27. Region St Gallen-Bodensee

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A beautiful hike through the Steinachtobel gorge, accompanied by the railway line to Mörschwil. It descends to the Gallussteg bridge and climbs back up to Steinerburg, a lovely spot for a picnic. The trail continues through the forest before offering magnificent views of Lake Constance, then descends slightly to Steinach before following the lake to Arbon.
The route to Arbon is approximately 17 km long, with an elevation gain of 139 m and an elevation loss of 414 m. The path is marked with the usual yellow signs.
The continuation to Rorschach takes approximately 2 hours to cover the additional 8 km, which are flat along the shores of Lake Constance.

In Arbon, the Saint Gall Chapel and the Saint Gall stained glass window in the neighbouring church are must-see attractions. Columbanus arrived here with the monks, then continued on his way to Bregenz. After parting ways with Columbanus in Bregenz, Gall returned here before climbing up to Steinachtobel, where he built his hermit's cell and remained until his death. It was here that the great monastery of St Gallen was founded, with its abbey library, now world-famous and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In Rorschach, the Church of St Columbanus is well worth a visit.

6 points of interest

Château Steinerburg
Historical
Steinerburg Castle
Ruin of a castle built in the 12th century by the Lords of Steinach. It came under the control of the abbey of St Gall from 1577 to 1805.

More about it.
St Columban
St Martin's church
In the centre, two stained glass windows depict Columbanus and Gallus.
Galluskapelle
St Columban
Saint Gall's Chapel
Arbon was already a Roman settlement before Columbanus arrived there (Arbor Felix, the happy building). When Columbanus arrived there with his monks, there was a Christian community and a presbyter named Willimar. After separating from Columbanus, Gallus returned to Arbon, where he was cared for due to his illness and eventually went to Steinachtobel, where he built his hermitage and later died.
The chapel dates from the 12th/13th century.
Église St Jacques
St Columban
Saint James Church
Steinach is first mentioned in 769 in connection with the transfer of the Otmar body from the Isle of Werd (at the outlet of the Rhine from Lake Constance) to St. Gallen. Otmar was condemned to starvation in 759, then pardoned and sentenced to life imprisonment on this island, where he died the same year. Ten years later, the monks of the monastery of St. Gallen repatriated the body of its founder to their monastery.
Jakobsbrunnen
Cultural
Fountain of Jacques
Since the year 1000, Rorschach has been a crossing point for many pilgrims, especially to Santiago de Compostela but also to Einsiedeln. On today's Kronenplatz stood the Jakobskapelle, a resting place for pilgrims which was demolished in 1833. The James Fountain (Jakobsbrunnen) was built as a memorial. To this day, the fountain bell still rings the Angelus twice a day.
Musée im Kornhaus
Historical
Kornhaus Museum
The settlement on the shores of Lake Constance dates back to the Stone Age in the form of lake cities. The shores were occupied by the Romans before the arrival of the Alemani, who founded Rorscharch. The museum shows illustrations of these cities and the history of the region.

Description

The starting point is west of the cathedral on St Gall Square. Going around the south side of this impressive building, you can cross the abbey gardens heading north after going through a small tunnel:

Reach St. Laurenzen Church via Marktgasse and go around it to the north to return to the abbey and head east via Zeughausgasse. At the end, turn left and then right to reach a roundabout. Continue east on Linsebühlstrasse.
When the tram lines turn right, continue on the same street. At the hospital after 500 metres, turn right onto Flurhofstrasse, which ends opposite the Grossacker primary school, then turn right after 600 metres onto Goldbrunnenweg. The street turns into a path that runs alongside a stream. At the end, turn right and then immediately left onto Bruggwiesenweg, which also turns into a path.
At the end, turn left heading north. After 200 metres, cross Rehetobelstrasse and take a path that runs alongside the Paul Grüninger stadium. In the neighbouring town, Fuchsenstrasse heads north until it joins Martinsbruggstrasse. Follow the north-west-facing streets for 500 metres until you reach a bridge over the railway tracks. If you are starting the hike from Fiden station, simply follow Harzbüchelstrasse north-east to reach this bridge.
The path that runs alongside the railway tracks under the bridge is accessible by continuing for 50 metres, turning left twice onto the path that joins the tracks heading north and runs alongside the Steinachbach stream, above ground after passing through a tunnel. Follow the Steinach for about 2.5 km and climb up to the right onto the plateau. Crossing fields and meadows leads to Mörschwill and the station on the outskirts of town. Follow the railway line (200 m), cross it and continue alongside it for 400 m until you reach a road junction.
Turn left and then, after 100 m, right onto the path overlooking the Steinbach before descending (500 m) towards the stream, crossing it and climbing back up to the ruins of Steinerburg Castle, a beautiful spot for a picnic. Continue on the north-west facing road for about 500m and turn right onto the new road, then left shortly afterwards onto Sandbüchenweg. Continue north for 1.5km to reach Steinach. At the junction with Schöntalstrasse, turn left onto this street and follow it for 800m to a roundabout with St Gallerstrasse. Turn right, cross the railway line and turn left onto Bahnhofstrasse to reach the castle and, more importantly, the chapels of St Gall and St Martin (for opening times, contact the tourist office in advance).
To reach Rorschach, follow the lake shore except for a short stretch after Horn (6 km) where you will need to leave the shore to avoid walking alongside a busy road. Follow the shore again (1.5 km) to the Rorschach pier.
100 m further on, turn right to reach the finish at St Columbanus Church, then head to the nearby station to return to St Gallen.

Departure : 9000 St Gallen
Towns crossed : Sankt Gallen and Thurgau

Altimetric profile

Access and parking

St. Gallen is accessible by train and car. The return journey is by post bus from Arbon and by train from Rorschach.
To depart from the eastern outskirts of the city, take the train to St. Fiden. From there, follow the railway tracks eastwards, cross the railway line, then turn right to follow the Steinach stream.