Top Reasons to Go to Eastern Switzerland

A bibliophile's paradise: Admire the UNESCO-inscribed library at the Abbey of St. Gallen, which features an Egyptian mummy and over 100,000 ancient books.

The cows finally come home: Take part in an Appenzell Alpfahrt festival, when cows are herded up into the nearby mountain slopes (in spring) and back down (in fall).

Colorful medieval architecture: St. Gallen, Schaffhausen, and Stein-am-Rhein are teeming with colorful frescoes, half-timber buildings, dragon-clad steeples, and ornate bay windows.

The Rhine maidens: See Europe's third-largest river as it snakes its way to Germany. Take a lunch-boat ride, swim in the pristine river, or cycle along the river's grassy banks, lorded over by storybook castles.

Swiss cheese: Pungent Appenzeller is beloved by the Swiss. Using a 700-year-old recipe, this cow’s milk cheese is aged and washed with a secret herbal brine.