--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in St. Gallen, Switzerland | Wimup" description: "The 10 best things to do in St. Gallen, ranked and mapped. The Abbey Library and cathedral, the oriel windows of the old town, the Textile Museum, the red Stadtlounge and the ponds above the city." url: https://wimup.com/city/st-gallen type: City guide updated: 2026-10-24 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10 Things To Do in St. Gallen St. Gallen, Switzerland · Europe · By Wimup Editorial, 12 min read St. Gallen is the capital of its canton and the main city of eastern Switzerland, an hour by train from Zurich. A monastery founded on the site of the hermit Gallus's cell made it, embroidery made it rich, and both left their mark on an old town small enough to walk in a morning. ## Quick answer Give St. Gallen two days. Day one is the Abbey District: the library hall in the morning before the groups, the cathedral, then the old town lanes for the oriel windows and a bratwurst on the street. Day two is the Textile Museum, the red Stadtlounge, and the Mühleggbahn up to the Drei Weieren ponds for the view. Add a third day for Appenzell or the Säntis. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep - **Ideal length:** 2 days - **Budget per day:** CHF 150–280 - **Language:** German, spoken locally as Swiss German - **Getting around:** The old town on foot, city buses and the Mühleggbahn for the hills - **Tourism board:** [Official site](https://www.st.gallen-bodensee.ch/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## The 10 best things to do in St. Gallen ### 1. Stand in the Abbey Library hall Library · Klosterhof 6d, St. Gallen The rococo hall of one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world, built between 1758 and 1767 and holding about 160,000 volumes. Visitors wear felt slippers over the parquet, and cases show medieval manuscripts in rotation. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** CHF 18 adults - **Best at:** Opening at 10:00 - **Tip:** The ticket also covers the Vaulted Cellar and the Exhibition Space Links: [Website](https://www.stiftsbezirk.ch/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 2. Look up in the cathedral Church · Klosterhof, St. Gallen One of the last great baroque churches built in Europe, raised between 1755 and 1767. The green and gold of the rotunda and the carved choir stalls are the reason to sit for ten minutes. - **Time:** 30 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Weekday mornings - **Tip:** Services take priority; visits pause during mass ### 3. Count the oriel windows in the old town Old town · Spisergasse, St. Gallen St. Gallen's merchants hung carved and painted oriels, called Erker, off their houses in the 17th and 18th centuries, and about 111 survive. Spisergasse, Gallusstrasse and Marktgasse carry the best of them within ten minutes of each other. - **Time:** 1 hr - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Morning light - **Tip:** The tourist office runs guided oriel walks ### 4. Trace the city's fortune at the Textile Museum Museum · Vadianstrasse 2, St. Gallen Linen and then machine embroidery made St. Gallen one of the richest cities in Europe before 1914, and this museum shows how. Expect historic lace and embroidery, pattern books and changing exhibitions. - **Time:** 1.5 hrs - **Cost:** CHF 12 adults - **Best at:** Late morning - **Tip:** Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00 Links: [Website](https://www.textilmuseum.ch/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 5. Ride the Mühleggbahn up to Drei Weieren Viewpoint · Mühleggbahn, St. Georgen-Strasse, St. Gallen A short funicular, open since 1893 and now a self-service inclined lift, climbs from the edge of the Abbey District to St. Georgen. From the top it is a short walk to the three ponds the textile trade once used, and to the best view of the city. