Kronberg Zipline-Park: more flying than climbing

At the valley station of the Kronberg cable car in Jakobsbad, 1,210 of the 1,644 metres are zip line. A park for everyone from age six, with time-based tickets and a season that runs into winter.

The Kronberg Zipline-Park sits in Jakobsbad, in the municipality of Gonten, right at the valley station of the Kronberg cable car in the Appenzell region. Spend an afternoon here and you will hang from a cable above the meadow far more often than you will cling to a tree.

The name says it all

Of the 1,644 metres of course, 1,210 metres are zip line. Five routes, from easy to demanding, hold 55 climbing elements and 25 zip lines. The longest free ride measures 107 metres, and the highest point is eleven metres above the ground. That is not a dizzying height, but there is a lot of movement: you travel quickly from platform to platform and spend more time in the air than on the beams.

The bobsleigh run, the Märliwelt fairy-tale world and the valley restaurant are right next door, so a whole day at the valley station is easy to fill, even for those who stay on the ground.

From age six, paid by the hour

Anyone at least six years old and 1.10 metres tall can take part. Children up to nine climb only with an adult. Those under 1.30 metres may do two of the five routes. Closed shoes are compulsory.

You pay by time, not by route, and instruction is always included. The 120-minute ticket costs CHF 31 for ages 6 to 15 and CHF 37 from 16; the short 60-minute ticket costs CHF 22 or CHF 28. Groups of ten or more get 20 % off all single admissions. The operator recommends booking online, as waits can otherwise be long.

A long season

Until 18 October the park is open daily from 9 am to 6 pm. From 19 October to 30 November it continues at weekends and on public holidays from 10 am to 5 pm; on weekdays it opens only for groups and only in fine weather. From December it is open at weekends and on public holidays from 11 am to 4 pm, conditions permitting. Last admission is always one hour before closing. From 1 to 25 March 2027 everything is closed for maintenance.

Getting there is easy: the Jakobsbad stop of the Appenzell Railways is right beside the valley station, and parking is charged.

The Kronberg Zipline-Park is new in the directory, together with more than 100 other parks from Italy and Switzerland. All parks in the canton are listed under Appenzell Innerrhoden.