Whether its summer or winter, I’ve always found St. Gallen to be a very pleasant city to visit with its many UNESCO cultural heritage sites. It’s easy to get to with a one-hour train ride from Zürich and very easy to walk around with many pedestrianised areas and even a “Red Zone” with modern art and public relaxation facilities.
One spot you absolutely have to visit is the Abbey Library of St. Gallen with hundreds of thousands of priceless historical religious texts and land records dating back to the formation of the Swiss Confederation. Some of the documents kept in its records are still used to prove land claims. It is constructed in my favourite period – Rococo. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed and you must wear protective covering over your shoes to avoid damaging the wooden floor.
Cathedral of St. Gallen 
Cathedral compound
The cathedral compound itself is quite mighty with a large courtyard where students like to have a picnic lunch in the sunshine. Inside the cathedral, you’re treated to peaceful environment for quiet prayer and reflection. If you visit around noon, you’ll get to see how the stained glass windows and natural sunlight affect the lighting inside the cavernous cathedral.
If you stay over in summer you could catch an open air concert on a hot sticky evening, or you could pay exorbitant prices to go on a ride in a one-horse carriage. But for me, I’d prefer staying the night by the lake in Konstanz and take advantage of more reasonable German prices.
