Ebenalp & Berggasthaus Aescher: How to visit the famous cliff restaurant

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

This viewpoint is easy to reach with the Ebenalp cable car, then a short hike down to restaurant. On the way you pass through a large cave with an old hermit’s hut and open air chapel, aka Wildkirchli. 

The views are fantastic, with Mt Säntis and other impressive Alpstein peaks in the distance. Because this hike is short and relatively easy, it’s a nice option for non-hikers that want to experience the classic Swiss alps without much effort.

Keep reading to learn how to visit Ebenalp.

Quick Info

Region	Appenzell region, Eastern Switzerland
Starting point:	Ebenalp Cable Car – Schwendetalstrasse 82, 9057 Wasserauen
By car:	Metered parking next to cable car From Zürich 1h30, Sargans 55 mins, Chur 1h
By public transport:	Train station: Wasserauen From Zürich 2hr10, Sargans 2h11, Chur 2h30

Trail:	45 mins round trip
Distance:	1.5 km there and back
Difficulty:	moderate, safe but not advised for those with a fear of heights
Path Type:	dirt path with uneven terrain and stairs, no strollers
Elevation:	lake at 1850m

Open:	May to October
Cost 2026:	funicular return CHF 36/adult, CHF 15/child 6-16
Discounts:	Discount 50% for Swiss Travel Pass, Half Fare Card, & GA
Services:	restaurant at cliff viewpoint and near cable car
More info:	www.ebenalp.ch • webcam • weather

Gallery 

Location

The cliff restaurant is accessed from the cable car that runs from Wasserauen to Ebenalp. From the top of the cable car, it’s about a 25 min walk down to the restaurant.

We recommend that most people hike back to the cable car on the same path. See full hiking map for the Ebenalp area.

Hiking map

This trail map shows the trail from the top of the Wasserauen-Ebenalp cable car to the Gasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli. It’s about 700m, descending about 130m, about 25 mins. You can walk back the way you came.

View trail map on Komoot 

Trail conditions

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.

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.

Trail options

Optional loop for experienced hikers: If you are an experienced hiker and want to see something different on the way back, you can walk past the cliff restaurant and follow the loop trail up the cliffs back to the cable car station. It’s an interesting path but too dangerous for small children or inexperienced hikers. See trail map.

Longer hike: For experienced hikers comfortable with risk, you can hike from the cliff restaurant down to the Seealpsee lake. Learn more.

How to get there

Ebenalp is located near Appenzell in eastern Switzerland, easy to access by car or public transportation.See location on Google Maps.

Ebenalp is a reasonable day trip from Zürich, which is 90 mins by car or just over 2 hours by train.

By train

Take a train to Wasserauen, Bahnhof. The Ebenalp cable car station is directly across the street from the train station. 

From Appenzell, it’s a 12 min ride to Wasserauen. See train schedule on SBB.ch. You do not have to book train tickets in advance or reserve seats. Learn more about Swiss train travel

By car

Drive to Schwendetalstrasse 82, 9057 Wasserauen and park in one of the metered parking lots near the base station of the Ebenalp cable car.

Last time we were there it cost CHF 5/day. The parking meters take coins only or you can pay with a mobile parking app like EasyPark. On busy days, the local farmers open their fields for overflow parking, pay in cash to the attendant.

Planning your day

Ticket prices

At the cable car station, buy a round trip ticket. In 2026, a round trip costs CHF 36/adult and CHF 15/child 6-15. Children with SBB Junior Card or under age 6 ride free.

Discount with Swiss Travel Pass, Half Fare Card, GA.

Free with Appenzell Holiday Card, Oskar Card, and Lake Constance Holiday Pass.

You can pay with cash or card. You can purchase cable car tickets online, which allows you to skip the ticket line and go directly to the cable car line. But you cannot reserve a specific time. Also, cable car tickets will never sell out for the day.

Operating hours

The cable car is usually open for summer from May to October.

It runs every 15 mins from about 7:30 to 18:00, but time vary by season. So check operating times before you go.

