Explore Ebenalp, Switzerland
It was a wet arrival into Switzerland but so wonderful to finally land into another country. Patty and I were exhausted. We didnt sleep much on the flight. After service, we only had 4 hours to nap before our arrival. We were staying at a friend’s in Zurich. He met us at the tram platform. Public transportation is located across the street from the airport. Zurich’s public transportation station is massive and takes a few minutes to figure out where you’re trying to go.
Table of Contents
Destination:
Ebenalp
Despite of our lack of sleep, we decided to enjoy our day out. We wanted to take things easy so our friend took us to Ebenalp. Ebenalp is a lift that takes you up to the Appenzell Alps. It took about a 2 hour and 15 minute train ride to reach our final destination from Zurich. As we were approaching, it started down pouring. Ebenalp is rather remote and not much was around the area. We exited tram P8 exit Ebenalp and walked across the tracks to the lift facilities. I had purchased a 4 day Swiss Travel Pass which allows me to use most transportation within Switzerland. For this lift, I had to pay an additional CHF 17 roundtrip. It is CHF 34 without a discount pass. Once we purchased the pass, I stood at the queue located to the far right of the facilities. The lift runs every 15 minutes from 7:30am to 5:30pm during the time of the year I was there.
The ride was quick but the view was spectacular. We saw several trails that you can hike and even a few animals. Once we docked at the top, there are some restroom facilities. If you walk up, like I did, you will reach a small restaurant called Berggasthaus. The hill is pretty step but it is worth it. My friend did warn us to not touch the wires…they’re electric he says. He once leaned over the wire to take a photo and his shirt burned…I did not want to test his theory so I did not touch the wires.
Where to Eat:
Berggasthaus
Berggasthaus has standard Swiss food. I ordered the breaded pork with fries for CHF 26.50 and a few glasses of wine for CHF 9. The restaurant overlooks the mountain. We were there for a good two or three hours before we decided to head back. We contemplated taking the trail down to the station but we felt the rain would start coming down again. We headed back to rest for a long adventure tomorrow.
