Top experiences in autumn

With its beautiful townscape and well-preserved timber-framed houses on every corner, Ottoberg has earned itself a place on Switzerland's list of sites worthy of protection. The well-travelled Weinfelden wine trail leads through the vineyards of this historic village. Some well-known quality wineries, such as the Burkhart winery, also look forward to your visit. At the end of the enjoyable hike, we recommend a culinary stop at a restaurant in Weinfelden.

We have known for a long time that chocolate makes us happy. But how does happiness get into chocolate? The happiness researchers from Chocolarium in Flawil explain how it works on a tour of the marvellous chocolate experience world. In addition to exciting insights into the production facilities of the famous Munz and Minor chocolates, there is a new highlight: the lucky room with five chocolate fountains. Fancy a taste? Touch screens are used to record your own taste experience. The result: your own personal chocolate happiness profile. Sophisticated ceiling mirrors and customisable messages invite you to record your experience and share it with your loved ones.

For those who prefer travelling on two wheels rather than on foot, we recommend the Eastern Switzerland Wine Route from Schaffhausen to St. Gallen through three cantons. Thanks to the colouring vines, this tour offers particularly beautiful views at this time of year. The route leads through the wide valley plain of the Thur to Ittingen Charterhouse. Here you should definitely take a break - with a picnic from the farm shop or be surprised with a zero-metre menu from the self-catering farm. Via Pfyn and along the foot of the vine-covered Ottenberg, you finally reach the pretty village of Weinfelden. Here, for example, the Gasthof Eisenbahn invites you to enjoy culinary autumn delights.

Living proof that "going to a monastery" has nothing to do with renunciation: Ittingen Charterhouse runs a hotel and seminar centre, is home to the Ittingen and Thurgau Art Museum, boasts a wonderful monastery complex with a rose garden and treats guests in the monastery's own restaurant, where practically all the produce on the plate comes from its own estate. The Charterhouse is also the ideal starting point for hikes and bike tours in autumn. We recommend, for example, the "Naturparadies Seebachtal" hike around the Hüttwiler and Nussbaumer lakes.

Because autumn is sooo beautiful, the Undersee and Rhine Navigation Company is extending the season and sending its fleet on a round trip several times a day. The autumn hopping takes place on five autumn weekends in October and November. Highlights of the Untersee region such as the UNESCO World Heritage Island of Reichenau, the historic town of Steckborn and Arenenberg Castle are discovered. Climb aboard please!

Is it any wonder that there are marvellous truffles in Tannzapfenland? Somehow truffles don't have anything local about them. That's not true. Because precious tubers also grow on Swiss soil. And quite a few of them grow in beautiful Tannzapfenland in Thurgau. Our truffle sniffer Evelyne Bänziger provides the proof. And if that's a little too tuber-y for you, simply go on a relaxed autumn hike in Tannzapfenland, such as the idyllic Tannzapfenweg trail from Fischingen Monastery.

The apple is as much a part of Thurgau as William Tell. Only here, fortunately, they are not shot at, they are eaten or processed into liquids. Often into juice. Nobody knows better how to do this than the traditional Möhl cidery in Arbon. In the new MoMö cider museum, apples and juice production in Thurgau are brought to life interactively. The entire world of apples, the role of bees and their care and everything to do with apple juice can be discovered with all the senses at MoMö. For autumn days that you would rather spend indoors, this is the perfect day programme for young and old.

Whether monastery beer from Fischingen, hop brew from Stammheimer Hopfentropfen or Barfuss beer - they all impress with their uniqueness and careful production with a lot of passion. The Thurgau breweries have also come up with a number of ideas to inspire their guests: you can brew your own beer here or taste your way through all the creative creations from the brewers' speciality and experimental series. Detailed information can be found in the separate compilation.

In late summer and autumn, when the apples hang heavy from the branches, apple enjoyment is omnipresent in Thurgau. It is easy to marvel at in the apple village of Altnau, which is idyllically situated between orchards and apple plantations directly on Lake Constance. For generations, everything here has revolved around the red-cheeked fruit. The best way to experience the apple is on the Altnau Apple Trail. The family-friendly themed trail with information boards and interactive stations leads right through the village and is a wonderful illustration of the local tradition.

On the Iselisberg, autumn, wine and art merge into an impressive whole. The surrounding grapes reflect the abundance of the season, while 23 works of art are created along the circular trail, creating an inspiring atmosphere. Wines can be tasted at the winegrowers, and you'll have your own tasting rucksack. What does it contain? Everything you need for a special wine experience, of course.