Rhine Falls in Switzerland

All the rhine falls in Switzerland They are the highest in the whole Central Europe, twenty-three meters high. They are also one hundred and fifty wide and are close to the city of Schaffhausen, which belongs to the canton of the same name, approximately one hour from Zurich.

It is a wonder of nature that moves an average flow of water of 700 square meters per second in summer, while in winter it drops to 250. With numerous monumental and landscape attractions, everything is prepared for you to enjoy these falls. of water in different ways. If you want to meet them, prepare your raincoat because we are going to show you everything that the Rhine Falls in Switzerland have to offer.

How were they formed?

To tell you about the formation of these falls, we have to go back about 14 years, specifically to the last it was glacier. The Rhine, which had already undergone different changes in its course, was pushed into the current one during the so-called würm glaciation. The combination of limestone and gravel soils originated the waterfall.

But modifications still occurred less time ago. You can still see today a large central rock known as rheinfallfelsen. Well, until a few thousand years ago it marked one of the ends of the course of the falls. Also, as a curiosity, we will tell you that it has suffered very little erosion because in that area the Rhine barely transports sediment. A little higher, in the lake constance, has overflowed and, from it, flows smoothly.

Also as an anecdote we will explain that there have been great painters in love with the Rhine Falls in Switzerland. For example, the British landscaper William Turner He reproduced them in several of his works.

How to get there and what visiting hours do you have?

It is very easy to get to the falls. To do it you have different means of transport. You can travel by train from Zurich to the stations neuhausen or Laufem am Rheinfall. Travel time is approximately one hour.

You can also make the journey by bus or in a rented or own vehicle. In the latter case, you have car parks in these two cities that we have just mentioned. However, they are paid.

On the other hand, it is important that you know the visiting hours of the falls. Regarding this, the first thing we should point out is that you can see them both from the north shore in laufem as from the south in neuhausen. The first is accessible twenty four hours a day. However, the second has more restricted hours.

Specifically, from the southern part, you can access the falls between 8 a.m. and 19 p.m. from June to August. But, between the months of November to March, the schedule is restricted from 8 to 17. And, finally, in October, April and May, it is from 8 to 18 hours.

However, more important than explaining all this information is telling you about everything you can do at the Rhine Falls in Switzerland. But we already anticipate that it is a wonderful visit that you will not forget.

What to do at the Rhine Falls in Switzerland?

For many years the Rhine Falls have been prepared as a tourist attraction. It is not for nothing that they receive thousands of visitors. For this reason, we can not only enjoy the landscape that they make up, but also carry out different activities, each one more fun.

First of all, we advise you to walk along its two banks. Each of them offers you a different perspective of the falls and both are wonderful. Also, in both you have impressive viewpoints. But you can also make a boat excursion. In fact, you have several options in this regard.

From the north shore there are boats that not only bring you closer to the falls, but even they stop at the central rock so that you have a different vision of this wonder of nature. For its part, from the south bank you have several lines. The yellow one also stops at the aforementioned rock, while the blue and pink ones make different routes through the complex. Finally, the red one crosses from one bank to another.

On the other hand, if you are more adventurous, you can rent a canoe to make your own route through the waters. Guided tours are also organized in this way.

On the other hand, if hiking is your thing, you have a circular route along the falls along paths with lush vegetation. The route is very affordable, as it is barely three and a half kilometers long and is well signposted. It starts on the call bellvedere platform and allows you to take wonderful pictures.

What to visit around the falls?

The visit to the beautiful Rhine Falls in Switzerland not only allows you to appreciate a wonderful spectacle of nature. It also offers you the chance to get to know some of the area's monuments that have nothing to envy in terms of beauty to the waterfall itself.

So on the south bank you have the castle of laufen, with more than a thousand years old, since the first mention made of it is from the XNUMXth century. Located on the falls themselves, it offers you a wonderful perspective of them. But, in addition, it currently has a youth hostel, a restaurant, a souvenir shop and other facilities. You even have a trail that connects it to the railway station.

Also on the opposite shore you have a castle. In this case, it is the by Worth, dating from the twelfth century. And also in this there is a restaurant with glass windows where you can eat watching the spectacle of the falls. But more architectural beauties await you in Schaffhausen.

Schaffhausen

You cannot leave the Rhine Falls in Switzerland without visiting the beautiful town of Schaffhausen, baptized as "the town of 171 viewpoints" for the impressive views it offers. But even more will call your attention historic helmet, full of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings whose facades are decorated with pictorial frescoes. Among these buildings, we advise you to see the houses of the Great Cage, the Knight and the Golden Ox. Not surprisingly, this town was of great importance in the Middle Ages, when it became a city-state and even minted money.

To the historic center also belongs the Schwabentor tower, built in the fifteenth century as part of the old wall. It was rebuilt in 1930 after suffering a terrible fire. and likewise the Overtorturm, another tower, in this case from the XNUMXth, which was also part of the city's fortification.

For its part, the frongwag square It is an authentic jewel framed by medieval and Renaissance houses with two beautiful fountains. And as beautiful as it is the square where the tellbrunen, another fountain with an octagonal pond topped by a statue of Guillermo Tell, symbol of Swiss freedom.

Already in Vordergasse you will find the church of st johann. It was built between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries following the canons of late Gothic, as shown by its spectacular sixty-eight meter high tower. The temple also stands out for its impressive acoustics. But the great symbol of Schaffhausen is the munot fortress.

Built at the beginning of the XNUMXth century after the incorporation of the city to the Swiss Confederation, this circular castle dominates it from above. As a curiosity, a watchman continues to live in its tower who, following a tradition begun in 1589, every day at nine o'clock at night Ring the bell ordering the closure of the gates of the town.

But the wonders that Schaffhausen offers you do not end in the city itself. Very close you have the Museum Zu Allerheiligen, installed in the old Benedictine monastery of the same name. In addition to seeing its cathedral and its cloister, you can visit the exhibition that offers you pieces of archaeology, architecture and paintings.

Stone at the Rhein

And we don't want to leave the Rhine Falls in Switzerland without advising you on one last visit. It is the small town of Stone at the Rhein, about twenty kilometers from Schaffhausen. It is one of those little hidden gems for mass tourism circuits that are worth a visit.

its precious old town of typical houses is so well preserved that it has received several awards. If you walk through it, you will feel the essence of the most traditional Switzerland. But, in addition, in this beautiful town you also have monuments. It is the case of medieval monastery of Saint Georg and the Lindwurm-Museum, dedicated to ethnography. But, above all, of the Hohenklingen fortress, built in the XNUMXth century.

Finally, as a curiosity, this town has the oldest place of worship in the region. It is a church dedicated to San Juan Bautista which is in the middle of tasgetium, fortification built by the Romans in the third century.

In conclusion, we have shown you everything you need to know to visit the Rhine Falls in Switzerland. But we have also proposed some places that you will be interested in knowing nearby. However, regarding these, we must advise you to also take advantage of the trip to get to know Zurich, which is, as we have already told you, just an hour away. In this one you have wonders like the Grossmunster or Romanesque cathedral that he had built Charlemagne or on baroque town hall. Don't you think we have planned an interesting trip to the always attractive Switzerland?