Appenzell, seat of the Landsgemeinde, canton Appenzell Innerrhoden, at 777 m.

Where to stay in Appenzell

Stay in Appenzell if the Landsgemeinde and the Hoher Kasten viewpoint are the reason for the trip: two hotels open directly onto the Landsgemeindeplatz, and the cable car to 1794 m leaves from nearby Brülisau. For a bigger city with more restaurants and rail connections, sleep in St. Gallen instead.

777metres above sea level16960residents, the smallest of Switzerland’s 26 cantons by population1403first secure record of the Landsgemeinde, held every year on the Landsgemeindeplatz

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Appenzell at a glance

Why Appenzell

Because the vote still happens in the open air here: the Landsgemeinde has been documented in Appenzell since 1403, it is held every last Sunday of April on the Landsgemeindeplatz, and every hotel on the square sits within sight of it. A cable car eight minutes from nearby Brülisau then adds a summit at 1794 m, with views the operator describes as reaching six countries.

Where to sleep

On the square itself: Hotel Säntis and Hotel Appenzell, both open directly onto the Landsgemeindeplatz. In the village centre, a short walk away: Hotel Hecht and Hotel Löwen, around Hauptgasse and Hirschengasse.

Watch out

The Appenzeller Alpenbitter tour and the Schaukäserei Stein cheese dairy are both listed by the tourist office, but neither publishes a standard schedule or admission price on its own site, only single calendar dates. Check the current listing before you build a day around either one.

Appenzell, before you book

Appenzell is the seat of the Landsgemeinde, the open-air assembly documented here since 1403, and that single fact shapes the whole village around one square, the Landsgemeindeplatz. You arrive on the Appenzeller Bahnen, the narrow-gauge line that reaches the village from St. Gallen and continues towards the Alpstein trailheads. Appenzell itself is not car-free, but daily life still centres on the square rather than on traffic, in a canton that is Switzerland’s smallest by population.

Where to sleep here comes down to distance from that square. Hotel Säntis and Hotel Appenzell stand directly on the Landsgemeindeplatz, close enough that Säntis names three rooms after it. A short walk into the centre, around Hauptgasse and Hirschengasse, sit Hotel Hecht and Hotel Löwen, the other two houses of the same Appenzeller Hotels group as Säntis. Further out, Brülisau is the valley station for the Hoher Kasten cable car, a day-trip direction rather than a base with a confirmed hotel of its own.

The choice is compact rather than wide: three sibling houses of the Appenzeller Hotels group, Säntis, Hecht and Löwen, stand alongside the independently run Hotel Appenzell, which describes itself as the village’s only three-star superior address. Säntis adds a wellness and sauna area, its own restaurant and the traditional Landsgmendstobe on the square, while Hecht keeps seminar rooms for groups. Hotel Appenzell includes the Appenzeller Ferienkarte for stays of three nights or more, the same regional pass any guest of the canton can claim.

The Landsgemeinde itself falls on the last Sunday of April, when the day runs from a morning service at St. Mauritius church to the vote by show of hands on the square at noon. Outside that one Sunday, the Hoher Kasten cable car runs year round, weather permitting, climbing from Brülisau to 1794 m in eight minutes. Book three or more consecutive nights and register your arrival in advance, and Appenzellerland Tourismus sends free second-class return trains for the journey.

4 hotels in Appenzell, from budget to top end

Budget

Hotel Hecht

Hauptgasse and Hirschengasse, the village centre · 3 stars

From

CHF 209/ night

Summer average CHF 255

Hotel Hecht stands in the village centre, one of the three houses of the Appenzeller Hotels group alongside Säntis and Löwen. As a three-star address with its own seminar rooms, it suits a group booking as much as a couple’s stay.

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Budget

Hotel Löwen

Hauptgasse and Hirschengasse, the village centre · 3 stars

From

CHF 234/ night

Summer average CHF 250

Hotel Löwen is the third house of the Appenzeller Hotels group, in the heart of the village alongside Hotel Hecht. It shares the same ownership as Hotel Säntis on the Landsgemeindeplatz, a short walk away.

