Location
Rapperswil (in the canton of St. Gallen) – the City of Roses, and regional administrative center – is home to more than 26,000 residents around upper Lake Zurich. Straddling the spit of land that separates Lake Zurich (to the north) from Lake Obersee (to the south), Rapperswil enjoys a commanding view of both lakes and the surrounding Alpine landscape.
Public transportation
Rapperswil, the region’s transportation hub, can be reached from all four points of the compass using public transportation services or private car. Zurich is convenient to reach from here: just 35 minutes on the S-Bahn (the S5, S7, and S15 lines, which leave at half-hour intervals). Zurich/Kloten International Airport is a comfortable one-hour commute on public transit, or a half-hour drive by car. Rapperswil-Jona has its own bus network that connects the municipality’s various isolated districts with each other; other bus lines establish the link to the towns of Rüti, Wald, and Wattwil.
Shopping
Rapperswil has an extensive range of shopping options. The charming old town just below Rapperswil Castle features attractive boutiques and retail shops; the modern part of the city hosts a variety of large retailers and supermarket chains, shopping centers and big-box retailers, thus providing a consumer’s paradise.
Schools
Rapperswil-Jona possesses nine kindergartens, nine primary schools, five secondary schools, and a school of therapeutic pedagogy – each with its own campus; the Wurmsbach Klosterschule (a Catholic school attached to the monastery) completes the selection of educational options for children and youth. Rapperswil is home to the Rapperswil School of Music and the Rapperswil Institute of Technology HSR.
Recreation
Rapperswil and vicinity offers a rich panoply of sports and recreational activities: three lakeside public beaches; diverse sports facilities; a tennis and football (soccer) club; a parcourse trail; the Bubikon Golf Course (just 10 minutes away by car); the Alpamare Water Park (situated just on the other side of the Seedamm causeway); the nearby Atzmännig ski basin (and its Alpine slide), and the gorgeous trails for jogging, riding, and biking in the surrounding environs.
Hotels/restaurants
The streets of Rapperswil’s old town are lined with countless Vinotheken (boutique wine cellars for tastings), cafés, and bars with the most diverse range of gastronomic concepts. They eventually lead to the Strandpromenade, the boardwalk featuring quaint restaurants and crowds of tourists along this vibrant beachfront promenade. Rapperswil-Jona offers myriad overnight accommodations, from hotels like the “Hirschen”, “Speer”, “Kreuz”, and “Schwanen” to the youth hostel.
Sites/culture
Rapperswil Castle; Rapperswil City Museum; Municipal Archives of Rapperswil-Jona; the Rose Gardens; the old town of Rapperswil; the wooden footbridge from Rapperswil to Hurden, Wurmsbach Monastery; the Kunst(Zeug)Haus (former armory, now art gallery); the Alte Fabrik cultural center (see below); Rapperswil Town Museum; Enea Baummuseum (a museum and outdoor arboretum devoted to the works of landscape architect Enzo Enea). The loyal followers of culture will find a wide and exciting range of options at the “Alte Fabrik” Cultural Center, where many concerts, lectures and readings are presented.
Top locations (streets)
Fuchsenbergstrassse, Zürichstrasse, Gubel, Rebhalde, Lenggisrain, Paradisweg, Alpenblickstrasse, Strandweg
