How to Plan a Trip to This Lesser-Known Region of Switzerland

On the scenic rail journey from Zurich to Appenzellerland, in Switzerland’s eastern mountains, the train winds through a rumpled geography of gentle hills, tidy farms and barns bedecked with pink and red geraniums — the sort of scenes that wouldn’t look out of place in The Hobbit. Church bells peal. The air smells of cut grass and, at times, pungent manure. This is one of Switzerland’s least populated regions, a time-capsule for anyone pining for the country as it once was. Appenzellerland is a collection of pin-drop-quiet villages laid out amid peaks and pastures. It’s best visited in autumn, after the cattle drives of summer and before the rush of snow. Home to one of the region’s main rail stations, the village of Appenzell makes the perfect base. Visit a dairy to try local cheese, swim in glacial-blue lakes or hike to a mountain inn like no other, carved into the sheer cliff face of the thundering Alpstein massif.

Day 1: Culture & Cheese

Morning

Appenzell is the typical chocolate-box village, with gabled houses painted in floral swirls and hung with guild signs. Folk customs and embroidered herdsmen’s attire are still prevalent here, and the car-free streets and 600-year-old Landsgemeindeplatz (main square) come alive on a stroll. The town hall and Löwen pharmacy, the latter housed in a 16th-century traditional townhouse, are worth seeking out for their facades, beautifully painted with scenes of town life and medicinal herbs respectively. Get a coffee and biberfladen, Appenzellerland’s signature honey gingerbread, at the Landbäckerei bakery on Gaiserstrasse, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Afternoon

It’s an hour on the train or a 15-minute ride on a PubliCar Appenzell bus (a flexible on-demand service that’s easily booked online) to pretty-as-pie Stein village, home of the Appenzeller Schaukäserei dairy, where visitors can watch smooth, unpasteurised Appenzeller cheese being made. A visit stirs the imagination as much as the stomach: there’s an exhibition on the cheesemaking process, a cheese shop and a restaurant serving specialities such as a ‘secret’ herb fondue. The brand’s popular advertising depicts men in traditional local clothing, including lederhosen, red waistcoats, golden earrings in one ear and hats decorated with ribbons and flowers — an ode to the region’s heritage.

Evening

Back in Appenzell, head to the visitor centre and tasting rooms at the Locher brewery, run by the fifth generation of the Locher family. Barley grown in nearby fields is used here to make around 45 beers and beer mixers, from Quöllfrisch, one of Switzerland’s most decorated beers, to an organic lager only brewed during a full moon. Sample a few, then follow with a siedwurst (scalded sausage) from a neighbourhood spot like the mustard-yellow Restaurant Sonne, which has a beer garden and, inside, homely low ceilings and wooden tables.

Day 2: Mountains & Mirror Lakes

Morning

Nowhere in Appenzellerland casts a spell like the Alpstein massif, which peaks with the 2,501-metre-high Säntis and brings to mind the sawtooth limestone pinnacles of the Dolomites. Take the train to Wasserauen — an easy 15-minute journey — then soar by cable-car to Ebenalp, the Alpstein’s northernmost summit, for a day of hiking. Follow the waymarked trail; on all sides, the world tumbles away into deep gorges as the steep path descends through the Wildkirchli caverns and past a wooden bell tower. A half-hour’s walk will take you to one of the oldest mountain inns in Switzerland: the Aescher guesthouse, which opened in 1860. The wooden structure ominously grips onto a sheer rock face as red kites circle on thermals below. Stop in to sample local dishes like Appenzeller cheese tart or cold-smoked sausage tartar.

Afternoon

The lake you see below the mountain inn, with concertina mountains folding in the background, is the Seealpsee. It can be reached by an hour-and-a-half’s steep descent through beech and sycamore forest. It’s easily the region’s most remarkable high-altitude swimming spot, and sticky hikers often splash in for a refreshing paddle. Dip a toe in first — its temperature hovers between 10C and 15C in summer and drops to between 0C and 4C in winter. Alternatively, rent a rowing boat at Berggasthaus Forelle, a family-run lakeside inn. Recharge with a Flauder elderflower soda on the terrace before setting off again — it’s a further one-hour hike back to Wasserauen for the return train to Appenzell.

Evening

With all that glorious nature ticked off, it’s time to relax. Appenzellerland doesn’t generally go in for glitz and glamour, but there’s one exception: Appenzeller Huus. The ambitious hotel complex fully opened last year in Gonten, 10 minutes or so by train from Appenzell. It’s made up of three separate boutique properties that share facilities: three-star Huus Bären, four-star Huus Löwen and five-star Huus Quell, an ultra-modern destination address with a rooftop spa. Experience the salt sauna, steam room and cold-water plunge, then settle for a while in the panoramic pool. Beyond the village’s church spire, you’ll see the Alpstein’s dragon’s-back ridges one last time before they disappear into darkness.

Five more mountain experiences

1. High on the Hirschberg

A straightforward two-and-a-half-hour hike from Appenzell, the hilltop Hoher Hirschberg inn dates back to 1679. It delivers hearty mountain cuisine: order the likes of veal schnitzel, wild garlic spätzli (egg noodles) or Alpine-style cheese macaroni, soundtracked by the tinkling of cow and goat bells.

2. Whisky at Altitude

When the hour demands it, whisky answers. A relatively new spirit, Säntis Malt is aged in old beer casks at the Locher brewery, which gives it a unique richness. Sample it at its source or, if time allows, on the Alpstein Whisky Trek. The hike links the massif’s multitude of mountain inns, each with its own whisky cask individually crafted by the brewery’s distillers. One of the trail’s most accessible guesthouses is Berggasthaus Ruhesitz, whose whisky matures in a Caribbean rum cask. To reach it, take a 15-minute train-and-bus journey from Appenzell to Brülisau, then follow the well-maintained hiking trail for an hour.

3. Alpine Ascent

There’s no shortage of cable-cars in Switzerland, but the Kronberg is particularly special. The longest in Appenzellerland, the ride whisks passengers up to 1,663 metres above sea level, with Säntis only a whisker away and the hazy blue of Lake Constance at your back.

4. Learn to Yodel

Appenzellerland stirs with cowbell jangling — and low- to high-pitched vocal gymnastics. Wordless, slow, rhythmic group yodelling is to Appenzellerland what the bagpipe drone is to the Scottish Highlands. You can join a yodelling workshop at Appenzeller Brauchtumsmuseum Urnäsch (Museum of Appenzell Customs), a 15-minute train ride from Appenzell.

5. Revolving Restaurant

Enjoy the 360-degree panorama at Hoher Kasten, set at 1,794 metres. Among its offerings are breakfasts of cold cuts, and lunch platters of mostbröckli (smoked cured beef), Appenzeller cheese and pickled vegetables. You can also join the monthly full-moon dinner, when the hiking trails around it are empty aside from errant cows. Alternatively, a cableway from Brülisau whisks you up in eight minutes.