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** City bus fare - **Best at:** Summer evenings - **Tip:** Press the button: cars run on call ### 6. Sit in the red Stadtlounge Public art · Bleicheli, St. Gallen Pipilotti Rist and Carlos Martinez covered a block of the Bleicheli banking quarter in red granulate in 2005, furniture, a fountain and a car included. Locals call it the Roter Platz. Go after dark, when the lamps hung over it come on. - **Time:** 20 min - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** After dark - **Tip:** It sits five minutes south of the station on foot ### 7. Eat a bratwurst the St. Gallen way Food · Marktplatz, St. Gallen The white veal and pork St. Galler Bratwurst goes back to a butchers' guild rule of 1438 and holds a protected origin label. It comes grilled with a bürli roll and no mustard, which locals hold is an insult to the sausage. - **Time:** 20 min - **Cost:** Low cost - **Best at:** Lunchtime - **Tip:** Ask for it grilled from a street stand ### 8. Catch a show at the Lokremise Arts centre · Grünbergstrasse 7, St. Gallen Switzerland's largest surviving locomotive roundhouse, built between 1903 and 1911 beside the station, now holds theatre, dance, a cinema, the Kunstmuseum's contemporary art space and Restaurant LOK. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** Varies - **Best at:** Evenings - **Tip:** Check the programme for the week's shows Links: [Website](https://www.lokremise.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ### 9. Walk to the ibex at Wildpark Peter und Paul Wildlife park · Rotmonten, St. Gallen A free wildlife park on the hill at Rotmonten, about 780 m up, with ibex on their rocks, chamois, lynx, wild boar and marmots. On a clear day the paths look out over Lake Constance to the Alpstein. - **Time:** 2 hrs - **Cost:** Free - **Best at:** Clear mornings - **Tip:** Parking is limited; walk up from the bus ### 10. See the shows at the Kunstmuseum Museum · Museumstrasse 32, St. Gallen The city's art museum, in a 19th-century building in the Stadtpark, mixes a collection of Swiss and European painting with strong temporary shows of modern and contemporary art. The Naturmuseum is a few minutes away. - **Time:** 1.5 hrs - **Cost:** Ticketed - **Best at:** Wednesday evenings - **Tip:** Closed Mondays; Wednesday runs late Links: [Website](https://www.kunstmuseumsg.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## Best of the Abbey District in St. Gallen The rest of the former abbey, a World Heritage Site since 1983. 1. **Vaulted Cellar** (Exhibition · Klosterhof): The abbey's old cellar holds a changing exhibition from the library's holdings. 2. **Exhibition Space** (Exhibition · Klosterhof): The permanent display on the abbey's history, covered by the same ticket. 3. **Gallusplatz** (Square · Gallusplatz): The square on the abbey's north side, home to the Christmas Star Market. ## Best of the old town in St. Gallen The textile city around the abbey, small enough to cross in fifteen minutes. 1. **Marktgasse** (Street · Old town): The main old-town street, lined with oriel windows and shops. 2. **Marktplatz and Bohl** (Square · Old town): The city's market square and bus hub, where the bratwurst stands set up. 3. **Gallusstrasse** (Street · Old town): Runs along the abbey wall with some of the finest painted oriels. 4. **Multergasse** (Street · Old town): The shopping lane west of the abbey, with the old confectioners. ## Best museums in St. Gallen A museum quarter in the Stadtpark, plus outsider art by the station. 1. **Naturmuseum St. Gallen** (Natural history · Neudorf): Natural history for families, open Tuesday to Sunday with a late Wednesday. [Website](https://www.naturmuseumsg.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Kulturmuseum St. Gallen** (History · Stadtpark): The city's history collection, renamed from the Historical and Ethnographic Museum. 3. **open art museum** (Art brut · Davidstrasse): Swiss outsider art, art brut and naive art in a former warehouse. 4. **Kunstzone Lokremise** (Contemporary art · Station): The Kunstmuseum's contemporary art space inside the roundhouse. 5. **Abbey Library exhibitions** (Manuscripts · Klosterhof): Rotating manuscript displays in the cases of the library hall. ## Best restaurants in St. Gallen First-floor taverns in old timber houses, and two converted landmarks. 1. **Zum Goldenen Schäfli** (Swiss · Old town): A first-floor tavern in the last guildhall of its kind in the city, over 500 years old. 2. **Wirtschaft zur alten Post** (Swiss · Old town): In a house from 1552; order the bratwurst grilled on lava stone with rösti. 