Overview
We reached St. Gallen after leaving Switzerland for Liechtenstein, spending the night in Feldkirch and then crossing back from Austria. The borders of Switzerland, Austria and Liechtenstein sit remarkably close together in this corner, so the route moved between countries in a very short distance.
St. Gallen became one of our favorite city stops on this part of the trip. Its center is full of colorful historic buildings, painted facades and decorative details. It felt worth more than a quick visit, and I could easily imagine staying overnight rather than treating it only as a stop on the way to Lake Constance.
The one surprising weakness was cleanliness. I noticed cigarette ends on the ground, something I had rarely seen elsewhere in Switzerland.
What to See
St. Gallen Cathedral had one of the most beautiful and distinctive interiors we saw during the entire road trip.
The adjoining Abbey District is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its Baroque library hall is genuinely impressive, although it looked much larger in photographs than it felt in person. We paid CHF 18 for admission. I was glad to see it, but the price felt high for the amount of time we spent inside.
Verdict
The historic center and abbey made St. Gallen one of the strongest urban stops on this route. It deserves enough time to wander beyond the library and cathedral rather than being reduced to a single attraction.