From Wetzikon in the Zurich Oberland, the route leads over small passes, many winding side roads as well as well-known routes such as the journey to Schwägalp. The idyll of the hilly Appenzellerland, the dreamy villages and settlements as well as the picturesque towns always invite you to stop for photos.

I give this tour four and a half stars, which is justified by the variety of areas, views and beautiful routes.

It is an easy-to-drive but wonderful day tour for everyone who is not looking for the race track, but rather driving pleasure in beautiful landscapes and with lots of curves. The approximately two kilometers of gravel road towards the end of the tour are also no problem for beginners, as the road is well maintained and hard pressed.

We start from Wetzikon train station, a town in the Zurich Oberland, and change to the first side streets in the neighboring village of Hinwil, which wind in gentle curves up to Bettswil. A first great option awaits you there, provided the tour day is suitable: the vehicle museum is open every second Sunday afternoon and always on the first Wednesday afternoon of the month, immediately to the left when you get to the hill - don't miss the small signpost. Vintage cars from 1886, motorcycles from 1921, bicycles with and without auxiliary engines, tractors and many more vehicles are on display. Beautifully restored and maintained, virtually all vehicles are in roadworthy condition and are driven annually. Simply a gem, this museum. But it takes at least 2 hours to complete the tour and that's why we drive past it today with a heavy heart.

We drive over the hill from Ghöch down into the Töss valley, where we follow the Töss to Steg and then turn right and take the short, winding route to the Hulftegg. The view at the top of the pass, next to the fine restaurant, is wonderful and we capture it photographically. But we take the coffee later and therefore continue on quickly, crossing Toggenburg on small side roads except for a short stretch and changing shortly after the small village of Dicken into the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. At the Gasthof Hirschen in the hamlet of Risi we treat ourselves to a well-deserved coffee, and I recommend a real Swiss nut croissant (puff pastry with a nut filling).

The first village after the coffee stop is Schwellbrunn, where I often spent my holidays with my mother as a child. A picturesque mountain village on the mountain ridge with wonderful views and narrow streets. But we more or less just drive past it and continue via Waldstatt, Hundwil and Stein. In Stein there is the Appenzell show dairy, where the journey from milk to finished cheese is impressively shown. You can also try and of course buy cheese. The Appenzeller cheese is famous, the recipe for its herb coating is secret and shrouded in legend.

Via meadows and meadows, on side streets and through the small villages with the typical Appenzell houses, we reach Oberegg, an Appenzell Innerrhodic exclave and at the same time the easternmost point of our tour. Now we head west again through Trogen and Teufen to Appenzell. On this section too, it's worth stopping every now and then and enjoying the view. Anyone who wants to take the time to visit the beautiful old town of Appenzell will be rewarded with a view of the colorful rows of houses with richly decorated facades. And of course you can taste and buy the world-famous cheese here too.

Via Gonten and Urnäsch we drive up to Schwägalp, the valley station of the suspension railway to the Säntis, the king of the Alpstein peaks. We eat something delicious on the restaurant terrace and enjoy the view up to the mighty peak. Because we know what to expect, we don't have our coffee here after dinner, but instead get on our bikes and continue on. After about half an hour, we drove down to upper Toggenburg and straight back up, we reached Hemberg. There is no better view of the Säntis than here. Reason to enjoy lunch here in the Hörnli restaurant, with a view of the Appenzell landscape and your unique Alpstein.

Strengthened, we drive down the Necker, through this beautiful, partly gorge-like narrow valley, to Lütisburg. There we cross the western chain of hills and then drive into Fischingen, right after the monastery, into Aubachtäli, where we climb the steep road in Au towards Sternenberg. However, on the hill we turn right, not towards the village of Sternenberg, and master the two kilometers of gravel road. Half of it has a parking space and seating area. If you don't stop here to enjoy the panorama of the Alpine chain, it's your own fault.

Before we tackle the final part, we enjoy another coffee with something sweet in the Sternen restaurant on the Sitzberg. Then we go down, again into the Tösstal and up to the Hittnauer Höhe. The remaining kilometers are then quickly over and we are back at Wetzikon train station, our starting point.