Appenzell in 5 days

A small, painted Swiss village at the foot of the Alpstein, where you ride cable cars to cliffside inns, walk down to a green mountain lake and finish the day with spiced cheese and a local beer. Best time to visit: June to October. Daily budget (budget traveller): CHF 130 to CHF 400.

Arrive and walk the village

Morning: Take the train from St. Gallen to Appenzell, about 35 minutes. Drop your bags and ask your host for your Appenzeller Holiday Card if you are staying three nights or more.

Afternoon: Walk Hauptgasse and look up at the painted façades, then visit St. Mauritius church and the Landsgemeindeplatz. Spend an hour in Museum Appenzell to get the background on local customs and dress.

Evening: Pick up cheese, Biberli and picnic supplies at a supermarket for tomorrow. Have dinner in a village restaurant with Chäshörnli and a Quöllfrisch, then get an early night.

Ebenalp, Aescher and Seealpsee

Morning: Take an early train to Wasserauen, then the Ebenalp cable car (CHF 36 return, free with the card, every 15 minutes in season). Walk down through the Wildkirchli caves to the Aescher inn and arrive before the crowds.

Afternoon: Take the steep path down to Seealpsee, about an hour or more. Picnic or eat at one of the lakeside inns, then walk the easy track down to Wasserauen.

Evening: Train back to Appenzell. Rest your legs and have a simple supper. Check tomorrow's forecast for Hoher Kasten.

Hoher Kasten and Brülisau

Morning: Take the bus to Brülisau and the cable car up Hoher Kasten (CHF 40 return, free with the card). Walk the summit loop and the geology trail panels while the air is clear.

Afternoon: Lunch in the revolving restaurant, or ride down and walk towards Sämtisersee if you have the energy. Bus back to Appenzell.

Evening: If tours are running, join a tasting at the Appenzeller Alpenbitter distillery in the village, then have dinner nearby.

Barefoot trail and Kronberg

Morning: Take the train west to Jakobsbad and walk the barefoot trail to Gontenbad, about 5km through meadows and mud. Carry a small towel.

Afternoon: Back in Jakobsbad, ride the Kronberg cable car (free with the card) for views over the Appenzell hills, or have a slow lunch and a nap instead.

Evening: Train to Appenzell. Treat yourself to dinner with a cold plate of Mostbröckli, Pantli and cheese.

Cheese in Stein and art in Appenzell

Morning: Book the PubliCar to Stein and visit the Appenzeller Schaukäserei. Cheesemaking runs until 3pm, and entry is about CHF 12 or free with the card. Pop into the Volkskunde-Museum next door.

Afternoon: Lunch at the dairy's Höckli restaurant, then head back to Appenzell for the Kunstmuseum and Kunsthalle, both free with the card.

Evening: An easy evening stroll along the Sitter river, then dinner and an early night.

Heading home: Gallen if you have an early flight.

What to eat in Appenzell

Appenzeller cheese: a firm, spicy cheese washed in a secret herbal brine, sold mild, medium or extra-aged in every shop
Chäshörnli: macaroni-style pasta baked with cheese and crispy onions, often served with apple purée, the mountain inn staple
Siedwurst and Pantli: a pale boiled sausage and a smoked, flat dry sausage, both eaten with bread and mustard or on a cold plate
Appenzeller Biberli: small honey and spice gingerbread cakes filled with almond paste, good for the hiking bag
Mostbröckli: air-dried, lightly smoked beef sliced thin, a classic part of a Plättli (cold platter) at mountain inns
A glass of Quöllfrisch beer from the Locher brewery, or a small Appenzeller Alpenbitter after dinner, both made in the village

Hidden gems

The Alp Sigel gondola from Pfannenstiel near Brülisau, a small self-service lift that runs on a ticket machine, around CHF 27 return
Sämtisersee, a quiet lake in a high valley above Brülisau, much less busy than Seealpsee
Fälensee, a long, narrow lake under steep cliffs, reached on a longer hike from Brülisau or Hoher Kasten
The Appenzeller Brauchtumsmuseum in Urnäsch, a small museum of local customs that explains the Silvesterchlausen tradition you will see there on 31 December and 13 January
Gais, a village one valley over with a square of curved-gable houses, reached on the train towards St. Gallen

Getting around

Appenzell is small enough to walk everywhere in the village. For the mountains, the narrow-gauge Appenzeller Bahnen trains do most of the work. One line runs to Weissbad and Wasserauen for the Ebenalp cable car, in about 10-15 minutes. Another heads west to Gontenbad, Gonten, Jakobsbad and Urnäsch, and a third runs north via Teufen to St. Gallen roughly every 30 minutes. Local buses reach Brülisau for Hoher Kasten. In quieter areas, such as the route to the Stein cheese dairy, the on-demand PubliCar Appenzell takes over. Book it through the PubliCar app or by phone. Stay three or more nights in a participating hotel, B&B or holiday flat and the Appenzeller Holiday Card gives you free 2nd-class travel across 21 OSTWIND fare zones. It also covers free rides on the Ebenalp, Hoher Kasten and Kronberg cable cars and free entry to local museums. With the card, PubliCar only charges a CHF 5 surcharge. Without the card, a Swiss Half Fare Card halves most fares, including Ebenalp (CHF 18 instead of CHF 36 return), but not Hoher Kasten. Bikes and e-bikes can be hired, and with the card hire is free in summer. You do not need a car. Roads are narrow, and car parks at Wasserauen fill up on sunny weekends.

Safety

Appenzell is extremely safe, and crime against visitors is very rare. The real risks are in the mountains. Paths such as the descent from Ebenalp to Seealpsee are steep and get slippery after rain, and some ridge routes are exposed. Wear hiking shoes with a good grip, carry water and a layer, and check the forecast, because summer afternoons often bring thunderstorms. Start early and stay on marked paths. White-red-white waymarks mean mountain trails that need sure footing. Give cows space, especially mothers with calves, and never walk between a cow and its calf. Snow can linger on higher paths into June. Medical care is excellent but expensive. EU travellers' EHIC and the UK GHIC cover necessary state treatment, but not mountain rescue, so get travel insurance that includes helicopter rescue. Rega, the air rescue service, is on 1414, and general emergencies are on 112. Tell your accommodation where you are hiking if you go alone.

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