How many days to spend is recommended in Appenzell?

I'm not sure Appenzell will provide what you're looking for at that time of year but if you wanted to have a look at the town, one night should be quite adequate. The weather in February will be cold but I don't know if there will be snow as I've never been there in the winter. The town is quite small so it won't take much time to soak in their "Swiss tradition atmosphere". You'll probably have a better chance of seeing cows in the Berner Oberaland (although I have seen pigs and oxen in Appenzell).

Thanks

Where is Berner Oberaland ? I tried to look in the map but couldn't google it?
Is it near Appenzell nearby or?
We;d love to see cows, must be very nice

And as Feb is snow season, would Appenzell be snowing as well or most of them are green land?

Mike,

The Berner Oberland is the area around Interlaken, including the Lauterbrunnen Valley. That area is much preferred by many here, and has been featured on Rick's TV shows. It's a popular area for hiking, etc. in the summer and skiing in the winter. There's always a debate here on which town is the best one to stay in, between Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Gimmelwald, Wengen or Grindelwald. That depends a lot on personal preference, and what activities are planned. I've never been there in the winter either, but I'm assuming there will be snow.

It occurred to me after my last post that the cows may not be as visible in the winter. The farmers move them to the upper pastures in the spring, and then back down in the fall. The "cow parade" in the fall is a big event, with the cows decorated in their finest floral arrangements with large bells, and tourists who happen to be in town that day always seem to enjoy the performance. In the winter the cows are probably more likely to be in barns, as grazing would be difficult under a foot of snow.

You might want to pick up a copy of the RS Switzerland guidebook as that will have lots of useful information.

Green in February? It is Winter. And it's at a higher elevation. Appenzel is incredible for hiking in the warmer months, but IMO, if you are not interested in that, it is a small village. You may see some cows if you are walking along some trails, but it's February so depending on the weather, they may be in and out of the barns.

Thank you very much for your reply folks!

There's something my wife just saw and is interested in doing and would love to ask for your advice. When she saw the photos on Appenzell, she thought it was beautiful but moreover, she realised that Ebenalp cable car is also beautiful especially the cliff hotel at the top and I just realise the place is actually very near Appenzell travelling distance

There are few things. I heard many people say that Appenzell is a very small town and said they can be seen within 1-2 hours, not sure if you agree with that, if so, would you recommend the following change?

We will leave from the other town in St Moritiz and there are 2 train we can take, one is 7am and 9am. Originally, we were going to take the 9am and arrive 1pm, now we are considering the first train at 7am (arrive at 11am) given the added itinerary for Ebenalp. I am not sure if the following day will be doable as follows:

7am - Leave St Mortiz
11:15am - Arrive Appenzell
11:30am - Check in @ Appenzell
12pm - Head from Appenzell to Wasserauen station (which I believe takes 10 min ride) and take the cable car up to the top. (12 min train + 6 min cable ride)
12:30pm - Walk from Ebenalp to Wildkirchli (cave) to Ascher Cliff (which I believe is 1/2 hour walk? correct me if i am wrong)
1:30pm - Have lunch in Berggasthaus Aescher/Ascher hotel
2:30pm - After lunch, walk back up to Ebenalp cable car station (approx. 1/2 hour walk? correct me if I am wrong)
3:15pm - Take the cablecar and return back to Wasserauen station to Appenzell station.
4pm - Stroll along the street till shop closes at 6pm? (I'm assuming the closing times, correct me if i am wrong)

Would you think the above can be done in 1 day? Becuase the next day, we were going to head back to Zurich to tour half day before taking the 7pm flight (meaning leave the Zurich train station at 4pm), and if it is impossible to do in 1 day, we may have to sacrafice the Zurich day sightseeing and head straight to the airport from Appenzell

Of course, if the previous day, if we are able complete them all, then we can do the sightseeing in Zurich before heading to the airport!

The schedule above is my conservative estimate, of course for those who have been there would know better than me

PS: I want to also ask for the walking part from Ebenalp to Wildkirchli (cafe) to Ascher Cliff to Ebenalp, are they difficult to walk in terms of steepness, dangerous etc? Or its easy to do? etc

Your advice would be appreciated!

Thanks

Mike,

I'd have to give some thought to all the points in your last reply. One thing did stand out though, and that's your plans to visit the Berggasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli. I'm not sure they'll be open in February.....

http://aescher-ai.ch/

You may find that travelling in February could mean compromises will be necessary at other tourist sites as well. That's not the best time to visit Switzerland unless you like winter sports.