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Mid-range

Hotel Säntis

The Landsgemeindeplatz · 4 stars

From

CHF 257/ night

Summer average CHF 260

Hotel Säntis stands directly on the Landsgemeindeplatz, close enough to name a deluxe double, a junior suite and its top attika suite after the square itself. Guests eat at Restaurant Säntis or the traditional wood-panelled Landsgmendstobe, with a terrace on the square, and can use the hotel’s wellness and sauna area; a city tax of CHF 2.50 per person per night is added on top of room rates.

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Hotel Appenzell

The Landsgemeindeplatz

No price collected on our sample dates

Hotel Appenzell stands directly on the historic Landsgemeindeplatz and describes itself as the village’s only three-star superior hotel. It has its own restaurant on site, and stays of three nights or more include the Appenzeller Ferienkarte, the regional pass worth over 20 free offers across the area.

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Prices: lowest and average nightly rate seen on Booking.com for 2 adults and 1 room, on 1 winter dates and 2 summer dates, collected on September 20, 2026. They are indicative, the real price depends on your dates. Hotel facts come from each hotel’s own website. Some hotel links are affiliate links.

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Where to stay, area by area

The Landsgemeindeplatz

The square itself

This is the address for the Landsgemeinde itself: both hotels here look straight onto the square where the vote happens every last Sunday of April. Hotel Säntis goes as far as naming its best rooms after the square, and adds a wellness and sauna area plus its own restaurant and the traditional Landsgmendstobe. Hotel Appenzell, the village’s only three-star superior house by its own description, stands just as close. The trade-off is that this is the busiest single point in the village on Landsgemeinde day itself.

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Hauptgasse and Hirschengasse, the village centre

A short walk from the square

Step off the square and Appenzell is still a village of three sibling hotels rather than a scattered one: Hecht and Löwen sit a short walk from Säntis, around Hauptgasse and Hirschengasse. Choose this side for the same Appenzeller Hotels group at a slight remove from the busiest point on Landsgemeinde day, and for Hecht’s seminar rooms if the stay is for a group rather than a couple. The trade-off is a few minutes further from the rooms that face the square directly.

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Towards Brülisau and the Hoher Kasten cable car

The direction of the cable car, not a base of its own

This is the direction rather than a district to sleep in: Brülisau is where the road, the rail and the postbus network out of Appenzell meet the valley station of the Hoher Kasten cable car. From there the cable car climbs to 1794 m in eight minutes. No hotel of its own could be confirmed here, so this sector suits a day trip from the Landsgemeindeplatz or the village centre rather than a booking of its own.

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What to do in Appenzell

Appenzell is not short of things to do, but a few places give a stay its shape: the summit above Brülisau, the Landsgemeinde itself, and two tastes of the canton listed by the tourist office. These are the ones named by the operators and the tourist office, with the figures they publish.

Up the mountain

Up to Hoher Kasten

Hoher Kasten Seilbahn8 minutes · Brülisau to 1794 m
The cable car climbs from Brülisau to 1794 m in eight minutes, with views the operator describes as reaching six countries. Current ascents run from 08:00 to 17:00 and descents from 08:20 to 17:20, checked on 16 September 2026.
Europa-Rundwegsummit of Hoher Kasten · barrier-free
At the summit, a barrier-free circular path completes the 360-degree panorama, passing an Alpengarten and what the operator calls the only revolving restaurant in Eastern Switzerland. It is reached by the same cable car from Brülisau, so the walk and the ride are one outing.

Typical here

The Landsgemeinde and two tastes of the canton

Landsgemeindelast Sunday of April · documented since 1403
Once a year, on the last Sunday of April, every Swiss citizen aged 18 or over living in the canton gathers on the Landsgemeindeplatz and votes by show of hands, a practice first securely documented in 1403. The day opens with a service at St. Mauritius church at 09:00, then a procession to the square at noon led by the Musikgesellschaft Harmonie Appenzell.
Appenzeller Alpenbitterguided tour and tasting · tourist office listing
A guided tour and tasting at the Appenzeller Alpenbitter distillery is one of the tourist office’s regular public activities. Check the current calendar before you go, since no standard schedule or admission price is published on the distillery’s own site.
Schaukäserei Steinguided tour · tourist office listing
The show cheese dairy in Stein also runs a public guided tour listed by the Appenzell tourist office. As with the distillery, check the calendar directly, since no fixed hours or admission price were confirmed on the dairy’s own site.

