Schwendisee in Toggenburg: Getting There, the Lakeside Loop and Tips for Every Season

Some places you visit once and tick off the list. Schwendisee isn’t one of them for us. In summer you swim in the moorland lake, in winter a groomed trail leads through the snow, and on certain evenings a lantern path glows all the way round the water. Our two holiday apartments are in Alt St. Johann, in the same valley and only a short drive away.

We’ve already written about swimming there in our post on the Schwendisee and Gräppelensee mountain lakes. This one is the practical guide: where it is, how to get there, which walk to choose, winter, the Klanghaus and where to eat.

Where is Schwendisee? Two lakes, one name

Schwendisee lies above Unterwasser and Wildhaus in upper Toggenburg, in a flat moorland area of national importance. Strictly speaking there are two lakes, the Vordere and the Hintere Schwendisee (the front and the rear lake). Until the two municipalities merged in 2010, the boundary between Wildhaus and Alt St. Johann, which Unterwasser then belonged to, ran right through them. Switzerland Tourism lists them as the Schwendi Lakes.

The larger front lake sits at just under 1,160 metres and measures roughly 250 by 150 metres. The basin was left behind by the Schwendi Glacier when it began to melt around 14,000 years ago. Since then, moorland has grown along the shores, and it blooms between May and September.

Getting to Schwendisee: car, PostBus or mountain railway

By car, head for Wildhaus, where the road towards Schwendi branches off at Lisighaus; from there it’s a few more minutes uphill. The easiest address for your satnav is the Klanghaus: Vordere Schwendistrasse 61, Unterwasser. Parking at the lake is paid. Since August 2025 the municipality of Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann has managed the car parks with new rates and a maximum parking time.

Without a car, the journey is almost nicer:

• According to the timetable, the PostBus takes about six minutes from Alt St. Johann to Wildhaus, Lisighaus stop. From there it’s a five-minute walk to the Oberdorf chairlift, and from Oberdorf an easy walk leads to the lakes.
• Or take the PostBus to Unterwasser and the funicular up to Iltios in about eight minutes. From there the Klangweg sound trail leads via Dunkelboden to Schwendisee.
• If you enjoy walking, start in Alt St. Johann with the lift up to Sellamatt. The first stage of the Klangweg to Iltios is 2.5 kilometres long and suitable for pushchairs. The Klangweg is open from late May to late October, and the lift companies’ Klangweg ticket combines lift rides with a PostBus journey between Wildhaus and Alt St. Johann.

Keep in mind that the lifts run in seasons. The Oberdorf chairlift ran until 18 October in summer 2026, while the funicular from Unterwasser up to Iltios runs daily until Sunday, 1 November 2026. In winter 2026/27 the Oberdorf chairlift and the Iltios funicular run daily from 19 December, and possibly at weekends from 21 November if conditions allow. In between, the car is your best bet.

The loop around the Schwendi Lakes and the “little sound circuit”

A nature trail runs right round the lakes, partly on gravel and otherwise on a wooden boardwalk. It’s wheelchair accessible, and along the way you learn about the landscape’s history, its wildlife, forest and plants. Toggenburg Tourism doesn’t give a set length; think of it as a leisurely stroll rather than a hike.

If you’re after a proper Schwendisee hike, our tip is the “kleine Klangrunde” (little sound circuit) from the Wildhaus lift company. It starts and ends at Oberdorf, passes sound installations, the Klanghaus and the new Peter Roth Resonance Centre with its sound dome, and returns over the Hägis: 5 kilometres, around two hours, 120 metres of height difference. For something longer, walk the Klangweg from Iltios to Oberdorf; the Toggenburg Bergbahnen allow about three hours for the 4 kilometres. You’ll find more routes in our guide to hiking in Toggenburg.

Summer at Schwendisee: swimming, barbecues, fishing

You’re free to swim in the front lake, at your own risk. What to keep in mind is in our post on the mountain lakes. If you’d rather have a proper lido with a non-swimmers’ area, Schönenbodensee in Wildhaus is the better choice, as we explain in swimming in Toggenburg.

For a barbecue there are several fire pits around the lake, and above the lakes on the Klangweg lies the generous Dunkelboden fire pit. In dry spells a fire ban may apply in and near forests, so it’s worth checking the Toggenburg Tourism website before you go. And if you’d like to fish, permits for Schwendisee are available via the Angelroute app, with all the details from the Fischereiverein Obertoggenburg.

