Rhine Falls – Europe's Biggest Waterfall

The Alps Are Not Switzerland’s only Natural Wonder

Jun 17, 2009

Switzerland's share of the mighty Rhine River may be short, but it makes up for it with the dramatic Rhine Falls (Rheinfall), an easy day trip from Zurich by car or train

Swiss scenery is far more than Alps. Between Lake Constance and Basel, the Rhine River flows peacefully through green farmland, past Medieval villages and under vine-striped hillsides topped with castles. Except for one place, just outside of the small city of Schaffhausen, where it plummets suddenly over a 500-foot-wide rock shelf, its 75-foot drop interrupted by rock crags that break it into a 100-foot-long sea of white froth.

Below the falls, before the water has a chance to regain its glassy surface again, the river makes an abrupt U-turn, doubling back on itself between steep banks. The sudden turn creates a perfect viewing point almost directly below the falls.

Best Viewpoints for the Rhine Falls

Not that this dramatic falls lacks places from which to admire it. A path follows the wooded shore along one side, with little belvederes opening among the trees above the swirling water. Above the falls, at the very point where it erupts into whirlpools and chutes, a rail bridge crosses the river with walkways along either side of the tracks. And on the steep north bank directly above the falls stands a castle – Schloss Laufen, whose terrace offers a birds’ eye view. (Note that the Schloss Laufen terrace is closed until June 2010 for repairs.)

Boat Rides into the Waterfall

And as if this weren’t enough, a boat takes visitors from the shore right to the base of a jagged rock that stands in the center of the falls, water crashing all around it and breaking like an angry sea against it. A stairway leads to the top, so passengers can stand on a pinnacle right in the middle of the river as 25,000 cubic feet of water crashes all around them.

How to Get to the Rhine Falls

Few waterfalls in the world are so accessible. Forty minutes from Zurich, Rhine Falls is a 10-minute walk from the bus or train station or a 5-minute walk from the parking areas on either side of the river. Trains from Zurich arrive in Schaffhausen hourly or oftener, and buses leave the train station for Neuhausen every 10 minutes (Bus # 1). From the Neuhausen Zentrum stop it’s a 10-minute walk downhill, following brown signs to the falls. Or take the slow, scenic route from Schaffhausen, walking the 1½ miles along the river to the falls in about 45 minutes.

See the Rhine Falls at Night

The Rhine Falls are illuminated after dark, by spotlights hidden in the trees that line its banks. The walkways along the shore are also lighted, so it is possible to view the falls from the side and directly below. From either perspective, the falls appear as a solid mass of white froth, constantly moving, with Schloss Laufen – also illuminated -- suspended far above.

Where to Stay in Schaffhausen

Hotel Promenade, at Fäsenstaubstrasse 43, sits above the river and the old city, a five-minute stroll through gardens to the old town of Schaffhausen. Its airy, bright rooms either overlook the park and church or a leafy hillside and the hotel’s quiet terrace café.

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