Where to eat

Where to eat, on the square

Restaurant Säntisfirst floor, Hotel Säntis · on the Landsgemeindeplatz
Restaurant Säntis occupies the first floor of the hotel of the same name, directly on the Landsgemeindeplatz. It sits alongside the Landsgmendstobe, the hotel’s traditional wood-panelled dining room, and a terrace on the square itself.
Landsgmendstobetraditional wood-panelled stube · Hotel Säntis
The Landsgmendstobe is Hotel Säntis’s traditional wood-panelled dining room, with a terrace that opens directly onto the Landsgemeindeplatz. It gives the same address two ways to eat, one indoors among panelled wood and one outside facing the square.

Places, hours and figures come from Appenzellerland Tourismus, Kanton Appenzell Innerrhoden and Hoher Kasten Seilbahn, checked on 16 September 2026. We publish no ratings and no route descriptions: check conditions on the spot before you set off.

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Prices and availability change daily in the Alps, especially in July, August and over Christmas.

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Getting to Appenzell, in practice

Free return travel, if you plan ahead

Book three or more consecutive nights in a hotel, bed and breakfast or apartment in the Appenzellerland and register your public-transport arrival in advance, and Appenzellerland Tourismus sends free second-class train tickets on the most direct route, plus a promo code for the P+Rail park-and-rail offer.

The Appenzeller Ferienkarte covers the last leg

Your accommodation supplies the Appenzeller Ferienkarte, which you need for the final leg of the journey from Altstätten, Gossau, Herisau or St. Gallen, where it also serves as your train ticket. It is worth over 20 free offers across the region on top of that.

Changing plans late costs CHF 20

Rebooking or cancelling your free train tickets under 24 hours before travel costs a CHF 20 per-ticket fee. GA travelcard holders do not need to apply for the scheme at all, since they already travel free.

Check the Hoher Kasten timetable before you go

Ascents on the Hoher Kasten cable car currently run from 08:00 to 17:00 and descents from 08:20 to 17:20, as checked on 16 September 2026, but the operator does not publish this as a fixed year-round schedule. Confirm the current hours directly before you plan your day around it.

Driving on from Appenzell? Compare rental prices and check the vignette, the winter rules and the passes before you book.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I really get to Appenzell for free?

If you book three or more consecutive nights in the region and register your public-transport arrival in advance, Appenzellerland Tourismus sends free second-class return train tickets. Your accommodation then supplies the Appenzeller Ferienkarte, worth over 20 free offers across the region, though changing or cancelling within 24 hours of travel costs a CHF 20 fee.

What actually happens at the Landsgemeinde?

Once a year, on the last Sunday of April, every Swiss citizen aged 18 or over living in the canton gathers on the Landsgemeindeplatz and votes by raising a hand, on the cantonal government, the courts and cantonal business. It has been documented since 1403, and the procession to the square, led by the Musikgesellschaft Harmonie Appenzell, starts at noon, so plan to be in place by midday if you want to watch it.

How do I get up to a viewpoint from Appenzell?

The Hoher Kasten Seilbahn climbs from nearby Brülisau to 1794 m in eight minutes, with views the operator describes as reaching six countries. At the top you find what it calls the only revolving restaurant in Eastern Switzerland, so a cable-car trip can double as a full lunch stop.

Is Appenzell Innerrhoden really Switzerland’s smallest canton?

Yes: by population it is the smallest of all 26 cantons, with 16,960 residents, and by area it is the second-smallest, at 17,247 hectares. That scale is why Appenzell village, the cantonal capital, still functions as the seat of both government and the annual Landsgemeinde.

Which hotels stand right on the Landsgemeindeplatz?

Two of the village’s hotels open directly onto the square: Hotel Säntis, whose top rooms are named after the Landsgemeindeplatz itself, and Hotel Appenzell, which describes itself as the village’s only three-star superior house. Both put you at the centre of the Landsgemeinde procession without having to walk there.