Canton St. Gallen
In AD612, Gallus, an Irish monk, fell into a Briar. He didn’t see this as an accident – it was a sign – a message from God – that he should stay in that spot. He then built a hermitage with the help of a passing bear (or so the legend goes). The town of St. Gallen is the result of this mystical beginning. This town is still historically significant with a lovely old town full of treasures.
The town of St. Gallen offers:
- Abbey District of St. Gallen is a Unesco World Cultural Heritage Site with its impressive historical buildings, Abbey and the well preserved and beautiful Abbey Library with their treasure trove of historical items.
- The “Citylounge” covers public squares and streets near the old town with a bold red carpet. This ‘carpet’ has seating areas, fountains and play areas for children. It was designed to create a flow in the dead-space between buildings in the CBD and is enjoyed by the local community.
- 17th century wealthy merchants commissioned intricately carved bay windows called oriels, often trying to outdo one another. Today there are 111 beautifully designed oriels that are part of the building façades in the pedestrian zone.
- Noteworthy architecture and art – Baroque, Rococo, Classicism or Art Nouveau designs can be found when walking through the town.
- Die Drei Weieren These three large ponds and the surrounding green space create a sanctuary close to the centre of St. Gallen for anyone wanting to swim, sunbathe, picnic or chill out. It also includes a playground area.
The Canton of St. Gallen spreads out in all directions, bordering three large lakes – Lake Constance, Lake Zürich and Lake Walen. It encompasses the Churfirsten mountain range and shares the Alpstein Massif with canton Appenzell Innerrhoden. Below are some of the diverse off-the-beaten-track places that I have experienced so far.
Click on the images below for more information.
Toggenburg Region – skiing and hiking opportunities
This Canton consists of the attractive, Toggenburg region with the long river valley (Thur & Neckar rivers) offering villages, cable cars, chair lifts and funiculars ready to take you up into the forests or higher, above the tree-tops for great views.
This valley is nestled between the Alpstein (Appenzell region) and Churfirsten Massifs and is home to lesser-known ski resorts with numerous hiking possibilities in the summer. I have visited this region several times when first coming to Switzerland, partly due to its convenient location for day trips from Winterthur. I am glad we found it because it’s now one of our favourites. There are many walks to discover – also suitable for families.
About the seven Churfirsten mountains
The Churfirsten is a characteristic mountain chain that consists of 7 limestone mountains, located between Wildhaus, in the valley and the Walensee. To my eyes (other people have also said this), they look like pointy, ragged teeth. You can see the steep south walls when travelling on the A3 leading from Zurich to Chur (Graubünden).
The Toggenburg side is easier to access, offering the unique outline of the “teeth”. The Southside gives a view of an almost vertical mountainside, dropping directly down to the Walensee (Walen Lake), very impressive!
The limestone mountains with links for further information about cable cars, hiking and skiing (skiing under Chäserrugg link)
The 7 limestone mountains are: Chäserrugg (2262m, cable car to the top) Hinterrugg (2306m), Schibenstoll (2234m, summit plateau), Zuestoll (2235m) Brisi (2279m), Frümsel (2267m), Selun (2204m). A very unique box-style cable car awaits you here. In the back of Selun‘s limestone plateau, you will find a well-known ancient karst cave called Wildenmannlisloch (the hole of the wildman). It’s about 150m long and fun to visit with children! It is also possible to hike there from Alp Sellamatt (gondola or chair-lift from Alt St Johann village in the valley).
One of the themed walks for Families
There is the Klangweg – sounds path – which is wonderful with children – there is a short and a longer route – both offering sound stations for children to discover new and interesting ways to make noises that echo around the mountains, forests and clearings. There are the hanging cowbells to push your way through (even I like that one), a xylophone see-saw, chimes of varying sizes, wooden wheels – the list goes on.
This area is peppered with huge rocks scattered through clearings in forests and along hillsides – bought down in the last ice age, conveniently placed to use as seating for picnics and grills.
You can access this walk from the township of Alt St. Johann, going upwards to Berggasthaus Sellamatt in a gondola/chair lift, then to the walk across to Iltios. At this point, you can stop the walk at the Iltios Bergrestaurant before descending the mountain train to Unterwasser, or if you still have some juice in the tank, keep going for the second part until you reach Oberdorf – also offering a Bergrestaurant and trip down in a chair-lift to the village of Waldhaus.
Alp Sellamatt to Iltios | Iltios to Oberdorf | Book Lift Tickets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walking Time 1.5 hrs | Walking Time 3.5 hrs | ||
| Distance 2.5km | Distance 3.5km | Klangweg Ticket | |
| Height Difference -40m | Height Difference -120m |
For the more adventurous trekker, there are walks and climbs that will take you to the highest peaks in the area, giving magnificent views of lakes, the Alps and Austria. For more information go here:-
Walensee area
Canton St Gallen skirts two major lakes – the southern edge of Lake Zurich and almost encircles Lake Walen (Walensee). The romantic area called Heidiland is on the northern side of Walensee offering the soaring cliffs of the intimidating Churfirsten Mountains which rise dramatically up from the lake. Behind these cliffs you will find a shelf of soft meadows and delicate hills that are home to villages, farms, various ski slopes and Berggasthauses (Mountain Inns) offering accommodation and hot meals.
Lake-side walk and boat trip
I would recommend this stunning 10.5 km Walensee lake-side walk – from the town of Weesen on the western tip of Walensee along the edge of the lake through forests and at the edge of cliffs to the pretty town of Quinten (a map with details is below).
The Hike
After leaving the town centre you walk along the lake for about 20 mins, first passing through the town, then a couple of tunnels carved into a rockface, where vehicles are only allowed to travel through at 30 minute intervals – made clear on a sign close to the tunnels‘ entrances.
From the tunnels, the walk up to Betlis is easy going.
Good to Know: When driving, it is possible to park before the tunnels and at Betlis where the road ends. This will shorten the walk by around 2-3 km.
The main trail starts from Betlis an area with trees and meadows that slightly juts out into the lake. Betlis has BBQ spots, a swimming area, an ancient Roman Fort and a farm restaurant – Landgasthof Paradiesli. The ferry also stops here for travelling on the lake.
View to Seerenbach falls
Viewing platform close to the falls
There is an option to dip inland for a close up of the impressive Seerenbachfalls. A signpost just back from the waterfalls shows the way to Quinten.
After the waterfalls, the trail is often pretty steep with rocky, uneven paths, that wind through forests and wooded cliff faces – always with stunning views. There are some grilling possibilities and benches in and around the trees – great for a break from the steep path.
Arriving at Quinten
The walk then descends steeply before reaching the vineyards at the lovely village of Quinten with its lush gardens and beautiful views. Here you can find a couple of restaurants with lake-side garden bars.
The Boat Trip Back – Mid April to October
The boat leaves from here for a relaxing trip back to Betlis or Weesen – See if you can spot the hiking path you just walked on – its really well hidden. I have done this walk several times and still can‘t find it from the boat.
Important to know – During the in between season (mid April – end of May) the ferries only operate on certain days – See below for a link to the Walensee boat website which has a PDF timetable.
A great website for finding grill spots deep within St. Gallen’s natural environment…
The official toggenberg.swiss website has a page dedicated to info on where to find some good bbq spots in the area.
