St. Gallen walking tour & city guide

The Abbey District

The city takes its name from Gallus, an Irish monk who settled here in the 7th century. The abbey that grew on the spot became one of the great centres of learning in medieval Europe, and the whole Abbey District has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983.

Its twin-towered cathedral was rebuilt in the 18th century in late baroque style, with a bright green and gold interior. Next door, the Abbey Library is one of the oldest libraries in the world still in use; its rococo reading hall, with carved wood, ceiling paintings and inlaid floors that visitors cross in felt slippers, holds medieval manuscripts written in the abbey's own scriptorium.

Oriel windows and the textile city

The old town around the abbey is known for its oriel windows, the carved and painted wooden bays that wealthy merchants added to their houses; well over a hundred survive along lanes such as Spisergasse, Gallusstrasse and Kugelgasse. Multergasse and Marktgasse are the busy shopping streets, and the Marktplatz hosts the fresh produce market.

St. Gallen lace and embroidery were exported around the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the grand commercial buildings of that boom still line the streets near the station. The Textile Museum tells the story. A more recent landmark is the Stadtlounge, a block in the Bleicheli district covered entirely in a red rubber 'carpet', like an outdoor living room.

A walking route

Start at the station and walk along the old embroidery-era streets to Multergasse, then continue through Marktgasse to the Marktplatz. Turn into Spisergasse and the lanes around Gallusplatz to see the oriel windows, then enter the Abbey District for the cathedral and the library. Finish by taking the small Mühlegg funicular, or the steps, up to the Drei Weieren, three old ponds on the hillside with a view over the roofs.

Visiting tips

St. Gallen is about an hour by train from Zurich and close to Lake Constance, Appenzell and the Säntis. In October the city hosts OLMA, a large agricultural and consumer fair, and in December the old town is hung with hundreds of illuminated stars around the Christmas market. Buy the Abbey Library ticket at the door and allow time for the exhibitions in the vaulted cellar.