Villas in Gais
Gais suits walkers and couples who want a traditional Appenzell village with direct trains to St Gallen and walks up to the Stoss Pass. It is a village of about 3,000 people at around 900 metres, so evenings are low-key and winter here means cross-country skiing and winter walking.
- Villas
- 6
- From, per week
- £743
About Gais
Gais is a village of about 3,000 people at around 900 metres in Appenzell Ausserrhoden, set in the rolling Appenzell hills. Its village square and Webergasse are lined with wooden houses with curved gables, rebuilt after a fire in 1780 and little changed since. The square, the 1782 church and the 1781 Krone inn are protected, and the village won the Wakker Prize in 1977. From 1749 to 1860 Gais drew visitors for whey cures. The Gäbris, 1,251 metres, rises to the north-east. The homes are all close to the centre; most have a garden and none has a pool.
Is Gais right for you?
- Best for
- Walkers and rail travellers wanting a traditional Appenzell village
- Not for you if
- You want a pool, because none of the homes in Gais has one.
Near Gais
Appenzell
Capital of Appenzell Innerrhoden on the Sitter, on the same railway line as Gais; its open-air Landsgemeinde meets on the last Sunday in April.
Stoss Pass
On the Gais winter walking loop, with a restaurant and the monument to the 1405 battle; the return runs along the sunny Sommersberg slope.
St Gallen
The city at the end of the line, reached directly on the Appenzell Railways line through Teufen, with trains every 15 minutes on the Teufen section.
Säntis
Highest peak of the Alpstein at 2,504 metres, seen from the Hohegg lookout on the winter walk out of Gais.
Getting to Gais
From Zurich airport, trains take about an hour and a half, with one change at St Gallen and departures about every half hour. Gais station is a junction of two Appenzell Railways lines, so you can manage here without a car.
When to go to Gais
Summer and autumn suit walking on the Gäbris and over to the Stoss. In winter Gais has an 8 km winter walking loop and cross-country skiing at Hackbühl, though routes can close in bad weather. The last Sunday in April is Landsgemeinde day in Appenzell.
Villas in Gais
5-star property
Home, Gais
Gais, Eastern Switzerland, Switzerland
2
0
0
BBQDishwasherGarden+7 more
from£120
per night
5-star property
1-Bedroom Home, Gais
Gais, Eastern Switzerland, Switzerland
2
1
0
BBQParkingDishwasher+10 more
from£106
per night
Rhänstrasse 9 in Gais AR
Gais, Eastern Switzerland, Switzerland
5
3
0
ParkingDishwasherWashing Machine+6 more
5-star property
5-star property
4-star property
Gais villa holidays: questions answered
Can you get to Gais by train?
Yes, easily. Gais is a junction on Appenzell Railways, served by the line from Appenzell to St Gallen and the line to Altstätten. From Zurich airport the trip takes about 90 minutes with a change at St Gallen.
Is Gais good in winter?
For walking and cross-country skiing, it is. An 8 km winter trail loops from the station to the Stoss Pass and back, and Hackbühl is the centre of the local cross-country trails.
Gais or Appenzell as a base?
Gais, if you want its protected 18th-century square with the Stoss walks on the doorstep. Appenzell, the Innerrhoden capital on the same railway, is the place for the open-air Landsgemeinde on the last Sunday in April.
Why is Gais famous?
Two things stand out: whey cures and its village square. Visitors came to Gais for whey cures from 1749 to 1860, and the village, its gabled wooden houses rebuilt after the 1780 fire, won the Wakker Prize in 1977.
Nearby towns to Gais
Written by the TrustedVillas team. Last reviewed October 2026.
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