3. **Schlössli** (Swiss · Old town): Old local dishes from regional produce, inside 500-year-old walls. 4. **Restaurant LOK** (Modern · Station): The roundhouse restaurant, for dinner before a show. 5. **Militärkantine** (Modern · Kreuzbleiche): Officers' quarters from 1900, now a listed hotel and restaurant. ## Best cafes and bars in St. Gallen Biber with coffee by day, Engelgasse after dark. 1. **Confiserie Roggwiller** (Café · Multergasse): The old-town tearoom for a St. Galler Biber and coffee. 2. **Schwarzer Engel** (Bar · Engelgasse): A cooperative bar and restaurant, a fixture of the old town for 40 years. 3. **Analog Bar** (Cocktails · Engelgasse): A cocktail bar on the same lane as the Schwarzer Engel. ## Best parks and viewpoints in St. Gallen The city sits in a valley; the green is on the slopes either side. 1. **Drei Weieren** (Ponds · St. Georgen): Three ponds above the old town, for walks and summer swimming. 2. **Stadtpark** (Park · Museum quarter): The park behind the museums, between the Kunstmuseum and Kulturmuseum. 3. **Kreuzbleiche park** (Park · Kreuzbleiche): The old bleaching meadow west of the centre, beside the Militärkantine. ## Best day trips from St. Gallen Hills to the south, Lake Constance and three countries to the north. 1. **Appenzell** (Village · Appenzell Innerrhoden): Painted house fronts and cheese, about 40 minutes by Appenzeller Bahnen. [Website](https://appenzellerbahnen.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 2. **Säntis** (Mountain · Schwägalp): The Alpstein's 2,502 m summit by cable car from Schwägalp. [Website](https://www.saentisbahn.ch/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) 3. **Rorschach** (Lake town · Lake Constance): The nearest Lake Constance shore, with a promenade and boat trips. 4. **Bregenz** (City · Austria): The Austrian lake town with its floating festival stage. 5. **Konstanz** (City · Germany): The German university city on the lake's western end. ## Festivals & annual events in St. Gallen (2026) - **St. Galler Fasnacht** (Feb): Carnival week: brass bands, masks and parades through the old town. - **OFFA** (Apr): The eastern Swiss spring fair in the Olma halls. - **CSIO St. Gallen** (Jun): Switzerland's official show-jumping nations event at the Gründenmoos stadium. - **OpenAir St.Gallen** (Jun): Four days of rock and pop in the Sitter valley; 25 to 28 June in 2026. - **St.Galler Festspiele** (Jun): Opera and theatre, staged outdoors on the abbey square every other year. - **Swiss National Day** (Aug): Fireworks and bonfires across the canton on 1 August. - **OLMA** (Oct): Eleven days of farming, food and bratwurst; 8 to 18 October in 2026. - **Sternenstadt** (Dec): Hundreds of stars over the old town and a market on Gallusplatz. ## Must-try dishes in St. Gallen, Switzerland - **St. Galler Bratwurst**: White veal and pork, grilled, with a roll and no mustard. - **Olma-Bratwurst**: The larger 160 g version sold at the autumn fair. - **St. Galler Biber**: Honey-spice cake filled with almond paste, pressed with a motif. - **Bürli**: The crusty double roll served with the bratwurst. - **Rösti**: Crisp fried grated potato, the tavern side for sausage or liver. - **Kalbsleber**: Calf's liver with rösti, a staple of the first-floor taverns. - **Appenzeller cheese**: The spicy brine-washed hard cheese from the hills next door. - **Schützengarten beer**: Brewed in St. Gallen since 1779, the oldest brewery in Switzerland. ## St. Gallen transport & airports - **Zurich Airport** (ZRH): The main airport for St. Gallen. Direct trains run twice an hour and take about an hour. [Website](https://www.flughafen-zuerich.ch/en/passengers?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Trains** (SBB): St. Gallen station is ten minutes' walk from the abbey, with fast trains to Zurich and Lake Constance. [Website](https://www.sbb.ch/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **Appenzeller Bahnen** (AB): Regional trains from St. Gallen into the Appenzell hills, including the line to Appenzell itself. [Website](https://appenzellerbahnen.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - **City buses** (VBSG): Buses fan out from the station and Bohl. The Mühleggbahn to St. Georgen is part of the city network. [Website](https://www.vbsg.