St. Gallen is a stunning city in Switzerland that is way less discovered than other locations here in Switzerland! Which means that It’s definitely your chance to explore a Swiss town without the usual mob. In addition, in comparison to Geneva and Zurich it is a bit less costly in terms of eating out!
So why should you visit St. Gallen?
Good question! after all it’s not as well known as Geneva or Zurich- you may think. But that’s exactly it! Since it’s a less touristic place it has its own authentic charm.
First of all The Old Town is extremely stunning. Filled with colorful streets decorated with no less 111 oriels on the houses’ facades. Here is a map with the must seen streets but feel free to explore more!
Second, there is The famous St. Gallen Cathedral. The marvelous cathedral is one of the last monumental Baroque monastic constructions in Europe. It was built from 1755 to 1767 and the entrance is free. I am really not particularly religious but I tell you that- the interior is pure art.
Third, Abbey Library of Saint Gall. A significant medieval monastic library and an UNESCO heritage. It literally feels like being in a Disney movie when getting inside. There are public tours included in the entrance fee but you need to make sure to check when is the tour happening before booking your ticket as they run only in specific times.
In addition to those reasons I mentioned above, St. Gallen is rich of history. In particular: Textile. Yes, that’s right! St. Gallen used to be the textile CAPITAL and by 1910 more that 50% of the world’s production came from St. Gallen!
Therefore, I would recommend visiting the Textile museum, founded in 1878. Speaking about museums, the Natural History Museum is also great place to discover Eastern Switzerland’s native animals up close. The art museum is also recommended.
The city is also a wonderful gateway to nature excursions. Like the Drei Weieren– The natural swimming pool with a unique view of the historic city of Gallus and Lake Constance. Peter and Paul wildlife park and even the Säntis– offering panoramic views to six countries, Lake Constance and the Alps.
With all of that being said, I found an amazing coffee specialty in St. Gallen with wonderful coffee. They even roast their coffee beans themselves which adds extra freshness. It’s called the Barista – Specialty Coffee & Bar. So, if you’re like me and need your coffee to be perfect- that’s the place. Moreover, you can find there homemade grannie style cakes and pastries and several vegan options.
Another place we stumbled upon was an incredible Swiss restaurant called Zur Alten Post. Gavrieli found it online and we went to try- the food was amazing. We simply took the menu of the day which included Zürcher Geschnetzeltes– a typical dish from the canton of Zurich that came with homemade noodles.