Hi Ken

Thanks for the site, I will give them a message and ask if they open for restaurants during Feb next year (though I know they will not open for overnight stay)

We just mainly wanna have a lunch/drink there and enjoy the view atmosphere. If not, its still no big deal, we will have lunch @ Appenzell before heading up to Ebenalp

I am a super fan of snow mountains though I am not into winter sports like skiing, its more of the scenerary views that we are interested in =)

Regarding Aescher, you are probably not going to visit her during your time period. Hiking would be...treacherous and snow copious. They reopen in May and, for 2017, will be only a restaurant.

Appenzell, unless you are into winter sports, is not the area you are looking for. Indeed, Switzerland may not be the place you are looking for at your particular time of year for your particular activities.

Cities may be fine, clear enough for strolling, and depending on the exact time of year perfect for shopping...

As for the countryside, unless you are careful and used to driving in snow/ice, 'treacherous' comes back to mind. As does 'drop from a ledge at high altitude'... For winter travel trains are the best.

I spent three days in Appenzell in late summer this year, and loved it. We hiked the Ebenalp and Santis areas, ate (and drank) in three of the berggasthauser, visited the local brewery and cheese factory, and saw "the cows come home". It's a beautiful area for hiking and enjoying the scenery. It's less striking than the Berner Oberland, but no less enjoyable. That being said, I think it would be a mistake to take time out of the St Moritz area and Zurich to spend just a few hours in Appenzell, especially if your main purpose is to grab lunch at the Berggasthaus Aesher. I don't know if the question of whether it will be open in February has been answered, but even if it is, there's a good chance that on any given February day the trail could be covered in fresh snow. Even if you are able to get there, the view will pale in comparison to anything you can get at the top of a lift in St Moritz. There's dozens of berggasthauser in Switzerland; the advantage that Aesher has is that it's relatively easy to get to, at only a 20 to 30 minute easy hike from the top of a lift, weather permitting. However, the view from the Aesher is average at best. (That's average for Switzerland, which translates to outstanding for most places.). If you're just considering a quick stop in Appenzell, my recommendation would be to linger longer in St Moritz, then head to Zurich for the half day.

Thanks folks for the comments
Now the plan has kinda change and would like know what you think for your comment!

I want to officially say that the Ebenalp part will be cancelled. You are right....even it is available to go the cablecar, its really no point going up since alot of things are closed such as the restaurant and the covered full of snow, so I guess we will come again during summer next time!
In regards to staying to St. Moritz. I wish we had time but our schedule si quite tight, basically we are staying in St Moritz, probably half a day, because we will be going from Zermatt to St. Moritz for the Glacier Express train before going to Appenzell the next day but now a little plan has changed.

We decided to go to Santis for a night + cable car. Then the next day Honhen Kasten for the cable car + revolving that turns 360 degrees restaurant. Here is the revised itinerary and please feel free to give me any comments or suggestion!

Day 8 - Zermatt to St. Mortiz (Glacier Express). Will arrive at 4:30pm, I dunno what excursion we should do, given it will get dark at around 6:30pm anyway

Day 9 - 7am depart from St Mortiz train station. Arrive Säntis location (requires 5 1/2 hour travel by train/bus). Check-in @ the Santis Hotel around 12:30pm. Then go for cable car (which is basically just next to the hotel), enjoy the mountain nearby, do snowshoeing and fun activities for the rest of the day. Dinner at the hotel/enjoy facility at hotel (walking in the snow outside, spa in the hotel etc)

Day 10 - Checkout hotel in morning. Head to Honher Kasten for cable car + for lunch @ the revolving 360 degree restaurant. After that, stay around for 1 hour or so. Around late afternoon, go to Appenzell town and walk for couple of hours till dark & shop closed till 6:30pm. Then head back to Zurich at night before taking the flight back in the next day!

Let me know what you think!

Thank you in advance!

To re-affirm your decision to cancel Aescher, they do indeed close up from November to May. I should point out though that that doesn't mean that the Ebenalp is closed. In fact, the lift that takes you to the start of the short trail to Aescher serves skiers in the winter. This lift ends at the Berggasthaus Ebenalp, which remains open. It actually affords better views of the area, as it sits on top of the cliff into which Aescher is built, so the views are 360 degrees, rather than 180.

