Rapperswil - The City of Roses

Rapperswil, the Riviera on the upper half of Lake Zurich, maintains its promise of southern charm is a former municipality and since January 2007 part of the municipality of Rapperswil-Jona in the Wahlkreis of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

The beginnings of Rapperswil’s love affair with roses goes way back, as two of these majestic flowers are part of the municipal coat of arms. However, only since 1913 do visitors get to enjoy the beauty of actual rose bushes.

Rapperswil earned the name rose city because of the over 20,000 roses that bloom from May to October in the rose gardens near the Capuchin monastery and on the “Schanz”. The latter is a blind rose garden with special scented roses. Their names are recorded in Braille on notice boards.

General Information

Tip

It is easily accessible by car, train or ferry boat. We prefer public transportation because car traffic can be quite bad on busy weekends. For a full day outing, we like to take the ferry there from Zurich and return by train. 

The center of Rapperswil is pedestrians-only. Lakeside you’ll find lots of cafes with outdoor seating. With kids, you’ll definitely want to walk along castle walls, where you’ll find an activity path. This ends at a great playground below the castle. There is another small playground from the castle terrace up on the hill. The Knies Kinderzoo is a short walk from the center of town.