Now it's getting really expensive Appenzell hotspot takes drastic measures against flood of tourists
The canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden is reacting to the increasing number of excursion tourists and wants to control the flow of traffic on peak days. In future, for example, the access road to Wasserauen will be closed as soon as there are no more parking spaces available.
20.08.2025, 15:02
21.08.2025, 09:12
SDA
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- In future, the access road to Wasserauen is to be closed when there are no more parking spaces available.
- An electronic guidance system and an app reservation system will help to organize traffic.
- Higher parking fees are to secure the funding - the cantonal assembly has the final say.
The canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden is reacting to the increasing number of excursion tourists and wants to control the flow of traffic on peak days. In future, for example, the access road to Wasserauen will be closed as soon as there are no more parking spaces available.
The Äscher is the tourist magnet in the Alpstein. Since international magazines and celebrities started posting pictures of the inn built on the rock face on social media a few years ago, the place has been flooded with tourists.
Visitors can hike from the Ebenalp mountain station to the idyllic Äscher in just around twenty minutes. On nice days, an avalanche of cars rolls up to the valley station in Wasserauen. The village is also the starting point for hikes to the Seealpsee lake or the Säntis.
Appenzell government councillor Jakob Signer (non-party, Department of Justice, Police and Military) remembers last Whit Monday, when the road from Appenzell was completely jammed. Although all the parking spaces in Wasserauen were occupied, the motorcade continued to head for the tourist hotspot.
Parking spaces on meadows to be removed
The increasing number of day tourists requires adjustments to be made to private transport, the Innerrhoden government wrote in a press release on Wednesday. It is also important to prevent search traffic, Signer told the Keystone-SDA news agency. Especially when such traffic no longer makes any sense at all.
In the coming year, a parking guidance and reservation system is to guide the flow of traffic in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden. The canton is expecting an investment of around one million francs.
Electronic signs will then show road users where parking spaces are still available. Those who reserve their parking space in advance using an app will be given priority. Finally, a barrier will prevent motorists from driving to Wasserauen if everything is already parked up there.
"We don't want to ban anything," says Signer. But the traffic and parking situation should be brought under control. Furthermore, the additional parking options on agricultural meadows, which are offered on peak days, should be removed in the medium term with a view to water protection.
The canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden has been considering solutions to the increasing traffic problems on popular excursion days for some time. The parking guidance and reservation system that has now been adopted is one of the measures that the canton has developed as part of its tourism policy. The focus is also on new incentives for public transport.
Higher parking fees to go before the cantonal assembly
The measures are to be paid for by car drivers. The plan is to levy an additional charge on the existing parking tariff. This means that up to 30 francs per day will be charged. The government intends to use this to secure the financing of the parking guidance and reservation system as well as future construction projects for any new parking facilities.
However, this still needs to be enshrined in law, explained Signer. The population will therefore have the final say on the increased parking fees. As a lot of business is already pending at the upcoming cantonal assemblies, the electorate will not be able to vote on this bill until the 2028 cantonal assembly.
