It’s a massive understatement to say that the Appenzell region of Switzerland has character. It’s exactly how you hope the German part of Switzerland will be. Well-known among the Swiss as the most traditional area in the country, its inhabitants remain astoundingly true to their roots.
The residents are devoted to time-honored rituals, and the entire community supports local products from handmade leather belts to artisanal cheeses. The pride that the people take in their traditions, foods, and goods is beyond anything I have seen anywhere else in Europe.
Beautiful downtown Appenzell. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
In fact, Appenzell has a festival of some sort every month, as well as an annual cow market, sheep market, and goat market – all held on different days. The farmers periodically have “cow parades” in which the men and boys put on their traditional red embroidered vests and walk along the roads with the cows wearing enormous cowbells. Each family has their own parade on the day they decide – without announcing it to anyone else. So it isn’t for show.
Appenzell, Switzerland. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Appenzellerland is a region of several villages in the northeastern part of Switzerland, and Appenzell itself is a village with a population of about 6,000 people. It’s filled with gingerbread-style houses and flower boxes, and the nearby countryside consists of rolling hills draped in what looks like an impossible shade of green. All of this is enveloped in the distance by the Alps.
A traditional bonnet in Appenzell that’s still worn during festivals. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
The village also has a museum that contains traditional costumes, the likes of which are still worn by the residents during their festivals. There is an old bed in the museum as well that is very short, attesting to the fact that modern Appenzellers are taller than their ancestors.
I’ve got a fever. and the only cure is more cowbell. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
You can partake of many of the local traditions by contacting the Appenzellerland Tourism office. All of these activities would be great fun for kids. For example, we had a yodeling lesson with cheese salesman and veteran singer, Tomas Sutter, who also taught us how to spin a coin in three ceramic bowls to make three continuous notes as we sung. He even thought we were good enough to sing in the Appenzell village square, which was one of the comical highlights of our visit.
Our yodeling instructor, Tomas Sutter. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
We visited a leather and metal workshop owned by 7th generation craftsman Hampi Fässler on the street called Kaustrasse, where he helped us make a leather key ring with a metal cow shape on top from a design created by his ancestors. Fässler makes belts and suspenders for the local farmers in the traditional style and custom makes designs for many tourists.
A traditional belt buckle that’s still worn today. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
We also visited a butcher shop with some of the most delicious cured meats I have ever tasted and partook of the famous herbed Appenzeller cheese made from a secret recipe that is protected in a bank vault.
Another highlight was making our very own biberli, a dessert from the region which consists of two layers of gingerbread with marzipan in between. This marzipan isn’t as sweet as the marzipan in the U.S., so I liked it much better. We weren’t given the recipe, but we saw the original recipe written in German in the owner’s grandfather’s diary from the late 1800s.
Instead, we were allowed to spread the marzipan in between the gingerbread and use a cookie cutter to create a shape on the top. At Christmas, the Appenzellers “paint” the biberlis with icing and decorate their trees with them.
I had never heard of this region prior to my visit, and I wasn’t sure what to expect, particularly where the food was concerned. I was surprised to discover that the food was exceptionally fine, whether we ate at an upscale restaurant or a simple café. I don’t recall eating anything that I didn’t like, and I tend to be a picky eater.
Hotel Hof Weissbad in Appenzell. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
We stayed at the Hotel Hof Weissbad, a large 4-star property in Weissbad, the train stop immediately after Appenzell (unless someone presses the button on the train to stop in Steinig – be sure to pay attention.) The ride from Zurich was about two hours.
Hof Weissbad is a first class hotel with an outstanding chef and a garden on the grounds where they grow many of their own vegetables and microgreens. Everything we ate at the hotel was not only excellent, but creatively plated – even the homemade raspberry and mango sorbets.
The breakfast buffet was extensive with a variety of international cheeses, as well as meats, pastries, breads, and mueslis. The view from my lovely room was the garden and the rolling green hills dotted with sweet orange-brown-roofed buildings.
The biggest draw of Hof Weissbad, however, is its spa with thermal baths. It actually functions as a rehabilitation site, so you will see many people with canes and crutches during your stay. There is a medicinal herb soup available in the spa that’s made from herbs grown in the hotel’s garden.
