Appenzell
Capital Of The Half Canton Of Appenzell Innerrhoden, A Traditional Swiss Village With Painted House Facades, A Car Free Hauptgasse, Local Appenzeller Cheese And Herbal Liqueur, And The Landsgemeinde Open Air Vote Each April. The Ebenalp Cable Car Leads To The Cliff Hanging Aescher Mountain Inn. · Appenzell, Appenzell Innerrhoden
Appenzell is the small capital of Appenzell Innerrhoden, the least populated Swiss canton, in the green hills of north-east Switzerland. The village centres on the car-free Hauptgasse, a street of painted house facades with flower boxes, small museums, cheese shops and bakeries selling Biberli gingerbread. It keeps old customs: the Landsgemeinde, an open-air vote by raised hands on the last Sunday in April, the only one still held in a canton in this way, with citizens carrying ceremonial swords. Appenzeller cheese, washed in a secret herbal brine, and the herbal liqueur Alpenbitter are the local tastes. Above the village the Alpstein range offers hiking to the Ebenalp caves, the Aescher cliff inn, the Seealpsee lake and the Santis. The honest picture is a small, sleepy place that suits a day trip from St Gallen or Zurich, with best weather from June to October. Bring good boots, expect cloud on some days, and buy cheese and bread before the shops close, since little stays open late or on Sundays, and a sunny weekday is calmer.
Village of painted wooden houses in the Appenzell Alps of north-east Switzerland, with the Hauptgasse main street, the Ebenalp cable car and the Seealpsee lake nearby, Appenzell, Appenzell Innerrhoden, Switzerland
The village is open all year and the Hauptgasse is FREE to walk. Shops and museums keep short hours, and many are CLOSED on Sundays and some Mondays. Mountain lifts run daily in season with a maintenance break in spring or autumn, and the Aescher inn is CLOSED in deep winter. Confirm lift times locally.