Main view
Saxer Lücke
The iconic jagged Alpstein ridge — the photo of the whole weekend if the sky is clear.
Highlights
The weekend in four photos
The stops worth building the trip around — one huge alpine day, one match, and a scenic two-country Sunday.
Lake stop
Fälensee
Narrow alpine lake under dramatic cliffs, with lunch at Bollenwees.
Country tick
Vaduz
Liechtenstein in a morning — castle views and a second country.
Sunday village
Appenzell
Painted houses, cheese and classic Eastern Swiss streets on the way home.
Getting there
Flights — Gatwick ↔ Zurich
easyJet direct, both ways. All booked — bag drop and timings below.
Outbound · Fri 12 Jun
LGW→ZRHeasyJet EZY8473
Depart (London)17:30
Arrive (Zurich)20:15
Return · Sun 14 Jun
ZRH→LGWeasyJet EZY8474
Depart (Zurich)20:50
Arrive (London)21:30
Getting to Gatwick · Friday afternoon
Everyone's coming from a different place — the one fixed thing is to be at North Terminal with time before the 16:30 bag-drop close. Aim to be there by ~16:00.
Weekend base
St. Gallen Party House
Two nights, whole place to ourselves — the launchpad for the hike, the match and the Sunday loop.
Airbnb · entire home
AddressUnterstrasse 52, 9000 St. Gallen
ListingWYBA Living Rio · Apt WHG 3.03
SpaceEntire home · 4 beds · up to 7 guests
Check-inFrom 15:00, Fri 12 Jun
Check-outBy 10:00, Sun 14 Jun
Wi-FiWHG-3.03_5GHz · 5486354015
Key safeMailbox 3.03 “Rio” · code 055793041
Total€823.71 (~€118pp at 7)
Hard 10:00 checkout on Sunday — load the car before you roll out. We're checked in on Elev8 — the key sits in an Igloohome safe in mailbox 3.03 “Rio”, code 055793041 (full photo walkthrough below, house manual under it). Add everyone to Tricount for car, fuel, groceries, schnitzels and beers.
How to get in · step by step
House manual · once you're in
Lights & shuttersOne plate, five buttons
Middle — room light on/off
Left — hallway light
Top right — shutter up
Bottom right — shutter down
ParkingNot in front of the house
The spots directly outside are private. Use the blue zone around the building or the public Parkgarage Kreuzbleiche ↗.
BinsBy the main door
Take rubbish to the bins in front of the building's main door.
LaundryIn the basement
Plenty of washers and dryers downstairs — free to use. Handy after the hike.
Wi-FiWHG-3.03_5GHz
Password 5486354015 — or use the copy button above.
CheckoutSunday 10:00 sharp
Pack and load the car before you head out — there's no flexibility on this one.
At a glance
Three days, one big hike
The whole weekend on one screen. Tap a day to jump straight to it.
DatesFri 12 – Sun 14 Jun
BaseSt. Gallen · hire car
Main hikeHoher Kasten → Saxer Lücke → Fälensee
BonusMatch night + Liechtenstein
Trip day by day
Three days, top to bottom
Each day reads in order. Tap a stop for the detail view, or “Directions” to open it in maps.
Day 1Fri 12 Jun
Today
Arrival in St. Gallen
Land at Zurich, grab the car, drive to the base and keep the first night low-key.
RouteZurich Airport → St. Gallen
DriveAbout 1 hour
Day feelEasy, save the legs
- 20:15
- ~20:45
- ~22:00
Day 2Sat 13 Jun
Today
Hoher Kasten, Saxer Lücke & Fälensee
Big views, big legs, big schnitzels — then Switzerland match night.
RouteSt. Gallen → Brülisau loop
Hike7–8 hours, rocky & exposed
Day feelProper mountain day
- 07:00
- 08:00
- 09:00
- 13:00
- 17:30
Day 3Sun 14 Jun
Today
Liechtenstein & Eastern Switzerland
Two countries, easy views, scenic recovery before the flight home.
RouteSt. Gallen → Vaduz → Malbun → Appenzell → ZRH
Style2 countries, low effort
Day feelScenic recovery
- 09:00
- 09:45
- 13:00
- 15:30
- 17:30
Alternative Sunday · Plan B
Swap Liechtenstein for an Appenzell lake hike
If the group fancies one more Alpstein day over the two-country run: cable car up from Wasserauen, then mostly downhill to the Seealpsee. Recovery-friendly and on the way to the airport leg.
TrailheadWasserauen
6.6 km · 147 m up · 3–3.5 h · Easy
Cable car up to Ebenalp, past the Aescher cliff inn, then a gentle descent to the Seealpsee and down to Wasserauen. Kind on legs after Saturday — bring swimwear for a lake dip. AllTrails ↗
8.5 km · 1,196 m up · 4–4.5 h · Hard
The dramatic ridgeline — Ebenalp up the Schäfler crest, then steeply down to the lake. Only if legs survived Saturday, and it's tight on time before the flight. AllTrails ↗
Timing if you swap
Hard 10:00 checkout → ~45 min drive to Wasserauen → cable car up. To make the 20:50 flight, be off the hill and leaving Wasserauen by ~16:30 (≈1 h 15 to ZRH, plus fuel + car return). The short version leaves loads of buffer; the ridge is cutting it fine.