But don’t be fooled. This hotel offers amenities and service on par with any top European hotel. WiFi is available, as well as computer stations, and each floor is equipped with a snack and drink station. My favorite drink was Flauder, a locally made mineral water flavored with elderflower. There is also a hut on the hotel grounds, where you can watch a man make cheese on certain days of the week.
Appenzell. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
We had a wonderful lunch one day at Café Conditorei within Hotel Appenzell, a small property in the village of Appenzell with only 16 rooms. I especially loved the red cabbage sauerkraut with the taste of apple, while someone else had a fruit salad in a yellow coconut-based curry sauce.
Sunset over the village of Schlatt. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
Another evening, we went to the nearby village of Schlatt for a simple but tasty dinner at the restaurant of the hotel, Gasthaus Bären, which has beautiful views of the countryside.
Urnasch, Switzerland. Photo by Melanie Votaw.A goat in Urnasch, Switzerland. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
One day, we took a train to Urnasch, a very cute village with pastel buildings, abundant flower boxes, and goats that lounged leisurely by the train station. From there, we took an “Oldtimer Bus,” a yellow vintage bus service in Switzerland that has a unique and comical horn, to Schwägalp, where we caught the 8-minute cable car to the top of Mount Säntis for a panoramic view of the Alps.
The view from Mount Santis. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
While it was temperate down below, Mount Säntis is the highest mountain in the region (8,200+ feet), so it was quite cold and icy at the top. Still, spectacular is the only word to describe the views. In fact, you can see Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, France, and Italy from up there. Just make sure you try to go when the weather is clear. If it’s cloudy, you won’t see anything, but you’ll spend 41 Swiss Francs for the round-trip on the cable car.
A view of the Alps from Mount Santis. Photo by Melanie Votaw.
We had lunch at the restaurant on the mountain, which is a 7th generation business that has photographs of the current owner’s ancestors on the wall. Even though it was a simple establishment, the food was excellent. I had a pasta dish with beef and a ratatouille-type sauce.
Another excursion is a hike through the caves after riding on the cableway of Ebenalp, where you can also go paragliding. Hiking is immensely popular in the region, and Swiss Rail is exceedingly easy to use to get around to the best starting points. More than 200 different companies run in the Swiss Rail system, which still miraculously maintains synchronized lines and has no carbon blueprint. That’s because it runs on 75% hydro and 25% nuclear electricity.
Most of the local cattle are grass-fed, and one farmer even feeds his cows the byproducts from a local brewery, as well as gives his calves two massages a day to create some of the most tender beef available.
Appenzell-made wines and beers, including a beer that’s only brewed during the full moon, round out the very sophisticated culinary experience in the region. Coupled with the cultural richness and natural beauty, Appenzellerland is a unique and fun place for all ages to visit. You could easily spend a week there and not run out of interesting things to do.
It’s called The Dolder Grand, and it’s an incomparable example of what made the Swiss “Grand Dame” hotels coveted by royalty and celebrities alike in the 19th and 20th centuries. Now upgraded for the 21st century, with the addition of two modern wings – the Spa Wing and the Golf Wing – behind the original 1899 historic building, The Dolder Grand still maintains the elegance of a bygone day.
The Dolder Grand Hotel entrance. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
On arrival you are greeted like a cherished guest and introduced to the property with the enthusiasm shown by every staff member from the General Manager to the Doorman and everyone in between.
The hotel is located at the edge of the Adlisberg forest, on the side of the mountain overlooking the city of Zürich and its eponymous lake. It is considered a prominent landmark and was pointed out by our city guide as a must-see highlight when visiting Zürich.
One of the main reasons is the extraordinary collection of over 100 paintings and sculptures from some of the most famous artists of the 20th century, many of which actually stayed at the hotel. These works are on display in the gardens, the terraces, the courtyards and throughout the reception and the public spaces and are an open-air museum par excellence.
The art work is so extensive that a computer listing of all the work is available at the Reception for guests to take a guided tour throughout the property. This is a modern art lovers paradise, a 5-star hotel accommodation and museum all in one.
