Pfäfers combines Baroque monastic history with hiking trails to viewpoints, historic routes and Tamina Gorge. This gives you several different options when planning your visit: buildings and local history, trails with a clearly recognisable historic character, or a visit to Old Bad Pfäfers with its particular access requirements.
Pfäfers is a starting point for hikes into Tamina Gorge and to Old Bad Pfäfers. Other trails pass prominent spots in the village or run through vineyards to old fortifications. You can plan your time around whichever theme interests you most.
Monastery History and Village Museums
The Baroque Pfäfers Monastery Church is a testament to the period when Benedictine monks lived and worked there. Construction began in 1688, and the shell was completed in 1693. Outside the village stands the Burächilchli St. Evort chapel. Built in 1625, it was renovated in 1984. Its altar features a 17th-century Pietà. The church and chapel offer different points of reference for the history of architecture.
The village museum is located in a former monastery building in the centre of Pfäfers. A short film, old documents and rare exhibits tell the story of the village, local figures and the region. In the monumental bathhouse of Old Bad Pfäfers, which has a chapel, the bath museum recounts the history of the baths and bathing—from their origins to the present day. The two museums therefore focus on different aspects: the village and its people in one, and the development of bathing in the other.
Hiking Trails with Different Highlights
The hike to the Tabor viewpoint passes the village linden tree and the monastery church. If you choose the Porta Romana, you follow a historic trade route through vineyards and alongside dry-stone walls to old fortifications. The trails offer distinctly different highlights: the Tabor route centres on prominent village landmarks and the viewpoint, while the Porta Romana focuses on trade history, vineyards and fortifications.
Tamina Gorge adds a different landscape to the mix. The gorge near Bad Ragaz is cut deep into the rock. An experience trail leads to the thermal spring, whose water is 36.5°C. Pfäfers is also a starting point for hikes into the gorge. The three destinations—Tabor, Porta Romana and Tamina Gorge—can therefore be distinguished by their individual themes rather than treated as similar trails.
High Valley and Picnic Site at Pracavals
The nearby high valley of Sankt Margrethenberg is well suited to family hikes and can be reached by postbus. When choosing an outing, you can compare this option with the trails and historic sites in Pfäfers.
There are water features and a fountain at the Pracavals pond. Above Pfäfers, the Swiss Family picnic site is set in a forest clearing. The shelter at the picnic site can protect up to 15 people. Facilities and shelter capacity may change; check the latest information if you are planning to use the picnic site or shelter.
Getting There and Access to Old Bad
A bus route from Bad Ragaz provides public transport to Pfäfers. Old Bad Pfäfers has its own access rules: it can be reached only by postbus, horse-drawn carriage or on foot. Cars, bicycles and e-scooters are prohibited along the entire route. If you plan to take the postbus, check the timetable for your visit.
This distinction is useful if you want to combine a visit to the village with Old Bad Pfäfers: the bus connection from Bad Ragaz is specified for Pfäfers, while access to Old Bad is governed by the permitted modes of transport and the ban on vehicles along the entire route. Plan your visit to the baths with these specific access requirements in mind.
Events at Lindenplatz
Regular events, mainly concerts, are held at Lindenplatz under the name “Linden Höck”. Since 2025, a Taminatal 1 August celebration has also been held annually. It is organised in rotation by the tourism associations of Valens, Vättis and Pfäfers. Individual programmes and venues may vary. If an event is a deciding factor in your trip, check the announced dates and venue.
Discover more destinations: Sankt Margrethenberg, Mels, Vättis, Quarten, Flums, Walenstadt, Vilters-Wangs, Sargans
For the main travel overview: Sarganserland.
