Seealpsee is a beautiful lake nestled in the Alpstein mountain range in eastern Switzerland. To reach this lake, you must hike about 1.5-2 hours. At the lake, you'll find gorgeous views, two restaurants, row boat rental, cheese dairy, and nice walking about around the lake with picnic areas.

Location: Wasserauen, Appenzell region

When to go: best May to October

Seealpsee info: www.ebenalp.ch • webcam • forecast

How to get there

Regardless of which trail you take to the lake, you must first get to Wasserauen.

• 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. From Zurich 1h15.

Hike to lake

Option 1: For most people, we suggest hiking up to the lake directly from Wasserauen. The trail is a wide service road, sometimes gravel, sometimes paved. It has beautiful mountain views and lush forests on both sides. It's free (no cable car) and safer than the mountain trail described below.

Takes about 1h30 to reach the lake. Learn more.

Option 2: If you are an experienced hiker comfortable with heights, you can hike to the Seealpsee via the mountain trail from Ebenalp. It is steep and dangerous, so only for experienced hikers.

From the cable car, it takes about 2h to reach the lake. Learn more.

What to do at Seepalpsee

We suggest the short walk around the lake, about 30 mins, to get different views and photo spots. See trail map. There is a cheese dairy on the far side of the lake selling cheese from this alp and other farm products.

There are two restaurants located directly at the lake. We prefer Gasthaus Forelle, which has great views from their terrace and delicious grilled local trout. Berggasthaus Seealpsee also has a restaurant open for lunch with an outdoor patio.