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) ## St. Gallen at a glance - **Country:** Switzerland - **Region:** Capital of the Canton of St. Gallen, eastern Switzerland - **Population:** 83,843 at the end of 2025, about 544,000 in the canton - **Founded:** Grew around the hermit cell of Gallus (612) and the abbey after it - **UNESCO:** Abbey District, inscribed 1983 - **Language:** German, spoken as Swiss German - **Currency:** Swiss franc (CHF) - **Time zone:** CET · UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer - **Calling code:** +41 · 71 - **Airports:** ZRH, Zurich Airport, about an hour by train; ACH, Altenrhein, near the lake - **Power:** 230V · Type J/C - **Emergency:** 112 ## Interesting facts - The Abbey Library holds the Plan of St Gall, the oldest surviving architectural drawing on parchment, from about 830. - The library's Greek inscription over the door reads "Healing place of the soul". - Locals hold that a St. Galler Bratwurst never takes mustard. - The Kinderfest, a school children's parade in costume, comes round every three years and only on a sunny day. - The Stadtlounge's red floor covers streets, benches, a fountain and a parked car alike. ## St. Gallen travel FAQ ### How many days do you need in St. Gallen? Two. One day covers the Abbey Library, the cathedral and the old town on foot; the second takes in the Textile Museum, the Stadtlounge and the Drei Weieren ponds. Add a third for Appenzell or the Säntis. ### Is the Abbey Library worth it? Yes. The rococo hall is the reason to come to St. Gallen, and it is small enough to see in an hour. The CHF 18 adult ticket also covers the Vaulted Cellar and the Exhibition Space, and children under 16 with their parents go free. ### How do you get from Zurich to St. Gallen? By train. Direct trains from Zurich Airport run twice an hour and take about an hour; trains from Zurich main station are similar. The station is a ten-minute walk from the abbey. ### When is the best time to visit St. Gallen? May, June and September, when the ponds and hills are open and the weather holds. Late June brings OpenAir St.Gallen, October the OLMA fair, and December the stars of the Sternenstadt over the old town. ### How do locals eat the St. Galler Bratwurst? Grilled, with a crusty bürli roll and nothing else. Mustard is the one thing locals agree it should never meet. Buy one from a stand on Marktplatz or order it with rösti in a first-floor tavern. ## Nearby guides - [Lucerne](https://wimup.com/city/lucerne.md): Day trip · 10 picks - [St. Moritz](https://wimup.com/city/st-moritz.md): Day trip · 10 picks - [Innsbruck](https://wimup.com/city/innsbruck.md): Austria · 10 picks - [All of Europe →](https://wimup.com/europe): 158 cities Part of the [Switzerland guide](https://wimup.com/country/switzerland.md) · [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md) ## Sources - [St. Gallen tourism board](https://www.st.gallen-bodensee.ch/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Stand in the Abbey Library hall (official site)](https://www.stiftsbezirk.ch/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Trace the city's fortune at the Textile Museum (official site)](https://www.textilmuseum.ch/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Catch a show at the Lokremise (official site)](https://www.lokremise.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [See the shows at the Kunstmuseum (official site)](https://www.kunstmuseumsg.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Naturmuseum St. Gallen (official site)](https://www.naturmuseumsg.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Appenzell (official site)](https://appenzellerbahnen.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Säntis (official site)](https://www.saentisbahn.ch/en/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Zurich Airport (official site)](https://www.flughafen-zuerich.ch/en/passengers?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [Trains (official site)](https://www.sbb.ch/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - [City buses (official site)](https://www.vbsg.ch/?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.