As for Saentis, it's the ultimate- the highest peak in the area at 2500 m. By comparison, Ebenalp is 1644, and Hoher Kasten 1800. The view from the top of Saentis is fantastic. There's a panorama restaurant there, as you likely already know. There's also a Berggasthaus a short walk from the lift, but it closes up for the winter too. For a pdf brochure, check out www.saentisbahn.ch . The sight is in German, but at the bottom of the home page there's a Links button, which will take you to a page with brochures, including one in English. Note that this lift shuts down for maintenance from 16 January to 3 February. Also note that the price for a return trip is CHF45, so if a ticket is not included in your hotel package, it is something to be aware of. The hotel at the bottom of the lift is brand new, and looks beautiful (in a very modern, concrety way). There's plenty of reasonably flat trails around it which should be good for snowshoeing and such.
I didn't visit Hoher Kasten, but I don't think the restaurant actually revolves- I take a 360 degree panoramic view to mean that it's a round room, with good views in all directions. Again, after viewing the area from the top of Saentis, you may find the views from 700 metres lower less impressive. (You'll also pay around CHF40 for the lift here, unless you have a relevant Swiss pass.) Go if you must, but spending the full afternoon in the pleasant town of Appenzell would be a reasonable plan B. I'm sure you'll enjoy wherever you go in Switzerland!

Thank you for your useful suggestion and handful tips!!

I am aware that the cablecar still opens in Winter but the point was about the restaurant and hiking down that my wife wanted to go so therefore she think it is not worth the time just going there even though you stated the view might be better so that is why its changed to Santis

I actually went to the link you mentioned but I couldn't find it, is it under WEITERE EVENTS link?

Because I clicked in there and there are not much photos or maybe you can sned me the direct link?

The hotel covers the cable ride which is a bonus and also we will have a Swiss Pass so basically, it will cover all the transportation and 1/2 fare for Hoher Kasten cable ride. But however, you may be right, after we see the Santis and then go for HK, probably feel its not that impressive, lol. My wife wanan go mainly because it rotates the restaurants 360 degrees but after its confirmed it is not, then like you said, she may reconsider to spend the Appenzell town instead or maybe spend a little longer in Saintis in the morning before heading to Appenzell in the afternoon!

However, she also wants to ask, although there is another famous cable car mountain excursion called The Kronber which I am aware that it is 1663m, would you recommend going there over HK and better than HK? Or they are more or similar in terms of experience, view etc?

Thanks again!

Hi again Mike,
The link I was referring to appears at the very bottom of the saentisbahn.ch page, in the banner below the Weitere Events, as "Links & Prospekte". If you can't see it, try this: https://saentisbahn.ch/app/uploads/2016/07/157_021605_Panoramaprospekt_2017_en_Web_ES.pdf

The Berggasthaus Kronberg is at the top of the lift which starts at Jakobsbad. Jakobsbab is a short train ride from Appenzell, and there is an outdoor activity centre there, with a sledge run, zip line and such, at least in the summer. I'm not sure if the lift runs through the winter but if it does, I'd say the same as in my previous answer- it's beautiful, but far less so after you've been to the top of Saentis. One of the hikes I did in August was from Kronberg to the base of the Saentis lift (next to your prospective hotel). After walking for two hours, we then took the lift UP more than a kilometre to the top of Saentis. So, you can imagine how much more impressive the view is from the top (weather permitting of course). From your other posts, I see that you are also considering Schilthorn/Jungfrau and Rigi. Given those choices, I wouldn't spend extra time in the Appenzell area to visit Kronberg, Ebenalp or Hoher Kasten. Saentis and Appenzell town would be enough.

I can see it now!
Thank you very much and they are very useful for me as reference

Yes, you are right, other than struggling to choose Schilthorn or Jungfra, we are also going to the following excursions (confirmed):

Mt. Rigi, Mt Titlis, Gornergrat, Glacier Paradise AND possibly Roche de Nay @ Mountrex (saw the photos & reviews in Tripadvisors, they look so so to me compared to others, so may possibly skip this one). Basically, over the 10 days period, we will go 5 or 6 excursions (may skip Roche de Nay depending on final decision and other comments). Not sure if it is too much to a first timer's standard though, lol.

Your comments have woke me so we decided to cancel the Kronberg & Hoher Kasten given you said if we are going to stay the hotel in Santis plus cable car on top of Saentis, then we have already seen the best! So basically, during the next day check out, we will head to Appenzell town for a couple of hours, then head to St Gallens couple of hours like the Abbey Library and the Church before heading back to Zurich. If not your suggestin, we probably have repeated things that we shouldn't have! =)