the best weather. It's mid-to-high priced, pricier during the festival. Its floating lake stage, one of the largest outdoor stages in the world, mounts a different opera every summer for over 200,000 spectators each season, a unique format combining open-air acoustics with spectacular sets over the water.