Yes, it really is as nice as walking in a postcard in the Appenzell area of Switzerland 😍🇨🇭
At the Seealpsee (1141 m above sea level) is this incredibly beautiful restaurant and hotel. This is just one of the restaurants/hotels in this area, only a short hour's walk from the car park. A steep walk to be sure 🥾But on a nice road it is possible to bring even a pram up here. From here there are many ways to choose, we chose to go down to the water directly beyond the restaurant to take a bath 💦 It was a bit cold it has to be said, but it was definitely worth it 🤩
Down again we went the same way as it was getting late. It was so incredibly nice by the water, so even if we had thought about continuing on the nice paths up the mountain, it was good to get down before it got dark. But, if you recover from it, I would definitely recommend going on one of the paths from the water 🥾☀️
From the car park in Wasserauen, you can take countless walks in the finest mountain scenery imaginable.
It is also possible to take the gondola a little way up the mountain and then go further, which we tried one of the days. Not a bad idea as there are a myriad of routes to choose from from the top of the gondola.
However, it is very possible to walk from the car park and save those kroner and enjoy the height meter by meter.
The picture below is from the incredibly cool, cozy and very special restaurant and accommodation places Aescher 🍽
With a lovely view and fantastic atmosphere, it was really worth a visit here 😍
You can either walk here from the car park in Wasserauen or take a 15-minute walk along a super cool path down from the cable car.
No matter where you go in this wonderful mountain landscape, there are signs, so it is well marked everywhere. Here it says how long it takes to walk and not kilometers, but it was really great 👌
After leaving Aescher, we continued towards Schäfler, another restaurant/hotel in this absolutely magical landscape. The way up there can hardly be described, it was so incredibly nice 🤩💚
At the top, all you had to do was enjoy a good portion of soup and the view 👌
We took another road a short distance down from Schäfler, so it was a round. Incredibly good advice to go that round and also that way, so I really recommend it.
Below is a small map of the area. I would have liked to have walked a lot more here, but the weather was a bit bad so we decided to drive on. But... I'm definitely going back here, because it's one of the nicest things I've seen 😍
The map, which is very clear and nice to have with you on a trip, is located near where the cable car starts in Wasserauen.
På kartet vises det også minutter det tar å gå imellom stiene, så det er veldig greit å regne ut hvor lange turene blir 😃
I also can't help but mention cycling, it's an eldorado for cycling here too 😍🚴♀️ I'll check that out more next time I visit this beautiful country 🇨🇭 The same with climbing, because must also be an eldorado for this 😃
Then there was the campsite we stayed at. It is one of the nicest things I have stayed at. For an extra payment, you could enjoy the swimming pool there and not least the jacuzzi, with a view of the surrounding landscape.
I also have to mention the shower/toilet room at this campsite, because it looked more like a hotel room.
The campsite is called Eischen and is a short drive up a narrow, cozy road from the town of Appenzell. It is a rather expensive campsite, but I think it was definitely worth it with this view and the facilities there.
And maybe it will be a little extra luxury for us who usually freecamp and don't have either one or the other 😅
In the cozy town of Appenzell, we arrived just in time. There was the annual event when the farmer comes down from summer pasture with his cows, then both farmers and cows walk through the cozy town.
Lovely little town with lots of cozy shops. But if you are going to the grocery store, you should save the right to fish until you get back home to Norway, because here 100 g of cod cost about NOK 200. Then suddenly it became quite cheap in Norway 😃
Good to know: If you're going out on the motorway, you need a wafer. This costs approx. NOK. 400 for a year and can be bought at petrol stations. It is entirely possible to drive outside as well, but I think it is very good to be able to drive where you want.
Free camping: This is almost impossible, at least in this part of Switzerland. But at the car park in Wasserauen you can pay around NOK 50 for a day. Very good place to park, and when we were there there were both motorhomes and campervans there. From the parking lot here, you just put on your shoes and start the trip straight away, so it's a perfect location ⛰
However, there is no grocery store here, so it might be good to buy some food before you get here.
Also be careful where you park, they are incredibly careful that you park within the marked space, otherwise you can get fined quite quickly.
This really is an eldorado if you like hiking and I will definitely go back and explore Switzerland more.
But, now the trip continues south and I'm looking forward to exploring more places 😃
Thank you for following me and I hope you will join me on the trip further south 🚌🥰
