What's going on in Appenzell??? All the B&Bs and hotels are booked solid! Is there a festival or something?
Karen, It could be the Clanx Music Festival, which appears to be taking place from 24 - 26 August this year. I believe the venue is outside the town, but I'm sure many of the participants are using local Hotels. There's also a medieval festival that commemorates the burning of the town ~500 years ago, but I can't remember when that takes place. It goes on for the entire weekend, and is an entertaining and interesting look at the local history. When were you planning to visit Appenzell? If you have a car, you could also stay in the Ebenalp area. Have a look at the Hotels website for some possibilities. Good luck and happy travels!
We're going to be there on the 7th of September and hope to stay for 2 nights. We'll be going there straight from the Zurich airport and around 12 noon. Is it a hassle to go straight to Ebenalp rather than Appenzell?
Karen, Will you be travelling via train or rental car? If travelling by train, you'll have to go from Appenzell to Wasserauen (~20 minutes, 2 per hour) and then take the Cable Car to Ebenalp. If travelling by car, there's apparently parking next to the Cable Car station in Wasserauen. Another possibility might be to stay in St. Gallen, which is only about 48 minutes from Appenzell by train. Good luck!
It is very rare that I am in the know... During that time the World Championships of Tug of War will be taking place. It would be a great event to visit. It is free on Thursday and Friday. I believe over 2000 athletes from around the world will be competing,including myself.
according to www.myswitzerland.com the Hotel Krone Appenzell has double/twin room available for 2 nights with checkin on September 7 at the rate of 174Chf per night.
Ginny, How about a trip report when you get back. I'm cheering for you.
Thanks for the tips. We found the Hotel Stossplatz for CHF 140 (for 2). We might get to see a little of the tug-of-war on Friday - hope so! It seems likely that the town will be jumpin' that night! We fly out from Vancouver, BC tomorrow - 11:40 to Chicago, then to Zurich, then train to Appenzell. Can you tell I'm excited??!
Please report back--especially if you see some tug-of-war.