This Is The Friendliest Small Town in Switzerland

Appenzell is the principal town of Appenzell Innerrhoden, the smallest canton in Switzerland by population. The town sits at 780 meters elevation in the foothills of the Alpstein massif in northeastern Switzerland, between Lake Constance and the 2,502-meter Säntis. Old-town buildings carry the painted facades of the local style, and the canton still votes by show of hands at the open-air Landsgemeinde each spring (one of the last places in Switzerland to do so). The Aescher Wildkirchli mountain inn, built into the Ebenalp cliff face, has served walkers since 1846. The Appenzell Folk Music Festival each August fills the town square with yodeling and traditional Streichmusik for several days running. Below is what the town and its surrounding mountains hold for a long weekend.

The Heart of the Appenzell Village

Landsgemeindeplatz, the open square at the center of the old town, is where Appenzell Innerrhoden citizens gather each year on the last Sunday of April to vote on cantonal matters by show of hands at the Landsgemeinde, a direct-democracy tradition continuous since 1378. The square is ringed by traditional Appenzell houses with hand-painted facades. Schloss Appenzell, the local castle, was built in 1563 in a Renaissance style with masonry that shows several different period building methods within its walls. Concordia House on Engelgasse, a 17th-century gabled patrician home, carries painted panels along its southern facade and figurative paintings under the eaves depicting the eight ages of man.

The Appenzeller Käseladen on Hauptgasse is the standing place to buy Appenzeller cheese, the spiced raw-milk cow cheese that has carried a regional appellation since 1942 and is still washed with a herbal brine whose recipe is locally guarded. The Museum Appenzell on the same street covers the canton's history through hand embroidery, painted furniture, and folk costume, while the contemporary Kunsthalle Ziegelhütte (Art Gallery Appenzell) on Ziegeleistrasse runs rotating exhibitions of contemporary art and music programming.

Tradition Around Every Corner

Two cattle drives bracket the warm season. The Alpaufzug runs between mid-May and June, when herdsmen in traditional dress (red waistcoats, yellow breeches, gold earring on the right ear) walk decorated bell cows up to the high alpine pastures for summer grazing. The Alpabfahrt brings them back down between mid-August and the end of September. The Appenzeller Volksmusikfest each August draws yodel ensembles and traditional Streichmusik string groups from across northeastern Switzerland for a long weekend in town.

Hiking the Appenzell Alps

The Appenzell Alps include the Alpstein massif (with Säntis at 2,502 meters), the Alvier Group, the Speer-Mattstock Group, and the Churfirsten ridgeline. Hut-to-hut hiking through this terrain is one of the standard ways to spend a few days. The Schäfler Ridge route from Wasserauen to the Berggasthaus Schäfler at 1,924 meters runs about 7.5 kilometers and takes around four hours, passing the Berggasthaus Aescher and crossing Ebenalp. The Schäfler hut, perched directly on the ridge, is a regular sunset destination.

The Saxer Lücke loop from Hoher Kasten runs along a ridge above Sämtisersee for about 17 kilometers and five hours of walking, finishing at the Saxer Lücke notch with views into the Rhine Valley. The Aescher-Ebenalp-Seealpsee route reaches the Berggasthaus Aescher, a guesthouse and restaurant built into the cliff face below Ebenalp. Records of an inn at the spot go back to 1846, and the current building has been served meals to walkers between May and October ever since.

Exploring More Of the Outdoors

The 13-hectare Seealpsee sits at 1,143 meters in a glacial cirque below the Alpstein peaks, accessible only on foot from Wasserauen by one of three trails. Cattle graze the surrounding pastures through summer, and two mountain inns on the lakeshore (the Berggasthaus Forelle and the Berggasthaus Seealpsee) serve hot food and accommodation. The most direct route from Wasserauen, starting near the paragliding landing area at the parking lot, runs through beech forest and crosses an alpine pasture before dropping to the lake.

Dining and Staying in Appenzell

The family-owned Drei Könige bakery and tearoom serves fresh pastries on Hauptgasse, with the locals dropping in through the morning. Gass 17, across from the town hall, runs a wider menu with an outdoor terrace. Hotel Appenzell on the main square holds 16 rooms above its restaurant, with a garden terrace serving the daily set menu, the kitchen specialties, and a separate dessert list.

Best Time to Visit

May through October is the standard window. Daytime temperatures average around 17°C (62°F), with the meadows green and the high trails open. April to June brings the wildflower bloom and the start of the Alpaufzug cattle drives. July and August are best for the high-altitude hut-to-hut hiking and for the Volksmusikfest. September and October cover the Alpabfahrt cattle descents and the autumn alpine colors. Christmas markets fill Landsgemeindeplatz through Advent.

The Appenzell Stay

Appenzell rewards a long weekend or a full week in equal measure. The town gives you the Landsgemeinde square, the Schloss, the Käseladen, and a handful of restaurants in walking distance, and the Alpstein massif gives you everything from a half-day walk up to Aescher to a five-day hut-to-hut traverse. Fly into Zurich, take the train through St. Gallen and Gossau into Appenzell (about two and a half hours total), and stay in the old town within walking distance of everything else.