The 50 most beautiful places in Eastern Switzerland / Liechtenstein

From its majestic setting high above Lake Constance, the village of Heiden commands magnificent views. It was once known throughout Europe for its whey cures. Architecture aficionados will delight in the uniformity of the “Biedermeier” neoclassical buildings in the village core.

Ziegelbrücke, a transport hub at the edge of the Linthebene plane in eastern Switzerland, is dominated by the Spinnerei Jenny spinning mill buildings on the Glarus side of the Linthkanal and by the rail facilities on the St. Gallen side. The village is also well-known as a rail interchange point.

Concentrated within a small area around Bruggen, now a district of the city of St. Gallen, is a unique landscape featuring almost 20 bridges dating from between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. Varying greatly in height, span and design, these include diverse structures – from ancient timber bridges in the valley bottom to tall steel and concrete bridges whose construction won international acclaim.

The tiny hamlet of Schlatt occupies a spectacular location high above the Sittertal valley. Set amid the Appenzell landscape with its characteristic scattering of farms, it is a classic "core settlement" featuring a tightly packed arrangement of church, presbytery and schoolhouse.

The striking features of Neunkirch in Canton Schaffhausen's Klettgau region are its unique, rectangular medieval layout and the rustic charm of its backstreets. Centuries-long repression by the city of Schaffhausen meant that Neunkirch remained nothing more than a large farming village, albeit with the look of a town.

In terms of area, Gottlieben ranks among Switzerland's smallest communes. But with its pretty half-timbered buildings overlooking the Rhine, its splendid "Drachenburg" inn and its neo-Gothic castle, the picturesque village has plenty to offer. Gottlieben’s favourable location once made it an important trading place.

Werdenberg is the oldest timber-frame settlement in Switzerland and is best known for its castle of the same name, which sits majestically on the hill above the town. The small Lake Werdenberg lends further charm to the place.

The village of Hemberg is the last locality at the top of the Necker Valley. It consists of an upper and lower village, with both parts boasting their own church.

The impressive winegrowing village of Hallau, with its beautifully maintained appearance, is nestled among the extensive vineyards of Klettgau, which the locals often refer to as “Weinfass und Kornkammer” (“Wine cask and granary").

The small town of Appenzell is the capital of the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden. Characterised by the river Sitter, which meanders through the town, Appenzell impresses with its historic residential districts and characteristic timber-frame buildings.

The small medieval town of Diessenhofen lies in Thurgau right on the Rhine, which forms the border with Germany here. From the opposite riverbank, the town has a striking silhouette, with its high church tower and Unterhof Castle.

The former fishing, farming and winegrowing village of Ermatingen is located on the delta of a stream directly on Lower Lake Constance, between Kreuzlingen and Steckborn, and is the first village in the Canton of Thurgau mentioned in a deed that still exists to this day.

The winegrowing village and former marketplace of Malans is located in the Bündner Herrschaft area, the only continuous winegrowing region in the canton of Graubünden.

Trogen, one of the most impressive villages in Appenzellerland, enjoys an idyllic setting on the crest of a hill at the foot of the mountain of Gäbris. The village has become well-known for its Pestalozzi Children's Village, among other things.

Nestled in the valley between the Glarus Alps, the village of Ennenda offers a host of contrasts. On the one hand, it is characterised by its factory buildings and workers’ houses, and on the other hand, by stately villas and a monumental community centre that can be found here.