Route & map
The weekend loop
Land at Zurich, base in St. Gallen, the Alpstein hike south of Brülisau, then the Liechtenstein and Appenzell Sunday before flying home.
Tap a pin for details
Driving route in Google Maps ↗
✈
Zurich Airport (ZRH)Land Friday ~20:15, collect the hire car, ~1h drive to base.
1
St. Gallen — weekend baseTwo nights. Old Town on Friday, match bar on Saturday night.
2
Brülisau → Saxer Lücke → FälenseeSaturday's Alpstein ridge — the big 7–8h mountain day.
3
Vaduz & Malbun, LiechtensteinSunday morning country tick plus an easy alpine add-on.
4
Appenzell → Zurich AirportScenic village stop, then fuel, car return and the 20:50 flight home.
Live forecast
Weather on the ridge
Updated automatically for the Alpstein high ground (Hoher Kasten, ~1,795m). The mountain decides — if Saturday looks wet or stormy up top, shorten the route.
Loading live forecast… (needs signal)
Source: open-meteo · refreshes when you open the page online.
Saturday night
Schnitzels & Switzerland match night
Simple group dinner around 19:00, then watch Switzerland vs Qatar at 21:00. Table's booked at O'Five with a clear view of the screens.
Match night
Switzerland vs Qatar
Saturday 13 June · central St. Gallen · dinner first, then find your seats.
Kick-off21:00
Poststrasse 15, 9000 St. Gallen
Central pub, 6 large screens. Table booked for the group with a clear view for the 21:00 kick-off.
Quick reference
Top picks
What to prioritise across the weekend — and what to skip if legs or time run short.
The iconic jagged Alpstein ridge. Best photo stop of the weekend if visibility is clear.
Long, narrow alpine lake below dramatic cliffs. Perfect lunch/recovery stop near Bollenwees.
Central pub, 6 large screens. Booked for the Switzerland match.
Colourful buildings, cheese, cafés and classic Eastern Swiss streets.
Liechtenstein, castle photos and the novelty of two countries in one weekend.
Liechtenstein's alpine village — valley walk only in June (Sareis lift shut until July). Skippable if legs are done.
Good to know
Before you send it
Practical notes for the group — the mountain matters more than the timetable.
Rough money split~€118pp
Your share of the Airbnb at 7 guests. Flights are already paid; everything else goes on Tricount.
| Item | Plan |
|---|---|
| Flights (return) | Booked |
| Airbnb · 2 nights | €823.71 total |
| Hire car + fuel + tolls | Tricount |
| Groceries, schnitzels, beers | Tricount |
| Cable car / lifts | Pay on the day |
On the mountain
Six things that actually matter
Alpstein paths are rocky and exposed — not fashion trainers.
Clouds, rain or storms on the ridge → shorten the route. Views aren't worth a risky hike.
Carry water, electrolytes and bars. Don't rely only on mountain restaurants.
O'Five is reserved for the group — table with a screen sightline for the 21:00 kick-off.
Spare time for parking, fuel, traffic and the car return. Keep Sunday flexible.
Split fuel, parking, groceries, pub deposits and shared meals from day one.
Cards work nearly everywhere; Liechtenstein uses CHF too. Carry a little cash for mountain huts.
One hour ahead of London — your body clock barely notices.
Swiss German locally, but English is widely understood. Grüezi = hello, Danke = thanks.
Swiss sockets differ from the UK. A standard EU two-pin usually fits — bring an adapter.
Motorways need a vignette — normally included with the hire car, but confirm at pickup.
Drinkable everywhere, including mountain springs. Bring a refillable bottle.
Swiss supermarkets close on Sundays. Buy Sunday breakfast and snacks on Saturday — station shops (St. Gallen Bahnhof, ZRH airport) are the only exception.
Hoher Kasten runs from 09:00, every 20 min. It left the half-fare network, so no discounts — cards accepted.
One number across Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Mountain rescue: 1414.
Saturday 21:00 at O'Five — table booked for the group.
Packing
Pack for a big alpine day
Tuned to Saturday's forecast — mostly dry but overcast, cold with serious gusts up on the ridge. One serious hike, a match night and a scenic Sunday. Your ticks save on this device.
The Saturday layering plan
Cable car up to Hoher Kasten (~1,795m) — cold and gusty (~9°C early, gusts to ~65 km/h) — then traverse the exposed ridge to Saxer Lücke and descend ~900m to warm, sheltered Fälensee (~20°C). So dress for cold windy ridge → warm valley: start layered up and peel off as you drop. It's forecast dry with a very high freezing level, so sun and wind are the real hazard, not rain — you can leave heavy waterproofs, gloves and insulation at home.
Gusts to ~65 km/h on an exposed ridge — a packable wind/waterproof shell beats bulk, and is your alpine insurance.
UV bites through cloud at altitude. SPF50, sunglasses and a cap — reapply sun cream at the lake stop.
Long rocky drop to Fälensee. Grippy broken-in boots, poles strongly recommended, spare dry socks for lunch.
You head near-straight to the 21:00 game — stash a clean change of clothes for town, you won't want damp kit.
0 of 0 packed
Clothing · layer up
Feet, sun & safety
Pack, fuel & after
Docs & money
Tech & extras
Leave at home for this dry, high-freezing-level day: waterproof trousers, gaiters, gloves, microspikes and any heavy insulated jacket.