Great hike in Appenzell Sämtisersee
alpstein trek

This trek can only be described as a very scenic and picturesque hike in Appenzell. It is an easy and enjoyable half-day tour which takes you around the lovely Alpstein landscape: from Brülisau via guesthouse Plattenbödeli down to the perfectly green Sämtisersee. After that via Alp Soll and guesthouse Ruhesitz back to Brülisau.  An option here to take the Trottinett down the hill!! Pleasant walking. Beautiful landscape. A must-do hike in Appenzell!

A mountain named “Tall Box” with a revolving restaurant

Brülisau marked the starting point of this great hike in Appenzell. The village is located at the foot of the mountain “Hoher Kasten”. The “Hoher Kasten” which literally translates to “Tall Box” is a 1,794 m high mountain in the Appenzell Alps. To us, it did not look like a box at all, but rather like an impressive background for a fascinating landscape.

From Brülisau you can take the cable car and within only eight minutes you will reach the peak. On top, a revolving restaurant awaits you, offering, surprise, panoramic views over the region. The views range from Lake Constance across the Rhine Valley to Graubünden, bliss. The only revolving restaurant in Eastern Switzerland turns around 360 degrees in one hour. Hence, whilst enjoying regional delicacies, your view constantly changes. The Swiss truly know how to create unforgettable moments.

A steep ascent to kick of this hike in Appenzell

The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the temperate just right. Above all, there was the smell of freshly cut grass in the air. Another ideal day for a hike! Following the signs from Brülisau to Plattenbödeli, we commenced our tour in great spirits. We started our walk whilst admiring the scenery, green flowery meadows, traditional Appenzell farmhouses and the alpine background.

After roughly 10 minutes, however, we realized that this hike was not going to be only easy-peasy walking. As a matter of fact, a steep ascent kicked off this hike in Appenzell. The word “steep”, however, is relative as we know. When I researched the tour, this part was described as a “partly steep mountain path”. Well, to us, this path was really steep, not partly steep.

Why it is totally ok if locals overtake you during your hike

For about one hour we crawled upwards, trying to ignore the fact that every now and then somebody overtook us. Well, in fact they were not just some random people who overtook us, but locals. This fact made us feel better. It always makes us feel better!

Let me elaborate. Firstly, locals are much more used to the mountains. Secondly, locals have much better techniques in how to deal with steep ascents. Thirdly, we are still beginners and relatively new to Switzerland. In conclusion, if a local overtakes a foreigner that is totally ok.

The physical condition of the locals might also play a tiny role in this concept, but let´s discuss this another time…

In our defence, it must also be mentioned, that we overtook a few people, as well. To verify our “locals-are-ok-to-overtake-foreigners” thesis, it must also be revealed that the people we overtook were not Swiss.

A sense of relief at Plattenbödeli mountain guesthouse

The strenuous ascent however was accompanied by the constant happy rustling of the Brüelbach river. In addition, the end of this path turned away from the street into the forest, which made it more versatile.  Somehow, climbing up on a rocky and rooty path was more fun than “simply” following the gravel road.

When we finally arrived at the Plattenbödeli mountain guesthouse, we felt a sense of relief. The first part of this hike in Appenzell was done! We accomplished almost 400 height meters in roughly 60 minutes and despite the few instances of overtaking, we felt proud and pleased.

By the way, the story of Plattenbödeli mountain guesthouse dates back to the year 1911. In 1934, for the first time, electrical light burnt in the guesthouse. In the following decades it went through various refurbishments and modernisations. Today, the lovely guesthouse offers its visitors seven comfortable double rooms, local cuisine, a meeting room and a warm welcome.

A lot of people and the wrong turn

Up here, we found an enormous amount of people. From hobby hikers, families and friends, the warm weather quite obviously attracted the crowds. And that´s when we got distracted and took the wrong turn.

Three pieces of advice:

• Should you prefer a quieter atmosphere, try and come up here during the week, if you can.
• Read the signs and your instructions properly before you take a decision in which direction you turn. Don´t rush.
• To get directly to the Sämtisersee lake, walk a little further straight down, bypassing the guesthouse. Here you can decide between a path through the forest or regular road.

We turned left and thereby took an extra loop. Did it matter? Not really, the hike was beautiful and the extra exercise well worth it. We were also rewarded with a little bit of privacy after the busy guesthouse.

Wonderful Sämtisersee lake | Top hike in Appenzell

To the south of the Plattenbödeli guesthouse, we found the Chapel of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary. The chapel is beautifully located in a clearing. During the summer time, services are held here on Sundays.

The hike now continued for us in a smooth and flat manner, leaving room to take plenty of pictures and admire the nature. As mentioned before, the route also became less busy. In conclusion, taking the wrong turn can sometimes work out in your favour as well.

Soon we found ourselves descending a winding road towards the lake. The greener than green lake revealed itself only shortly after. Hiking in Switzerland at its best! The Sämtisersee is a mountain lake of the Alpstein range. The crystal-clear beauty lies at an elevation of 1209 m.

The wrong turn turned out to be the right turn

We found a peaceful place with a top view over the lake and unwrapped our sandwiches. Towards the other end of the lake there were easily ten times the amount of people. Therefore, in fact, our wrong turn turned out to be the right turn.

We fully enjoyed our break. After that, we continued our hike along the shores of the lake. It goes without saying that we took a massive number of pictures. The light was simply astonishing. Thus, we were very lucky to take some outstanding photographs.

Some fun facts about stone skipping

The flat surface of the lake also triggered Krisztian’s urge for a round of stone skipping.

Did you know that there is a Stone Skipping Association (NASSA)? Or that the world record for the number of skips is 88 (!!!)? Or that there is an annual World Championship? The latest male winner being a Hungarian national. And that almost every nation has a different name for this “art”, like the Greek “little frogs” or the Japanese “cutting water” or the Hungarians “making it walk like a duck”. Not all information is useful, some is simply entertaining.

The final part of this exceptional hike in Appenzell

After that, we walked up a gravel road and again and arrived at Plattenbödeli guesthouse. From here, one more time, we turned left, passed by the chapel again and walked until the next signage. Now, rather than turning right, like during our first loop, we continued straight. Soon we reached Alp Soll. From June to August, the charming cheese dairy produces traditional homemade dairy alp products, like cheese, butter and yogurt. You can also experience an exceptional overnight stay here. Watching the cheesemaker during his work, enjoying the fine breakfast and the time far away from the usual hectic pace.

Walk or Trottinett?

From here, we walked along natural roads to our final stop, the guesthouse Ruhesitz. Another lovely inn with a long history and a welcoming aura.

From here you have two options to get back down to Brülisau.

• You can either hike down the relatively steep Rossberg mountain, like we did. Attention: it is a little bit strenuous on the knees.
• You can rent the cool Trottinett for the 3km long way down. A Trottinett is a scooter, that makes the descent a lot easier, quicker and much more fun.

Soon we were back at our car. As always, we sat down in our trunk, took a long breath in and a full breath out. What an exceptional hike in Appenzell!