Interior of the Dolder Grand Hotel. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
The Dolder Grand is considered a city resort, with 175 rooms and suites and is as prominent today as it was at the end of the 19th century when it first opened. I consider it as the epitome of the famous Swiss hospitality industry and our recent stay there, following our UNIWORLD Rhine & Mosel cruise, confirms my belief that when it comes to hotel management and guest accommodation, the Swiss are still at the top of the game.
Our visit also dispelled the stories I hear about the stodginess of Swiss gastronomy, especially when it comes to the restaurants of some of the 5-star properties. I guess, the Red Guide that gave the hotel’s restaurant and Chef Fine Dining Heiko Nieder two Michelin stars is well aware of the innovative dishes and exceptional service of the dining room, which is simply called “The Restaurant.” But more about our dining experience later.
Dolder Grand junior suite. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
We stayed in one of the junior suits in the modern Spa Wing. It was a large room with floor to ceiling windows and a terrace – perfect for dining el fresco in pleasant weather – with views that overlooked the driveway, golf course, the city and the lake far below. There was a desk as you entered the room, then a semicircular settee with a round glass table and a large flat-screen TV across from the king-size bed. Falenopsis orchids decorated the room and were refreshed daily.
Dolder Grand junior suite bath. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
The bathroom was amazing, with a walk-through to the red marble double wash-stand on one side with the toilet and the shower glass-enclosures on the other side. A glass partition led to the water-jet bathtub accessorized with a tray holding bubble bath, candle and a small book of humorous illustrations along with fragrant soaps and gels.
Sculpture at the Dolder Grand. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
Opposite the tub was a glass door opening to the terrace with its glorious views and an automated wall control to open or close the curtains and shades as desired. Along the wall was a make-up shelf holding a large sized reversible mirror with daylight lighting attached, perfect for putting on make-up and securing jewelry.
Saltz Restaurant at the Dolder Grand. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
We were escorted to our suite via a glass-walled corridor decorated with art work and luxury items available at the gift shop. The back garden had one of our favorite revolving sculptures, Jean Tinquely’s and Niki de Saint-Phalle’s “Le Monde” seen through the glass walls; the corridor let to an all glass elevator which whisked us from the ground floor to our suite on the third floor.
The hotel has two restaurants: Saltz, a 14 point GaultMillau restaurant is charmingly decorated in a modern fashion. It is a bright airy space open all day. The menu is modern European featuring a number of seasonal dishes. The highlight is breakfast and, on Sunday, brunch with an abundant buffet. In the summer there is an open-air barbecue on the terrace but we were there during the cold months and the barbecue was not in operation.
The restaurant at the Dolder Grand. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
Heiko Nieder is the Chef Fine Dining, in charge of the Michelin-starred “The Restaurant” since the property’s reopening in 2008. The Restaurant is open for both lunch and dinner during most of the week, with the exception of Sundays and Mondays. The Restaurant is closed for winter break, from February 19th to March 6th.
The lunch offerings include a 5 course amuse-bouche menu (it is similar to tapas, highlighting successful small dishes created by the kitchen). Plus a 4 or 5-course menu featuring numerous seasonal recipes with or without wine pairings, and an a-la-carte menu.
For dinner, one can select from a 5 or 8 course menu, a vegetarian menu, an a-la-carte menu or a 12 course tasting menu with or without paired wines. And talking about wines: The Restaurant has a selection list of 500 wines that includes rare bottles and some verticals that would delight wine aficionados.
And yes, La Tâche and other Romanée-Conti exceptional wines were there amongst the other noteworthy offerings. Altogether about 1,200 bottles are stored under ideal conditions in the controlled environment of a wine cube, seen as one enters.
Scallops with caviar and cubed tuna at the Dolder Grand restaurant. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
There seemed to be Asian influences in many of the dishes the kitchen creates. Especially tasty were the Radish with blossoms and herbs, the summer role, the Peking duck chips, and the “baked potato.”
Crayfish with Tobiko at the Dolder Grand restaurant. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
Spectacular was the Crayfish tail with Tobiko (flying fish) eggs, and the rice role with egg, sea weed and Togarashi.
And the patisserie was not shabby either. Loved the Peanut-caramel bonbon with sea salt and the “fruit stones” were as desirable as the written description was cryptic.
Peanut caramel bonbons and fruit stones at the Dolder Grand restaurant. Photo by Manos Angelakis.
