Appenzell

I liked that area. Green hills. Dairy country. Cute little trains. The scenery is less dramatic than in the Alpine areas, however.

Acraven how far is Lucerne from Appenzell by train ?

how far is Lucerne from Appenzell by train ?

Look it up on the SBB website: https://www.sbb.ch/en
2 hours 51 minutes, two departures per hour.
That is Appenzell town, or do you want somewhere else in Appenzell Kanton?

Thanks Chris for the info. I guess we can always count on you for positive feedback on this forum.

I mis-read the original request, not interpreting it as a day-trip inquiry. Appenzell is definitely farther than I'd go on a day-trip unless I had a Swiss Pass (so free rail fare, I assume) and looked on the trip as a scenic excursion as much as a trip to Appenzell. It's a nice area to spend a few days if you can tear yourself away from the high mountains. I remember that my mother and I were woken up in the morning by cowbells as a herd was driven through town. That must have been in very late May or in June (and a long time ago).

sturgismc,

IMHO, Appenzell is definitely worth a visit as it's a somewhat unique part of Switzerland. However, it's not really the most practical location for a day trip, due to the travel times involved. The shortest trip appears to be 2H:51M with one change. That would get you to Appenzell by 10:30. On the return trip, there's also a departure of the same duration, arriving back in Lucerne at 21:21. While that trip is possible, you'd be spending about six hours on trains and only about eight hours in the town. That might not be enough time to visit Ebenalp (if you were considering that?).

Is there any possibility you could add a night or two in Appenzell?

Thank you everyone for your replies. We’ll consider adding another day to our stay so we can stay a night in Appenzell, since it would be a lot of train-riding for a day trip!