How to Take a Day Trip to Berggasthaus Aescher

I discovered it on the cover of a National Geographic book — Destinations of a Lifetime. Apropos, since it looked very much like a destination I wanted to see during my lifetime, and one that a person might only have the chance to see once in a lifetime.

An old, wooden guesthouse tucked, almost unbelievably, into the side of a cliff, with snow-capped mountains and rich green trees stretching out into the distance behind it. “Berggasthaus Aescher,” the book said — Aescher Guesthouse on the Mountain. An inn that’s been standing for nearly two centuries; the jewel of Ebenalp, an uber-popular paragliding and hiking destination.

Maybe you’ve seen photos of it, too, and likewise want to see it for yourself.

Good news: getting to Berggasthaus Aescher is easier than it looks, provided you don’t mind a bit of hiking. In fact, it’s a very doable day trip from Zurich and other destinations in Switzerland.

During my last visit to Switzerland, I did just that, boarding a combination of trains and cable cars and capping it off with a brief hike to the guest house in time for a delicious lunch.

In this post, I’ll tell you exactly how to get to Berggasthaus Aescher from Zurich or elsewhere, and what else you need to know about visiting Berggasthaus Aescher. This is how to take a day trip to Berggasthaus Aescher.

Train to Wasserauen

Your journey to Aescher begins with a train to Wasserauen.

Like most train journeys in Switzerland, this is fairly easy to manage. If you, like me, are leaving from Zurich, head to Zurich’s main station (Zurich HB) and purchase a ticket using one of the electronic ticketing machines, or purchase a ticket on SBB’s website. Your destination is “Wasserauen (Ebenalpbahn).” (I believe just searching “Wasserauen” will give you the same results, but it doesn’t hurt to select the more precise option.)

I strongly recommend purchasing only a one-way ticket so you have some flexibility in case you want to spend extra time on Ebenalp (more on that below). However, do check return ticket options in advance so you know what time you need to be back at the Wasserauen train station.

There are no direct trains between Zurich and Wasserauen, so you will need to transfer to the Appenzeller Bahnen train line at Gossau SG. (This will be included in and stated on your train ticket!) Keep your eyes and ears open for the Gossau SG stop about 70 minutes into your journey.

The total journey between Zurich and Wasserauen takes a little over two hours.

If you’re heading to Berggasthaus Aescher from somewhere other than Zurich, check your train options here.

Riding the Ebenalp Cable Car

When you disembark the train in Wasserauen, cross the tracks and the street to the Ebenalp cable car station (it will be obvious).

At the station, there is a line for buying tickets and a separate line for those who already have tickets. There is also a ticketing machine outside the station.

I purposefully visited Ebenalp on a Friday instead of a Saturday to try to mitigate crowds, but it turned out to be a holiday weekend in Switzerland and I think possibly every single Swiss person was hiking in the area. Consequently, the lines for the Ebenalp cable car were fairly long.

I waited in the line to purchase cable car tickets, as I hadn’t bought one in advance. This line was considerably shorter than the line of people who already had tickets, but moved much more slowly because of the way they managed the lines. I think I may have saved a few minutes by buying on the scene, but I doubt it made a huge difference either way.

Notably, the ticketing windows had really good and compact maps of Ebenalp and its hiking trails. I strongly recommend that you grab one of these maps; you may end up relying on it once on Ebenalp.

It took me about 45 minutes from exiting the train to boarding a cable car. Of course, your mileage may vary depending on the weather, day of the week, and time of your of your visit.

The cable car was quick and easy. I wouldn’t worry too much about snagging a spot by a window, as the views from the cable car pale in comparison to the views you’ll find on top of Ebenalp.

NOTE: If you’re feeling fit and adventurous, you can hike up to Ebenalp rather than taking the cable car. I didn’t do this and can’t advise you about where to start, but the maps inside the cable car building can help you find the way.

Hiking to Berggasthaus Aescher

When you arrive at the cable car station on Ebenalp, disembark and walk around the station to start hiking toward Aescher.

To get to the guesthouse, you will be walking downhill. The path is clearly marked with yellow signs, so it’s easy to find and follow.

On the day that I did this hike, there were tons of paragliders setting up right below the station, and I got to watch some of them take off. I must say — on previous trips to Switzerland, I’ve watched paragliders soar above me and had zero interest in joining them, but this time, the setting was so gorgeous that I finally understood the appeal! Maybe the next time I’m in Switzerland I’ll actually work up the courage to paraglide myself.

The hike down to Berggasthaus Aescher is easy, although it can be steep at times. You are walking down from Ebenalp to the side of the cliff that Ebenalp is perched on top of.

On the way to the guesthouse, you will walk through Wildkirchli — a group of caves in the side of the cliff. Archaeologists have found evidence of human presence in Wildkirchli dating back some 40,000 years! There is also a small museum (with exhibits in Swiss German) and a chapel in a small, shallow cave.

