A Day Trip to St Gallen Switzerland
Above Photos by Andre Meier courtesy of St Gallen-Bodensee Tourismus
The City of St Gallen
Photo courtesy of St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourismus – Mattias Nutt Photography
Have you ever visited the city of Saint Gallen? Constantina has come up with some great recommendations for the perfect day trip so that you can enjoy a true “Saint Gallen experience”. There are many things to see and do in this beautiful city, but the highlight really has to be a visit to the Abbey, Library and Cathedral of St Gallen. Theses magnificent buildings are on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list and are definitely worth a trip!
St Gallus and The Abbey
Photo by Damian Imhof courtesy of St Gallen-Bodensee Tourismus
The Abbey of St Gallen contains one of the oldest and most beautiful monasteries in the entire world. The idea to build the Abbey came from St Gallus, who was an Irish monk who introduced Christianity to the Western Europe. In fact, the Abbey is so wonderful that people call it the “healing place of the soul”.
In the heart of the Abbey, there is a cathedral and a library where the old monastery used to be. One of the reasons why the Abbey is so beautiful is because of its unique Baroque architecture with decorative features such as the beautiful painted ceilings, the extravagant gilt features and the exquisite wooden details.
Photo courtesy of St.Gallen-Bodensee Tourismus – Mattias Nutt Photography
The Cathedral
The cathedral with its famous lunettes over the four big windows represents the church fathers and the smaller ones symbolise the application of knowledge at the Abbey. The cathedral wasn’t always known as the cathedral. The building that the cathedral is situated in today was originally called the Abbey church and the building is one of the last baroque buildings in Europe.
The St Gallen Library
The library is known to be one of the most perfectly constructed libraries in the world. The library was completed in 1768 while the Baroque hall was finished in 1767. The library is also very famous because it holds medieval manuscripts and books that tell you all about European History. The general public can actually borrow books from the library, but only those which were published after 1900. Books that came out before 1900 are only allowed to be looked at whilst you’re in the library. This is not a bad idea at all, because it gives you an excuse to sit in the Baroque hall all day and admire the wonderful artwork on the ceiling and floor. The library owns an astonishing 170’000 books – so you will never get bored! However, once you have visited the Abbey you will probably be in need of some sustenance!
The Old Town
After visiting the Abbey Constantina would recommend heading into the Old Town because there is so much to see. The cobbled stoned streets are lined with beautiful architecture designed with stained glass and art.
St Gallen Specialities – Olma Bratwurst and Biberli
Whilst in St Gallen why not stop at a local restaurant and enjoy a famous St Gallen Olma Bratwurst or sit at a café and try a traditional sweet Biberli? You are bound to enjoy these St Gallen specialities and it’s a perfect way to round your visit to one of Switzerland’s most interesting cities.
Textilmusem St Gallen
Another tip when you’re in St Gallen is to visit the Textile Museum. It tells the interesting story of textile manufacture in St Gallen and how important it was to Switzerland in days gone by. It also has some amazing exhibits, including clothes worn by Princess Diana and Jackie O amongst others. If you’re at all interested in fashion and style it is well worth a visit. You can find out all about it here.
St Gallen
One of the best ways of experiencing St Gallen in a day is to book yourself onto a guided tour. There are all types of guided tours available – click here for a list of tour suggestions.
For more information on St Gallen visit the St Gallen-Bodensee Tourismus here.
For directions to St Gallen click here.
See the Google Map of St Gallen below:
Article written by Constantina Economou
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