Gais (German pronunciation: [ˈɡaɪs]) is a village and a municipality in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Switzerland.

[3] The village square, the Protestant church of 1782, the former spa hotel Neuer Ochsen of 1796 and the Krone inn of 1781 are listed as heritage sites of national significance.

Under the Ammann Konrad Geppensteiner Gais joined the Swabian Cities Alliance (German: Schwäbischer Städtebund) in 1377.

Gais is quite centrally located in the hilly grass and woodland known as Appenzell or Appenzellerland at around 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level.

The Rotbach, a tributary of the Sitter, flows from northeast to the southwest through the village and then turns northwest in the direction of Teufen AR.

Of the rest of the land, 6.2% is settled (buildings or roads) and the remainder (0.4%) is non-productive (rivers, glaciers or mountains).

The old village, lined with traditional wooden houses with curved gables, was rebuilt following a fire in 1780 and has remained mostly unchanged since then.