Country charm is not in short supply in the Ausserrhoden part of the canton either: across the picturesque village centre of Gais, past the handsome brown cattle and flower-covered farm houses, the road winds its way into the hills. Take another look behind you to see the impressive Alpstein mountain range one more time, as the path is getting narrower and narrower. During a short section across the Suruggen you almost think you should be on a mountain bike. The single-lane path now leads through a small forest before it dips steeply downhill and across a meadow. You would be well advised to walk your bike here.

But the adventure is over soon and near Landmark the view opens up: down into the Rhine Valley and across to the Vorarlberg Alps. In St. Anton, if not sooner, a break is recommended, either because of the spectacular views or because of the restaurants offering tempting refreshments. And then you’re off again, up and down, along the left side of the Rhine Valley until you’re above Lake Constance with views far into Germany. Majestic wooden country homes with murals, small towers and scrollwork, contrasting with the traditional farm houses, are witnesses of a different era when the textile industry ruled the region.

The resort town of Heiden also has numerous restaurants and overnight accommodations to choose from, before the route turns back to St. Gallen, where you ride through the magnificent old town with its half-timbered buildings and ornate oriels. You pass the remainders of a wall that the bishop had built long ago in the middle of the city to separate the catholic sector from the protestant majority. But today, St. Gallen welcomes everyone, regardless of confession, in the Gothic cathedral with its amazing ceiling paintings and golden ornaments as well as in the Abbey’s library, one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world.