[rubyng]

16 September 2022 at 7:34:30 #828356

Our son will be attending a medical conference at St Gallen from 28-30/Nov and My husband & I wilI be travelling with him. Would appreciate any suggestions for day trips that my husband & I can make from St Gallen when our son is busy with his conference. At the moment, we can think of making day trips to Zurich and Lucerne.

Also, is it a better idea to purchase Swiss Travel Pass or half fare card for these day trips?

Ruth

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[Removed user]

16 September 2022 at 10:49:44 #946979

You won’t be there for very long, so a half fare card may be too much money (like any railcard you have to pay for it first before you can use it to get reduced fares. In which case you would have to bite the bullet and just pay regular point to point fares.

However, there is plenty to do in the St Gallen area itself and the wider area of north East Switzerland. The whole area is covered by the OSTWIND regional fare network.

I recommend you get the regional day pass or tickets for that area:

business.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-tickets/travelcards/regional-travelcard/ostwind-fare-network.html

As you can see from the zonal map, shop.ostwind.ch/ticket/uebersicht/

the Ostwind area covers lots of very nice places, including:

Cities and towns: Schaffhausen, Rorschach, Buchs SG, Sargans, Bad Ragaz (spa), Rapperswil, Leichstenstein

Lakes: Bodensee (aka Lake Konstanz), Walensee, south end of Zurichsee – also Rhein Falls near Schaffhausen

Mountains: Appenzeller alps, Glarnerland (Glarus region alps)

Many of these places are extremely pleasant and/or scenic but rarely mentioned on this web site / forum (everybody gets ‘hung up’ on Jungfrau, Luzern and Zermatt…)

[Anna]

16 September 2022 at 10:59:59 #946980

Hi Ruth,

If you are staying for only 3 days, I recommend exploring St Gallen on Day 1 and plan day trips on Day 2 and 3. Day trip to Zurich and Lucerne can be combined in one day or you could also visit each city separately. From St Gallen you can also plan day trips to Stein am Rhein and Schaffhausen via the Bodensee.

• Zurich: http://www.myswissalps.com/zurich/activities
• Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne/activities

Since this is a short visit, buying a Saver Day Pass for each day trip might be cost-effective if you are not planning any mountain excursion. The Saver Day Pass is cheaper when bought early.

Let us know if you need more info.

Regards,

Anna