Due to the geographic location in the Allgäu Alps with its alpine terrain, the Kleinwalsertal has no direct traffic connection to the rest of Vorarlberg.

[1] The name of the valley derives from the Walsers who moved there from the Valais (German: Wallis) in the 13th century (see also "Großwalsertal").

The Helvetic with the karstified Schrattenkalk (Ifen, Gottesackerplateau), the Rhenodanubian or Vorarlberg Flysch (Walmendingerhorn, Heuberg, Güntlispitze, Fellhorn) and the rugged rocks of the Eastern Alps (Northern Limestone Alps) made of main dolomite (the Walser Kerle: Widderstein, Elfer, Schafalpköpfe, Kanzelwand).

The Arosa zone forms a narrow, patchy belt between the Flysch and the Eastern Alps.

It contains the greatest variety of rocks and stretches from the Üntschenjoch, along the Bärenkopf across the Gemstel and Wildental valleys to below the Kanzelwand.

Northwest of the Grünhorn - Schwarzwasserbach - Breitach line, the entire Kleinwalsertal is a nature reserve.

The Gottesacker karst landscape with the Höllloch cave system, the Schwarzwasserbach stream and the numerous raised bogs in the upper Schwarzwassertal valley are particularly ecologically valuable and worthy of protection.

[6] From 1891 until 1995, the Kleinwalsertal enjoyed a customs union with Germany, a free border, and used the German Mark as currency.

Since Austria joined the European Union in 1995, followed by the signing of the Schengen Agreement (1997) and the introduction of the Euro (2002), this special status has no longer applied.

In 1954, the public drinking water supply of the valley was established through creation of the Kaltes Bächle spring in municipality of Mittelberg.

The selection of easy walking paths and moderately difficult hiking trails is correspondingly wide and well signposted.

Mobility in the valley without a car is guaranteed with the closely timed Walserbus, which is available free of charge to tourists who pay visitor's tax and are holders of the Walser Card.

Embedded in the Kanzelwand/Fellhorn, Ifen, Walmendingerhorn and Heuberg ski mountains, the Kleinwalsertal ski area stretches across the entire valley with 103 kilometers of pistes - only interrupted by the Breitachbrücke (3-minute walk or bus) and the Schwarzwassertal (bus shuttle from the Parsenn mountain station to the Ifen valley station).

The Ifen, Parsenn, Walmendingerhorn and Kanzelwand cable cars as well as the Heuberg and Zaferna chairlifts also transport pedestrians to the summit stations or high-altitude trails.

This route leads along a panoramic path to Oberstdorf and along the Breitach river back to Kleinwalsertal.

In 2007, the Kleinwalsertal Mountain School set up the challenging 2-country via ferrata (C-D) and the Walsersteig, the adventure route for beginners (B), on the Kanzelwand.

These restrictions have been criticized by mountaineering associations as inappropriate and technically unsound, especially in view of the extensive development of the surrounding area.

The magazine Alpin wrote that "[...] such a restricted area fits in well with the overall concept of the Kleinwalsertal: Hard and noisy tourism with great economic benefits there and a quiet zone here, where there is simply nothing to be gained.

"[8] On the other hand, the hunting authorities emphasize the need for a quiet zone for game in the valley, which is heavily used by tourists all year round.

The German postal codes (87567 Riezlern, 87568 Hirschegg, 87569 Mittelberg) were actually supposed to be abolished on December 31, 2006, but were retained after protests (the Austrian ones are 6991, 6992 and 6993 respectively).

Even today, police in Austria are not allowed to bring German nationals arrested in Vorarlberg to court via Germany.

At the only remaining petrol station in Kleinwalsertal, fuel is still subject to the German mineral oil tax.

Due to Austria's rigid banking secrecy, Kleinwalsertal was long regarded as a tax haven.

Even the German Sparkasse Allgäu had a branch in Riezlern until July 2016, which was investigated by the public prosecutor's office in Münster and Augsburg from 2017 onwards.

The Walserstrasse has no connection to the rest of the Austrian road network, making Kleinwalsertal a functional enclave.

The Literaturfest Kleinwalsertal is a 2017 established literary festival that organises lectures, workshops, poetry slams and exhibitions.

[12] Another festival is called Walserherbst, which offers literature, visual art, music, theater, cinema, culinary delights and traditional culture.

It is an interactive indoor experience of the world of mountains, conveying geology, nature and culture of Kleinwalsertal.