Some of the dishes we were offered did not seem to be part of the regular tasting menu and I have no formal description of the dishes. It doesn’t matter… they were as scrumptious as the rest of what was prepared for us.
One more item I should mention. The hotel has a shuttle bus that takes you down the mountain to Zürich’s Old Town, every hour on the hour, or you can take the Dolderbahn funicular just outside the rear of the building which brings one to the bottom Römerhof station, where one can change to a tram or taxi to go into town.
The shuttle ride goes to Bürkliplatz square across the river Limmat over the Queibrücke, from where you can take a taxi or other means of transportation to visit the rest of the city. Or you can explore many of Zürich’s notable churches, guild-houses, museums and other buildings of the Old Town including the Zeughauskeller, a restaurant in a historic armory that serves “typical Swiss-German food” such as grilled sausages, of which they have quite a large selection, served with potato salad and a side dish of sauerkraut, and decent beer. There you can experience indigestible Swiss-German gastronomy at its best!
Thanks to Swiss Air International for their gracious support. For further information on Zürich see www.zuerich.com.
The authors received a complimentary stay at this hotel, but as always, we are dedicated to giving you unbiased accounts of our experiences. See our Disclosures page for more information.
Switzerland is a small county tucked in between France to the West, Germany to the North, Italy in the South, and Austria to the East. Based on its geographical position adjacent to these other countries there are three official languages – plus English, that is wildly spoken.
Far from being an exotic destination, Switzerland is nevertheless ideal for the independent traveler who is looking for stunningly beautiful scenery; wonderful year long outdoor adventures; charming old world cities with striking architecture; clean streets and smooth byways; friendly people always willing to offer assistance; great museums and cultural institutions… and let us not forget, delicious cuisine!
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
Plus Switzerland has the most amazing transportation system! It is surely one of, if not the absolute best, in the world. The transportation system is like a well-programmed dance, with modern, clean, frequent and punctual bus, tram, ferry and trains, following one after the other in a perfectly coordinated sequence. Here every major city is reachable from any other in an hour or less.
If the distance is greater than an hour by regular conveyance mode, a high speed train will whisk you to your destination in the allotted hour or as close as technologically possible. Another major plus is that all airports are reachable by train. Train stations in all cities are modern, well-lit, with necessary facilities that are clean and safe. In the larger towns the stations contain every conceivable type of shopping opportunity and convenience, with many connected to shopping malls.
They seem to be always filled with people but never congested, an amazing feat given the number of travelers that pass through on a daily basis. The signage is meticulous and readable in several languages for locals as well as tourists who are highly encouraged to use the transit system to cut down on vehicular traffic.
It is easy to navigate in Switzerland, especially if you have the Swiss Travel Pass. It provides local public transportation, unlimited train, bus and boat travel, including mountain excursions, and free admission to more than 500 museums throughout the country, including Travel Guide apps to self-guide you during your stay.
For Americans who have no concept of a public transportation system anything like the Swiss have, navigating in Switzerland may be somewhat intimidating. Switzerland, unlike America, was early on devoting resources to support public-use infrastructure rather than building a massive road system to support the automobile industry.
Of course, Switzerland is tiny in comparison, but America is the only major country without a network of high-speed trains or in fact a domestic, countrywide, well functioning, public transit system. A realization made all the more shocking by my most recent trip to Switzerland.
Whenever you ask directions the Swiss have a peculiar way of responding by indicating the number of minutes it will take you to get to your destination. They seem to know the exact number of minutes you need either by walking, bus, train or tram. It always amused me to be told it’s a 4 minute walk to my hotel or it’s a 12 minute bus ride to my destination or 7 minutes if I choose to travel by train instead of bus.
I don’t know of any other culture that counts directions in that manner and amazingly they were usually correct. Most likely because locals travel mostly on foot, by bike, or public transportation, consequently the cities are never clogged with cars or suffering from the nasty pollution byproduct.
But caution is still required as bicyclists give no quarter and speed past pedestrian’s hell bent on two wheels. Perhaps the safest place is in the street as vehicles come to a screeching halt to let pedestrians cross; a traffic imperative strongly adhered to. As a New Yorker, initially I found it a bit unnerving to step off the curb into oncoming traffic with total confidence that vehicles will stop until you have safely navigated the crossing.
