Saint Gallen Switzerland Travel Tips

Image of Swiss alpine lake in the morning with man blowing swiss flolk insturment (horn) over water with text overlay, "St. Gallen, Switzerland Travel Tips."

As you plan your bucket list on a budget trip to Switzerland, don’t overlook these Saint Gallen Switzerland travel tips! It’s a gem quietly tucked into most Switzerland travel guidebooks.

If you’re craving the countryside or desiring to escape the big city, these St. Gallen, Switzerland travel tips are perfect for your Swiss travel itinerary. Just a 1.5-hour train ride from the Zurich Flughafen (airport) or 3 hours from Basel/Mulhouse. (These are both easy relaxing rides, so don’t panic). Even if jet lag has hit, this train ride is pretty doable. St. Gallen is so near the borders of Germany and Austria, and Liechtenstein is just up the road, so it’s a great place to start your Swiss Alps trip!

A Brief History of St. Gallen

First, before we get to all the Switzerland travel tips for St. Gallen, a brief history may be helpful. Wikipedia offers an in-depth look at St. Gallen’s history (it’s long, but it’s free), but here is an interesting new Switzerland travel guidebook on the region. I always find it helpful to know at least a little about the region I’m visiting. Very helpful if you strike up a conversation with a local! If you want a bit lighter reading (or for the kids) how about Heidi? It’s a classic story about the life and culture of the alpine people set in the neighboring region of Appenzell.

Our friends live just a few minutes outside St. Gallen, so this was our home base. It was the perfect place to get a feel for the countryside, enjoy some hiking, and experience a small, but bustling town center.

Enjoy the countryside with these Saint Gallen Switzerland Travel Tips

Where to stay in the Swiss Alps?

St. Gallen’s fresh alpine air and morning walks, coupled with fresh bread and hot coffee! Stamp my passport, I’m ready to go!

There are loads of hostels in Switzerland. The one in St. Gallen has a fabulous view!
Airbnb has quite a few great choices near the university & the train station. The prices are probably variable based on the season, so book early if you can!
Places like Bed and Breakfast EU or B&B Switzerland are great options if you fancy a B&B.

Apps you’re gonna need.

This might seem a bit off-topic, but you’re gonna need this! It’s more than just one of those location-specific, St. Gallen, Switzerland travel tips. You’ll use this for any place you travel that speaks a different language.

If you don’t have it already, go to Google translate, and get this Google Chrome extension on your desktop or the app on your phone/tablet. Stop now, load it (it’s free). You will love the ease of this translator. It will also be helpful when you come across museum pages in German while you are planning.

Swiss Rail Pass Discount Activities

Finally, one of my favorite St. Gallen Switzerland travel tips! The Swiss Rail Pass. Just look at what’s free or discounted when you use your Swiss Travel Pass. You will need to show your printed ticket for entry into each place (and possibly your passport), so make sure you have these items with you. Since many of the museum sites, you’ll use to plan your trip will likely pop up in German, just use the Google Translate “translate this page” feature. You downloaded the app, right? It’s magic!