Whether you are thinking about an afternoon out from Zurich, Basel, Stuttgart, or simply finding an excuse to visit this magnificent place..excuses are not necessary. You just need to know that it is a unique place.
These are the biggest waterfalls in Europe: the Rheinfalls, at Shaffhausen.
I should say that I went there a little skeptical, thinking that they were the “usual” mountain waterfalls, where to spend half an hour and that’s it.
But not. I spent almost 4 hours in this wonderful nature and I would have stayed even more.
They are right out of the city of Schaffhausen, in Switzerland. They are a year-round attraction with each season providing its own charm. What I personally suggest is to plan your visit anytime between April and October as that’s the time where boat trip can be experienced.
I visited it in Summer and luckily it was not so hot even during lunch time. But the nature was amazing.
Here some data about the falls:
- Width of the falls: 150m
- Height of the falls: 23m
- Depth of the pool: 13m
- Age of the falls: 14.000 – 17.000 years
- Average flow in Summer: 600 m3 / sec
- Average flow in Winter: 250 m3 / sec
- Lowest ever flow: (in 1921): 95 m3 / sec
- Highest ever flow: (in 1965): 1250 m3 / sec
How to get as close as possible?
Take a ticket to enter from the southern side of the falls: from Schloss Laufen.
The entrance costs 5chf only and trust me, it’s definitely nothing compared to the breathtaking panoramic view you can access from here!
Here you can access to so many terraces from where to see the magnificence of the waterfalls.
You can either approach them by walking down or taking a glass elevator, enjoying the wonderful panoramic view and getting close enough to get even wet!
So, just take the stairs from here and start walking through all the terraces where to get even closer to the water..be careful with your camera and smartphone while taking pictures..mine got almost broken!
The boat experience
Once you reach the terraces, you will immediately see the boats of various colours approaching the waterfalls adventurously.
You will only need to go a bit more down the stairs to reach the starting point of boat no. 2, the one that will take you to the other bank of the river.
Right at the starting point you’ll be able to choose your favourite one and then, go for it! It will really be amazing.
I personally chose the boat no. 3A, which made me discover a portion of the river, as far as the German border. And, of course, it took me down to the waterfalls! The ticket fee is around 10chf for all of the, except from the one which takes you only right in the middle of the falls, the “trip to the rock” which costs 20chf. (no stroller, dogs, wheelcharis, heels or open sandals are allowed)
All of them have an english/german guide on it, but if you wanna have your language guide, then choose the only one who has it.
The other side of the falls
The Schloss Laufen is not the only way to access the waterfalls, but it’s definitely the one that brings you as close as possible.
One of the other way to access the Rheinfalls is coming from the northern side of the fall, from Schloss Wörth. That’s the common way to reach them if you are a regular visitor, because you won’t be asked to pay for an entrance fee.
There’s a nice promenade along the river here, with restaurants, ice cream stands, souvenir shops and benches where to get relaxed enjoying the wonderful view.
How to get there?
The Rheinfalls can easily be reached either by train or by car. The easiest way is probably by taking a train to one of the two main stations: “Neuhausen Rheinfall” or “Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall“.
It takes around 60 minutes from Zurich.
If you travel by car, caravan, roulotte, or motorbike, you can use one of the parking near the castles – they are free of charge!
If there’s no parking space left you can park on parking lots farther away as well, from where you can take a bus to the Rhine Falls.
For any more information, visit this page.
There’s no better way to find yourself that sitting by a waterfall and listening to it’s music. – cit. Roland R Kemler (& me)
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