landmark
Appenzell
A colourful village in rolling green hills known for its painted wooden houses, direct democracy traditions, and the dramatic Alpstein range.
12 km · about 20 min drive
EuropeSwitzerlandAppenzell Ausserrhoden
Herisau
Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland · Europe
About Herisau
Herisau works well as a base: 5 minutes from Gossau, 15km from Schwägalp Pass.
Herisau is in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland, with about 16,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Gossau, about 4 km away.
Herisau (Swiss Standard German pronunciation: [ˈhɛrizaʊ] ) is a municipality and the capital of the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland. It is the seat of the canton's government and parliament; the judicial authorities are situated in Trogen.
The central hamlet and the houses around the central square,Read more
the Protestant church of 1580, the houses Wetter and zur Rose (both 1737), the hamlet Schwänberg and the government building with the state archive are listed as heritage sites of national significance.
Together with other Alpine towns Herisau engages in the Alpine Town of the Year Association for the implementation of the Alpine Convention to achieve sustainable development in the Alpine Arc.
Herisau was awarded Alpine Town of the Year 2003.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Herisau?
Within an hour or so of Herisau: Appenzell (12 km), Berggasthaus Aescher (15 km), Schwägalp Pass (15 km), Autobau Erlebniswelt (20 km).
Are there any good drives near Herisau?
The nearest famous roads are Schwägalp Pass, Furkajoch and Sattelegg Pass.
Where is Herisau?
Herisau is in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Switzerland, about 4 km from Gossau.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 15,744
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Switzerland
- Region
- Appenzell Ausserrhoden
- Timezone
- Europe/Zurich
- Coordinates
- 47.3862, 9.2792
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Switzerland
Motorway vignette (toll sticker) required: buy at the border or online. Roadside assistance (TCS): 140.
Full driving guide for SwitzerlandTags
Worth the detour from Herisau
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
restaurant
Berggasthaus Aescher
An 1846 guesthouse pressed under a 100 m overhanging cliff below Ebenalp, made world-famous by a National Geographic cover; cable car from Wasserauen, then a 15-minute walk to rösti on the terrace.
15 km · about 30 min drive
mountain pass
Schwägalp Pass
The road under the north face of the Säntis, ending at the cable car station. Green alpine pasture country rather than high rock.
15 km · about 30 min drive
museum
Autobau Erlebniswelt
Racing driver Fredy Lienhard's supercar and motorsport collection in a former Romanshorn industrial plant on Lake Constance: Ferraris, Le Mans prototypes and Indy cars.
20 km · about 25 min drive
castle
Vaduz Castle
The princely family's hilltop residence overlooking Liechtenstein's capital and the Rhine valley.
33 km · about 40 min drive
museum
Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen
The world's largest airship collection, in the Bauhaus harbour station of the town where the giants were built, including a walk-through, full-scale reconstruction of the Hindenburg's passenger quarters.
33 km · about 40 min drive
castle
Meersburg Castle
Germany's oldest inhabited castle overlooks Lake Constance from a vineyard terrace in a charming medieval old town.
34 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
Mainau Island
A Mediterranean flower island on Lake Constance bursts with palms, butterfly house and a baroque palace garden.
36 km · about 40 min drive
Driving roads near Herisau
- Right hereSchwägalp PassThe road under the north face of the Säntis, ending at the cable car station. Green alpine pasture country rather than high rock.
- 36 kmTriesenbergWalser mountain village terraced 400 m above the Rhine on the hairpin road to Malbun; its balcony viewpoints take in the entire principality and the Swiss Alpstein across the valley.
- 44 kmSattelegg PassA low, year-round pass between the Sihl valley and Einsiedeln, a useful and pretty link rather than a challenge.
- 44 kmFurkajochA narrow, quiet Vorarlberg pass with a fine view over the Rhine valley, closed through the winter.
- 55 kmPragel PassA narrow, steep pass linking the Muotatal to the Klöntal, closed to through traffic on Sundays and barred to coaches. One of the quietest genuinely wild roads in central Switzerland.
- 56 kmSalginatobel BridgeRobert Maillart's slender 1930 concrete arch spanning the Salgina ravine near Schiers: declared a World Monument and revered by engineers as one of the most beautiful bridges ever built.
Driving in Switzerland
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.82/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
- Vignette
- Required, around €42 for a short-stay sticker
When to drive here
April to October
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