After several wonderful days in Innsbruck, Austria, we headed to our AirBnB in the far western part of the country so we had easy access to our first stop in Switzerland – St. Gallen.

St. Gallen is primarily known for its old town as well as being the home of the UNESCO World Heritage site of St. Gallen abbey, cathedral, and library.

Although the sky was overcast, the old town was full of colorful half-timbered houses from the 16th to 18th century. We wound our way along the cobblestone streets until we found Restaurant Zeughaus, a small cafe I had tagged for lunch. Our food was delicious, the service was wonderful, and we were in great spirits heading to the abbey precinct for our visit.

We purchased tickets that covered all of the abbey complex and followed the directions in the map they gave us for making our way through the different buildings.

It was helpful starting in the museum where we watched a film and learned more about the history of the abbey as well as the monks who managed the records and other historical texts that have been preserved and stored here since the 8th century. Apparently this location holds more original documents than any other in the world!

After we explored the museum, we walked through the courtyard, admiring the buildings and flower gardens before entering the church. It was quite beautiful – light colors at floor level and dark murals covering the ceilings.

The highlight for me was the library – I could have spent hours in these rooms alone.

The Abbey Library of St Gallen is a Baroque hall of globes, manuscripts and curiosities that has survived, improbably, for 1,300 years.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20260202-inside-switzerlands-extraordinary-medieval-library

The library was a beautiful, two-story space with warm wooden shelves, incredible ceiling murals, and a special exhibit on music. I walked the perimeter first, stopping to take all of the details in from all angles.

I was impressed with how courteous and respectful everyone behaved, taking turns snapping pictures and perusing the materials. It made for a really enjoyable visit.

We concluded our time with a quick loop through the archeological exhibit. Not all of the placards in that space were in English so we didn’t spend as much time there as in other areas of the complex. We were also being mindful of our parking meter and needed to wrap things up!

Overall we spent a couple hours in the abbey complex, and we could have easily spent a full day wandering St. Gallen’s old town and exploring the shops and cafes that were starting to operate in full swing as we headed back to our car.

I’m so glad we made time for a quick visit to this beautiful Swiss town and its impressive UNESCO site. My bibliophile heart was full!