Appenzell and Zermat - no

I recently spent two nights in Zermatt and enjoyed the experience. The Matterhorn was visible from town from the time we arrived until late on the second day. So cool to walk around town and see it towering above. Went up to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise at over 12,000ft and although there was a cloud sitting on the top of the Matterhorn from the viewing platform there, the ride up on the gondola was stunning and not something I can do here in (relatively flat) Northern Ohio. Loved the glacier paradise experience up there, I walked on a glacier and then walked inside it. There are lighted pathways inside the glacier with ice carvings and even a tunnel slide which I did go down. A thrill for this 60-something!
In Zermatt I also took a beautiful hike (called The Pensioners Trail) in a pine forest that ran alongside the Gornergrat train for awhile and had great views of the mountain and views overlooking the town itself.
This was my first trip to Switzerland so I’m glad I saw the iconic Matterhorn, hopefully next time I’ll get to Lautenbrunen.

I agree that the appeal of Appenzell is more in the surrounding mountains (are you describing Säntis?) than in the town itself.
As for Zermatt, it is true that full fares for the mountain railways are expensive (over 2x as much as the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix...) but which pass did you have? Swiss Travel Pass and Half Fare Card both give 50% discounts to the Gornergrat railway.

The mountain near Appenzell is called Ebenalp I think. You can also spend the night on the mountain n a hotel apparently. We enjoyed the little hike to the cliffside cafe. It was a bit taxing coming back up - everyone I saw was winded.

The thing is to go up early. We left Appenzell about 3:50 and were only able to spend 5 minutes at the cliffside cafe - lest we spend the night there. You take a 10 minute train to the cable car, then buy the ticket and wait. then go up. then its a 15-20 minute walk down and a 20-25 minute walk up - just to catch the last cable car at 5:30 going down. We wished we had gone way earlier. But in our case we woke up in Nuremburg Germany, got to St Gallen, ate lunch, then came to Appenzell.

In Zermat - and virtually every other Swiss town - the minestrone soup they serve is horrible - like some tomato base with a few frozen vegetables thrown in. We went to the Migros in Zermat and for $20 bought ingredients to make minnestrone of sorts - and all in our party felt it was far superior to the water gruel we paid $10 for a small serving of in the restaurant. I understand Swiss cuisine is cheese - but I used Swiss ingredients to make a flavorful soup which escapes their chefs in so many cities. Its a mystery.

Schaffhausen is an ideal place in so many ways. And I suspect there is some way to walk to the Rheinfalls - its 2-3 Kim - and a 3 minute train ride. but not sure about roads or trails.

We loved both locations!!

If you want to go to Appenzell area because of the coloured houses, you should visit Urnäsch. It is by far more traditional than Appenzell, the town.

And yes, Minestrone is an Italian dish, not a Swiss dish. You can find an excellent Minestrone soup in the Italian influenced Ticino or Val Poschiavo, but certainly in Italy. I would not expect the same delicious Fondue or Raclette in the U.S. than I do here.

Instant soup is a Swiss invention if I'm not mistaken, so in a way, by having bad soup in a restaurant you actually had an authentic meal 😉.
Joke aside, I hope the rest of the trip delivers!

It is interesting to hear your positive feedback regarding St Gallen and Schaffhausen. These are two places that I have not explored very much - I will put them on my list for future outings.

The things that you did not like about Appenzell are the exact things that I do like. It just shows that everyone has their own preferences, and that is a good thing. I go there for the interesting photo opportunities that I find while hiking around or attending events.

The Äscher restaurant became well known because of a National Geographic magazine cover and it continues in popularity through social media. As such there are likely a lot more people going there making conditions more crowded. Sadly it is the site of many hiking accidents with people hiking the mountain trail (to the restaurant and further) when they are unprepared and ill equipped. The sad statistics can be read here.

Sion is a place that I have only seen from the train windows. Perhaps it will be worth a future visit as well.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Sion is kind of an unpolished gem. It has two nice castles/chateaus - one ruined and open for hiking, and the other somewhat open. From the right angles they are very dramatic. We had a good afternoon of hiking up and down and getting pictures. But the town feels more authentic and real - perhaps a bit like Schaffhausen. There was is an excellent restaurant called Stella Marina (Av. Ritz 17, 1950 Sion, Switzerland).

Thanks for the person who revealed that Minnestrone is Italian. Given the number of pizza places in Switzerland its not always clear. The girl in the hotel was quite animating talking about local Swiss food - which all involved melted cheese in some way. And I thought to myself, people crave Chinese food, Italian food, Thai food, indian food, Mexican food ... but no one craves Swiss food. And at their prices, its a reasonable alternative to unhealthy dairy meals.

Regarding St. Gallen - its most photogenic location is the abbey library which is an amazing room to see. However 18 Chi each, and they don't allow you to take any photos. Also no bags or fanny bags. shoes in slippers only.

To each their own…When the temperatures drop in California I crave some good Swiss food, most of which involves cheese. I like a nice rösti, fondue or raclette after skiing or on a chilly winter evening even Santa Barbara style.

To each their own is correct. Your travel preferences and ours do not match.

Our experiences in Appenzell are much different than yours. We have enjoyed the small quiet town for jet lag recovery before hut to hut hiking in the nearby mountains. The locals have serenaded us with singing and coin rolling. A five swiss franc coin is rolled in an earthenware bowl to create a very unique sound. I believe coin rolling was started in Appenzell. There is artful little metal table and stools by the river that tips due to water pressure. The cemetery behind the church is unique and interesting to walk through.
The local beer, Quollfrisch, is delicious as is the Alpenbitter...the bottle has berghutte Aescher on the label. There are many mountain huts in the area worth the hike.

I crave swiss food on occasion. The alpen cheeses should not be missed when in Appenzell. Challerhocker in particular is spectacular especially when melted on Rosti.

Switzerland is expensive. I figure, we have already committed to the vacation travel expense and we are going to enjoy the beautiful area. I will not stay in Interlaken for a 50% hotel room savings when I could stay in Murren or Wengen and enjoy the spectacular scenery and traffic free villages.

Jay