When I saw a picture of a house seemingly built into the side of the cliffs in the mountains, I knew we had to go there, immediately.
Aescher-ai is not too far from Hoher Kasten, a place we previously went to for a 6-hour hike. It was the same valley, just on the other side. We took the cable car up to Ebenalp from Wasserauen.
Upon reaching the top, we were greeted by the most incredible views.
From Ebenalp (1590m), it was an easy and short walk downhill on the well-maintained hiking trail towards Aescher-ai. Turn right into the the Wildkirchli Caves.
At a height of 1500 meters above sea level and occupying an area around 2000 square meters, these karst caves were formed by underground streams over millions of years ago. Archaeological digs between 1904 and 1908 uncovered the remains of around 800 animals including the bones and teeth of cave lions, wolves, ibexes, chamois, martens and birds.
Coming out of the caves, you will walk eastwards along a rock face through a wooden gallery, passing the hermitage and the cave chapel.
We finally reached our destination – one of the most beautiful places in the world located at 1454 meters above sea level.
The house is really a restaurant. After securing seats, we ordered rösti (the best rösti I have ever had in my life) and took in the breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains.
Named the world’s most interesting restaurant by the Huffington Post, this mountain restaurant enjoys a spectacular location nestled on a rock face 100 meters high.
If you are looking to do some hiking in the area, Ebenalp is truly an ideal starting place for captivating walks in the Alpstein massif. There are some amazing routes which you can see below that would allow you to include Aescher-ai as part of your hike.
As I was towards the end of my second trimester, we decided to make it a short hike and went back directly up to the Ebenalp cable car station.
We decided to make a quick stop in Appenzell – a cute little town with a buzzing high street with interesting shops and restaurants. We of course had to make our obligatory kaffee und kuchen stop and made our way home just after.
