How to Spend a Perfect Day in St Gallen with Itinerary Map

St Gallen Cathedral

St Gallen

Check Point
・Baroque cathedral registered as a World Heritage Site

・Precious 18th century Rococo library

・Textile museum where you can see intricate patterns

City description

St. Gallen is the central city of eastern Switzerland, close to Germany and Austria. The city’s name comes from the monastery of the same name, which is also registered as a World Heritage Site. The monastery was the center of the city’s flourishing as an academic town in the Middle Ages. The interior of the cathedral is worth seeing, but the adjacent library is also a popular tourist spot. The city has long been known for its textile industry.

Overall rating

 ★★★★☆

Time required

 6 h 30

Budget

 58 CHF

Fatigue

 ★★★☆☆



Itinerary Map

Navigation

【Start】
①St Gallen Station

★Route Time required: 10 minutes
Turn left after leaving the station ⇒ turn immediately right ⇒ turn left when you reach the main road ⇒ turn right without crossing the first intersection ⇒ turn immediately right and you will see the museum on your right

②St. Gallen Textile Museum

★Route Time required: 15 minutes
Cross the intersection you just crossed ⇒ Enter the city center from the road in front ⇒ Turn right ⇒ After a while you will see the church on your left in the square

③St. Gallen Cathedral

★Route Time required: 5 minutes
Leave the cathedral and turn left ⇒ Go around the cathedral and enter the building on the other side ⇒ Follow the signs and go up the stairs to see the entrance

④Abbey Library

★Route Time required: 5 minutes
Return to the cathedral courtyard ⇒ Exit the courtyard from the street on the left ⇒ You will see the church on your right

⑤St. Laurenzen Church

★Route Time required: a few minutes
Continue along the streets and explore the old town

⑥Old Town

★Route Time required: 10 minutes
When you reach the main street, turn right ⇒ turn left at the large intersection ⇒ turn right immediately ⇒ proceed along the pedestrian-only road ⇒ you will see the museum on your right

⑦Art Museum

★Route Time required: a few minutes
Continue along the street ⇒ you will see the museum on your right

⑧Historical and Ethnographic Museum

★Route Time required: 20 minutes
Turn back and go straight ahead on the road that you left the old town ⇒ follow the tram tracks ⇒ return to the station

【Goal】
St Gallen Station


【If you have time】

★Route Time required: 10 minutes
Turn right on the main street in front of the station ⇒ turn left at the end ⇒ turn left at the first intersection ⇒ you will see it on your left

⑨Open Art Museum


Click the square mark on the top left of the map to see a list of tourist spots. If you open the enlarge button on the top right corner on your smartphone, this model course will be displayed on Google Maps along with its location information. You can also quickly return to this map from the table of contents in the sidebar (if using a smartphone, select “Go to table of contents” from the menu at the bottom of the screen).



【Start】

①St Gallen Station


★Route Time required: 10 minutes

Turn left after leaving the station ⇒ turn immediately right ⇒ turn left when you reach the main road ⇒ turn right without crossing the first intersection ⇒ turn immediately right and you will see the museum on your right


②St. Gallen Textile Museum

Textilmuseum St. Gallen

Time required: 1 h 30

Admission fee: 12 CHF

Opening hour: 10 am – 5 pm

Close: 12/24, 25

This is a museum where you can learn about the textile industry that developed in this city. Not only do they display textiles themselves, but you can also learn about the development of machines and tools. Not only textiles from St. Gallen and Europe, but textiles from all over the world are on display, with over 30,000 items on display.


★Route Time required: 15 minutes

Cross the intersection you just crossed ⇒ Enter the city center from the road in front ⇒ Turn right ⇒ After a while you will see the church on your left in the square


③St. Gallen Cathedral

St. Gallen Cathedral

Kathedrale St. Gallen

Time required: 20 min

Admission fee: 0 CHF

Opening hour: 7 am – 6 pm

Close: No

This is a cathedral located within a monastery that was registered as a World Heritage Site in 1983. The existing structure was rebuilt in the 18th century, and the monastery itself is still functioning, but the cathedral is still in use. It is named after Saint Gallus, who came from Ireland. The cathedral has a symmetrical 68m bell tower and is also known as a masterpiece of the Baroque style. The interior is particularly beautiful, with frescoes on the ceiling and wall decorations, but the ceiling paintings are painted in a dim light, which gives a very different impression from other buildings.


