In 2017, Schwellbrunn was voted the most beautiful village in Switzerland! What an honour! The small village is not just beautiful, the tourist office has come up with two exciting riddles. A great for hikers with long legs (blue) and a shorter one (green) for families or those who prefer a smaller hike. On the map you can see the different possibilities, it is also a combination of both ways possible.
Stüpfis family trail should be on your hiking list. From St Gallen take the train to Herisau. Here you take the bus through the beautiful Appenzell countryside to the small village of Schwellbrunn. On your way through Schwellbrunn, you can also see why in 2017 it came to the title “the most beautiful village in Switzerland”. The view and the traditional Appenzeller village are unique.
Before you can start the hike, you first have to look for the start-up house with the puzzles on the internet. The sign is or easy to miss or it has none. In any case, it is slightly up the street (from the bus station on the opposite side of the street). The drivers will have it a bit easier, since it is the same with the parking lots.
The start house is both the start and end of the puzzle trails. You decide whether your Hüpfis big puzzle path goes, or just to recommend with families, Stüpfis family puzzle path, which is a lot shorter. The paths can be done in both directions.
Good to know
The paths are NOT suitable for pushchairs.
The paths are designed as circular routes and can be walked on both sides
A little more than 3 hours is needed for a family with small hikers (5.5 and 2.5 years old) (including solving puzzles, excluding big breaks). With a little bigger children it is probably something fixer 😉
Good shoes are an advantage
A large part of the green family path leads through beautiful forests. The hike is therefore also great in hot weather, because you do not run all the time in the sun.
On the green family riddle trail, the fire pit is roughly in the middle, perfect for a leisurely lunch
The bus does not travel often, it is best to study the timetable in advance, also for the return journey.
The riddles are populated with new puzzles every year, so a return is well worth it
The Verkehrsverein Schwellbrunn provides the riddles for free, but is always happy about a small Zusupf (like right over the mailbox at Starthüsli)
https://www.spinoggelfritz.ch/raetselwandern-in-schwellbrunn/
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