Just a few minutes after the cave, you will come around the corner, and there it is: Berggasthaus Aescher. It took me about 25 minutes to reach the guesthouse from the cable car station, but note that I stopped to watch paragliders and to take way too many photos. If you are fit with healthy knees and do not take as many photos as I did, you will get there faster.

Eating at Berggasthaus Aescher

Between mid-May and October, it’s possible to stay overnight at Berggasthaus Aescher. Personally, I’d love to do that someday and experience the view of the guesthouse with better lighting and fewer people!

But if you’re just visiting Aescher as a day trip, like I did, the best you can do for now is eating at the restaurant — which is, to be fair, pretty fantastic.

Between the guesthouse and the mountain plummeting to the valley below is a small terrace filled with long tables and umbrellas. Grab a seat wherever you find one — no need to ask to be seated.

Despite the popularity of Ebenalp on the day I visited, there were still seats to be found at Aescher when I arrived at noon. It did seem to get much busier by 1 pm or so, so I recommend trying to arrive on the earlier side.

Eating at Aescher was a fantastic experience all around. I found a seat at the end of a table, right by the railing, so I had excellent views of the mountains all around us. Goats were grazing below, and I could hear their jangling bells. Paragliders were soaring above, sometimes briefly blocking the sun.

As for the food: I had low expectations for the quality, based on (1) the remote location, (2) my low-ish opinion of Swiss food in general (sorry!), (3) the number of people Aescher churns through, and (4) the usual quality of these places that attract a ton of tourists — but I am thrilled to report that the food at Aescher was actually fantastic! I had a mixed salad and it was beautiful, super fresh, and delicious.

Aescher has a surprisingly robust menu that includes small bites (soup, salad, cheese tart, and more), main plates (chicken legs, buttermilk bramata, plant-based bolognese, beef steak, and more), desserts, kids’ meals, breakfast, soft drinks, coffee and other hot drinks, and a wide variety of alcoholic drinks. Pretty impressive for a restaurant built into the side of a cliff!

When you are done eating, there’s more to discover at Aescher, including a kiosk with drinks and ice cream, as well as a gift shop with some nice (though expensive) stuff.

Note that due to the nature of the location, there is no drinking water at the sinks in the restroom. Be sure to bring enough water for your hike — or you can buy bottles of water on the site.

Returning to Wasserauen

You have several options for getting back to the Wasserauen train station: (1) turn around and walk back to the cable car station the way you came and take the cable car back down to the valley (this is the fastest option), (2) leave the restaurant the other way and hike up to Ebenalp via a different route, then take the cable car back down to the valley, or (3) hike down to Wasserauen.

I initially thought I would hike down to Wasserauen via a trail on the other side of Aescher. (Again, all the trails in this area are clearly marked with yellow signage, so they are easy to find!) However, shortly after I started down the trail, I realized I had forgotten to bring sunscreen and could tell that I was starting to burn, so I thought it would be a bad idea to extend my time in the sun with a 2-hour hike down to the valley. (Also, I remembered that I had purchased a round-trip cable car ticket, and wasn’t super eager to waste the return ticket.)

But I still wanted to see something new, rather than walking back up via the same route I had taken down to the guesthouse. So I opted to take the trail leading the other direction away from Aescher.

To do the same, follow the yellow signs toward “Ebenalp.” (The trail toward “Ebenalp LSB” is the one you previously walked down to get to Aescher.) This trail will take you up to the top of Ebenalp, which is perched just above the cable car station.

Below, you can see the exact route I took (including my brief detour down the Wasserauen trail).

I was so glad I took this route — the view on top of Ebenalp is absolutely stunning. I visited on a super clear day, and had a great view of nearby Mount Santis, the highest mountain in the Alpstein massif. I could also see across to Lake Constance!

There’s also a restaurant and guesthouse on top of Ebenalp (Berggasthaus Ebenalp), which is another option for lunch if Aescher turns out to be too full. Alternatively, if you plan ahead, you could pack a lunch at eat it on top of Ebenalp — there are plenty of places to sit while enjoying the views.

Assuming you didn’t hike down to Wasserauen, when you are ready to leave Ebenalp, get back to the cable car station and take the cable car back down to the valley.

Returning to Your Home Base

Returning from Wasserauen to Zurich is simple: just take the Appenzeller Bahnen back to Gossau SG and then another train from Gossau SG to Zurich. If you’re heading somewhere other than Zurich, of course, plug in that destination instead!

If you followed my advice not to buy a round-trip train ticket, you can buy your return ticket while waiting at the Wasserauen train station (this is what I did).

Final Thoughts

My day trip to Berggasthaus Aescher was fabulous — glorious weather, satisfying hiking, and even better views than I anticipated.

I hope this post helps you have a fantastic trip to Ebenalp and Aescher as well. Still have questions about this trip? Feel free to leave a comment or send me a message — I’d love to help!

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