The cable car is small, so on very crowded days, you may have to wait in line to go up.

What to wear and bring

Since the path has uneven terrain, we suggest sturdy hiking shoes, though sneakers or other comfortable walking shoes should be fine. Some people may feel more comfortable with hiking sticks, but most won’t find them necessary.

This hike is located in the mountains where weather and temperatures can change quickly. Dress appropriate to the weather forecast, bringing layers like a fleece and windbreaker/rain jacket as needed. On sunny days, make sure to bring sunscreen, sun hat, and sunglasses. 

It’s a short trail so you don’t necessarily need to bring food or drinks if you are planning to eat the restaurant. 

Where to eat

We suggest eating at Gasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli, the destination of this hike. However, they don’t take reservations and there can be a very long line, especially on weekends and holidays.

Alternatively, you can eat at Berggasthaus Ebenalp, which is near the cable car station.

Where to stay 

At the top of the cable car, there is Berggasthaus Ebenalp, which has private rooms (1,2, or 3 beds) and dormitory rooms with bunks. If you don’t mind hiking with your overnight bag, you can hike 90 mins to the Schäfler guesthouse, which has a spectacular view of the ridge.

At the bottom of the cable car, Alpenrose Wasserauen, is near the parking and train station. 

If you hike up to the Seealpsee lake (about one hour), you can stay overnight at Gasthaus Forelle and Berggasthaus Seealpsee. They do not offer luggage transfer, so you must carry your luggage.

If you stay at any of these hotels for at least three nights, you get the Appenzell Holiday Card, which includes many free and discounted activities in the region.

Photo story of the trail

1. Riding up to Ebenalp

Arrival in Wasserauen is one of the prettiest sights you’ll see, especially in May with the yellow flowers.

As you ride up the cable car, you will see the caves and restaurant built on the side of the cliff. The cable car takes you above these caves and you will walk down to them.

Walk down to Wildkirchli and Cliff Restaurant

Here is the beginning of the trail. Don’t get fooled by the gravel path. It looks ok for strollers now but it gets lumpy in pretty soon. The trail is a little steep in parts, but not too difficult.

The sweeping views of Appenzellerland are fantastic.

After a couple minutes, the trail dips into a cave, where the trail can get a little slippery – use those hand rails! The picture below was in late June.

The picture below was in mid May, when there was still a bit of snow and the grass was still dead.

Wildkirchli, aka Wild Church

Inside the cave is a hermit’s hut.

Also a small chapel in a cave.

The walkway is built into the side of the cliff.

The railway is pretty safe, but I’d keep little kids close.

Cliff Restaurant

Here’s Gasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli, which is a restaurant and hotel.

A meal with a view. This restaurant can get really crowded on sunny weekends. We only ate there the very first time we visited way back in 2006. Every other time we hiked here, it was so full we didn’t want to wait for a table.

View directly across from the restaurant.

Here’s the view east and west from where we sat at the restaurant.

Hiking back to the cable car

For most visitors, I recommend walking back the way you came to the cable car station. 

For experienced hikers, you can walk past the restaurant and follow right fork to challenging switchback trail up the cliffs to the cable car station. The trail that forks to the left leads to Seealpsee, a pretty lake with stunning views. See Ebenalp-Seealpsee Hike for details.

The trail up the cliffs to Ebenalp skirts along the bottom of the rock cliff as shown here.

Then you head up the cliff in this area shown below.

The switchbacks look like this.

Final thoughts

I like the trail, but I overestimated my parents’ desire to hike. My first time there, I convinced my parents to hike the loop on the more difficult switchback trail. This was a big mistake.

First, the trail was steep, up narrow, rocky switchbacks with about a million steps, as shown above. My poor step-mom had expected a relaxing day out not an endurance challenge. Second, the threatening clouds rain suddenly turned to rain about 10 mins into the hike. So we were cold and wet and miserable. Lesson learned.

Ebenalp doesn’t have attractions especially for kids on this hike, except the cows. But I like this outing with kids because you can have a good meal with an amazing view without much work.