★Route Time required: 5 minutes

Leave the cathedral and turn left ⇒ Go around the cathedral and enter the building on the other side ⇒ Follow the signs and go up the stairs to see the entrance


④Abbey Library

Abbey Library

Stiftsbibliothek

Time required: 20 min

Admission fee: 18 CHF

Opening hour: 10 am – 5 pm

Close: 10/30 – 11/13, 12/24, 25

This is a monastery library built in the 18th century in the Rococo style. It has a collection of 170,000 books, of which 500 are over 1,000 years old and 2,100 are now valuable. The sophisticated decorations, including the ceiling paintings and the giant globe, are a must-see and were designed by the same person who designed the cathedral. As this is a valuable library on a global scale, you will need to change into slippers at the entrance. In the basement of the building, there is a museum where you can learn about the history of the city from the Middle Ages. You can visit it with your library admission ticket and it takes about 30 minutes.

St. Gallen Abbey Library Underground Archives
St. Gallen Abbey Library Underground Archives


★Route Time required: 5 minutes

Return to the cathedral courtyard ⇒ Exit the courtyard from the street on the left ⇒ You will see the church on your right


⑤St. Laurenzen Church

St. Laurenzen Church

Kirche St. Laurenzen

Time required: 20 min

Admission fee: 0 CHF

Opening hour: 7 am – 6 pm

Close: No

This Gothic church was built in the 13th century in a corner of the old town. The interior walls are decorated with a variety of colorful patterns, and the ceiling is decorated like a night sky, which is similar to that of a cathedral.


★Route Time required: a few minutes

Continue along the streets and explore the old town


⑥Old Town

old town

Time required: 30 min

Admission fee: 0 CHF

The old town is not very large, so it is recommended to wander around freely. If you get lost, you can either return to the monastery or return to the main street that leads from St. Lawrence’s Church. Finally, you will leave the old town from this main street.


★Route Time required: 10 minutes

When you reach the main street, turn right ⇒ turn left at the large intersection ⇒ turn right immediately ⇒ proceed along the pedestrian-only road ⇒ you will see the museum on your right


⑦Art Museum

Art museum

Kunstmuseum

Time required: 1 h

Admission fee: 16 CHF

Opening hour: 10 am – 6 pm
(until 8 pm on Wednesday)

Close: Monday, 1/1, 8/1, 12/24, 25, 31

This museum exhibits artworks from the late Middle Ages to the present day, and you can see many works by Segantini, who left behind many Alpine landscapes. The building itself was built in the late 19th century and incorporates neoclassical style, and the interior decoration is also a highlight. The Pierrot Fountain in front of the building is impressive.


★Route Time required: a few minutes

Continue along the street ⇒ you will see the museum on your right


⑧Historical and Ethnographic Museum

Historisches und Völkerkundemuseum

Time required: 1 h

Admission fee: 12 CHF

Opening hour: 10 am – 5 pm
(until 7 pm on Wednesday)

Close: Monday, 1/1, 8/1, 12/24, 25, 31

This is a museum where you can learn about life in St. Gallen from the Middle Ages. You can see the changes in the times from various angles, such as the dining tables and costumes of ordinary households at the time, and the appearance of the town.


★Route Time required: 20 minutes

Turn back and go straight ahead on the road that you left the old town ⇒ follow the tram tracks ⇒ return to the station



【Goal】

St Gallen Station


【If you have time】

⑨Open Art Museum

Open Art Museum

Open Art Museum

Time required: 1 h

Admission fee: 9 CHF

Opening hour: 2 pm – 5 pm from Tuesday to Friday
(open noon on weekend)

Close: Monday, 1/1, 8/1, 12/24, 25, 31

The former warehouse was converted into a museum in 1988. It focuses on works by Swiss artists, especially paintings, and tends towards contemporary art rather than landscapes or realistic works.

★Route Time required: 10 minutes

Turn right on the main street in front of the station ⇒ turn left at the end ⇒ turn left at the first intersection ⇒ you will see it on your left


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