I highly recommend that you pack lightly and choose hotels near transit hubs when visiting Switzerland because unlike many other tourist destinations, except perhaps Venice, there are less car services available and most people walk or take public transportation carrying their own suitcase.
Of course, you can make prior arrangements with your hotel for transport, usually 4- and 5- star properties can accommodate, but then you would miss out on the experience of “being” in the country as opposed to visiting it.
I also found that good walking shoes are an imperative.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
To explore the old quarters of alleyways and winding, meandering streets you need to walk – often over cobblestoned pavements – and seek out the special hidden delights each city has to offer. In Lucerne, serendipitously every corner reveals decorative paintings covering buildings; some new, but most hundreds of years old and still beautifully maintained. Outstanding also are the unique covered bridges connecting the two sides of the ancient city, with their ages old paintings on interior frames that support the ceiling.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
Bern’s medieval Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and from the Zytglogge (clock tower) all the way to the river, along the entire length of the main thoroughfare are decorated statues brightly painted adorning still-potable fountains, many dating back to the 16th century.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
Its covered loggias (walkways) are the longest in Europe and provide protection to walkers from weather and traffic alike. Painted Statues are also attached to buildings from which colorful flags wave in the breeze. If you traverse the entire street, at the end, you will find the famous bear park honoring the animal from which Bern derived its name.
If Bern is considered the city of statues than Basel should be considered the city of art. Everywhere one looks are buildings decorated with paintings and sometimes figurines like those adorning the Toy Museum.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
There are art galleries and museums galore; from the world-class Kunstmuseum (art museum) with its impressive collection of impressionist paintings and unparalleled collection of medieval religious art,
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
to the Jewish Museum of Switzerland in Basel with 13th century Jewish tombstones on display in the open air courtyard. The tombstones are the sole survivors of the Jewish presence in the city during the 12th and 13th centuries.
In Zurich walking along its massive eponymous lake, we passed Bell Epoch and Art Nouveau buildings – one more spectacular than the next – a treat for anyone captivated, like I am, by beautiful architecture. An Old Town walking tour will take you up to the panoramic city view from Lindenhof plaza overlooking the Limmat River that separates the two sides of the city.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
Not to be missed are the Chagall windows at the Fraumunster Church.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
Our introduction to Geneva was our first chance to view the sharp jagged edges of the Alps piecing the clouds that are more like fields of deep snow than high flying atmospheric formations. Geneva is a modern thriving town positioned around its eponymous lake but it still holds ancient secrets such as the 800 year old St. Peter’s Cathedral which sits over an active archeological dig.
This site dates as far back as 2,000 years as a place of worship, first for Allobroges (a Celtic tribe), through pagan Roman, medieval Catholic, to current Reformed Church. And no visit to Geneva would be complete without a stop at the magnificent Patek Philippe {watch} Museum. Known as one of the premier watchmakers in the world this extraordinary collection is mindboggling. (link to Geneva story)
By all means take in the charm of the cities, especially their delightful Old Towns, but make sure to get into the countryside and the mountains. We chose Mt. Rigi out of Lucerne and wish we had more time to cable car up – or funicular down – or ferryboat across – to several more.
A short 10 minute walk from our hotel the Wilden Mann took us to the Pier 1 ferry slip opposite the main train station. The sleek, modern, well designed ship allowed for maximum viewing of the mountains that we passed on our short journey to the tiny town of Vitznau.
After a few minutes, the cog-wheel tram pulled in and we clambered aboard for the exhilarating ride straight up Rigi Mountain. On the way down we stopped for a horse and buggy ride along a mountain pass and caught the next tram back to Vitznau for the connecting ferry ride to Lucerne. It worked like clock-work… just like the other industry Switzerland excels in.
Photo by Barbara Angelakis
Switzerland conjures images of numbered bank accounts; exquisite watches; unparallel efficiency; alpine skiing; cheese fondue; extreme chocolates; and yodeling. And yes it is all of that but much, much more… a wonderful destination to explore and enjoy.
Some of the experiences mentioned in this article are based on complimentary stays, meals, or goods.But as always, we are dedicated to giving you unbiased accounts of our experiences. See our Disclosures page for more information.