Autumn and winter: winter walk, lantern path and sledging

From November, when the lifts take their break, simply drive up. A lovely occasion is the evening-light tour of the Klanghaus on 27 November 2026.

In winter the Wildhaus lift company regularly grooms a winter walk to the Schwendi Lakes: from Oberdorf and back, 5 kilometres, about an hour and a half, with a superb panoramic view at the Hägis. On snowshoes there’s a loop from Oberdorf round the Schwendi Lakes and back (route 712), 4 kilometres and just under two hours, which Switzerland Tourism describes as well suited to beginners. The path right by the lake is cleared of snow depending on the weather.

In the evening, Stump’s Laternliweg lantern path lights up the lake. In winter 2026/27 it opens on Friday, 27 November, from 5 pm at the Peter Roth Resonance Centre, the same day as the evening-light Klanghaus tour. After that it’s open on Fridays and Saturdays from 28 November to 12 December, daily from 24 December to 2 January, and again on Fridays and Saturdays from 8 January to 6 March, each time from nightfall until about 9 pm. It stays closed in storms or when the path is icy. Over the holidays it makes a lovely evening stroll; there’s more on that time of year in Christmas in Toggenburg.

For sledging fans, a sledge run groomed daily leads from Oberdorf down to the valley station, a little over a kilometre long and rated difficult. A helmet is recommended, small children may only ride with an adult, and sledges can be hired at Oberdorf.

The Klanghaus at Schwendisee

Where the Hotel Seegüetli once stood, the Klanghaus Toggenburg now rises from the shore. After three years of construction it opened on 24 and 25 May 2025. The timber building has four sound rooms and two outdoor stages, and its rooms are built like an instrument.

You can go inside during guided tours, concerts, courses and events, and you’re welcome to drop by and look at it from the outside. Public tours take place on Sunday afternoons for a maximum of 25 people, so it’s worth booking in good time. Klangwelt also runs evening-light tours, including on 27 November, 19 December and 30 December 2026. Right next door, between the Klanghaus and Stump’s Alpenrose, is the Peter Roth Resonance Centre with its sound dome. How it all fits together is in our post on Klangwelt Toggenburg.

Photo: Klangwelt Toggenburg

Schwendisee photos: our favourite spots

Our picture further up shows what happens on a still day: the Alpstein mountains are mirrored almost perfectly in the water. So wait for a calm moment. On the way from Oberdorf, the Hägis with its panoramic view is a good place to pause. Between May and September the moorland is in bloom, and in winter the reeds and gnarled dead wood make almost fairy-tale motifs, with the Chäserrugg behind you and the Alpstein opposite. At dusk, the lantern path and the Klanghaus give the lake a light all of its own.

Where to eat, and Schwendisee with children

Right next to the lake is Stump’s Alpenrose. Its restaurant also cooks for day visitors, in cosy parlours or on the terrace, and according to its website it collects restaurant guests from anywhere in the municipality, so ask when you book. At Oberdorf the mountain inn serves homemade Schlorzifladen, a Toggenburg speciality, and right next door in summer there’s an adventure playground with a big bouncy cushion and a covered sandpit. Up at Iltios, the mountain restaurant has a natural playground.

For children, Schwendisee works beautifully: the loop is an easy, wheelchair-accessible stroll, and the Klangweg has 27 stations to try out. A whole summer week with kids is in our post on summer holidays in Toggenburg with children.

Toggenburg lakes: when one isn’t enough

The quiet Gräppelensee lies at 1,307 metres south of the Lütispitz and pairs nicely with Schwendisee for a full day. In Wildhaus the Schönenbodensee lido tempts with a sunbathing lawn and pedal boats, near Nesslau there’s the Lutenwil bathing pond, and a little further afield, in Grabs, the Voralpsee at 1,123 metres.

Photo: Toggenburg Tourismus

After a day by the water you’re quickly back at the historic SutterSport building at Hauptstrasse 36 in Alt St. Johann. In Louisa’s Loft your own hot tub is waiting, in Louisa’s Gallery the larger one. And if you’re travelling as several families, take the whole house for up to 12 guests.