Berggasthaus Aescher is a famous mountain restaurant built into the side of the cliffs near Appenzell.

To reach this restaurant, you ride the Ebenalp cable car up the mountain. Then a relatively easy 25 min hike down through a cave and along a cliff walk to the restaurant.

Location: Ebenalp cable car - Schwendetalstrasse 82, 9057 Wasserauen.

Trail: easy • 45 mins round trip • 1.4 km there & back • 1h • 120m down and up • See trail map.

Open: May to mid November • current opening times

How to get there

The cliff restaurant is accessed from the Ebenalp cable car, then a short hike.

By train: Wasserauen, Bahnhof station. From Appenzell 25 min, Zurich 1h50.

By car: Park at the large metered lots next to the Ebenalp cable car - Schwendetalstrasse 82, 9057 Wasserauen. Pay by coin or parking app. It can be very crowded on weekends, so best to arrive early to get a spot. From Zurich 1h15.

Trail info

From the top of the cable car, it's about a 25 min walk down to the restaurant. You can walk back the way you came.

It is not a particularly difficult path. But it does have stairs and uneven terrain. So it is not suitable for strollers, wheelchairs or those with limited mobility that need assistance walking.

On the way you pass through a large cave with an old hermit’s hut and the "Wildkirchli," a small open air chapel. The path inside the cave is partially paved, but a bit steep and often wet and slippery. But there are handrails to help you walk more safely.

Part of the trail is on a wooden walkway built into the side of the cliff, which is quite safe with a fence on the cliff side. But those afraid of heights may prefer to skip this one.

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More hiking options

For experienced hikers comfortable with risk, you can hike from the cliff restaurant down to the Seealpsee lake. It's a steep trail with exposed sections and there have been some deaths on that trail recently. Learn more.

Back at Ebenalp, you can hike up to the Schäfler mountain hut, which has a spectacular view of the Alpstein mountain range.