It was still too early for me to check-in to the Leoneck Hotel in Zurich. I decided to visit the Rheinfalls near Schaffhausen. My neighbor on the flight from Johannesburg to Zurich had warned me it might rain since the region had been experiencing a lot of rain over the past few days. Fortunately for me, it looked like a lovely day – warm but cloudy. Perfect for sightseeing. She had also told me that the Rheinfalls would be very impressive to see because of all the rainfall of the past few weeks. I was excited to be going there!
Getting to the Rheinfalls near Schaffhausen
I took the train from Zurich to Winterthur. In Winterthur, I had to change trains in 4 minutes! From Winterthur, I went to Schloss Laufen, Rheinfall with the train. The entire journey took less than an hour.
Choices when you get to the Rheinfalls near Schaffhausen
Upon arrival, I looked around a bit. There were two ways to get to the falls. The one way was to take a lift down, and the other was to walk down following a little footpath. I thought the footpath would be more fun. I went to the ticket counter and bought my ticket.
Off I went. I saw this view of the falls from the top of the footpath.
The scenery around the falls was also nice with traditional looking mills and houses.
Along the footpath, there were several lookout points. As I walked down, the roar of the falls became louder and louder.
This lookout is right next to the falls, and it almost feels as if the water will reach you – the spray from the water falls on you! A little scary and yet exhilarating at the same time!
I eventually reached the bottom of the footpath and came to a docking area. There was a blue boat there, ready to take us across the lake.
Crossing the lake
Upon arrival on the other side of the lake, I realized that there were three different colored boats – each with a different route. The yellow boat took people to the rock in the middle of the Rheinfalls, where they then get out and climb to the top. It looked like everyone got soaked going there. Then there was the red boat which took people a little down the river and then looped in front of the falls and the rock. The blue boat I came with fetches people from the other side of the river and also sailed to the front of the rock and the falls.
I decided first to take a walk on the side of the river I was at. I walked past Schlossli Worth – it had been used for shipping and loading many many years ago – but was now a restaurant and souvenir shop.
I then reached a souvenir shop with a bright orange train-like vehicle parked right next to it. I absolutely could not resist taking the tour on this train!
Touring Schaffhausen on the train
There were few people on the train. We drove through Schaffhausen and stopped at several places to drop people off and also to take pictures and walk around for a few minutes.
We eventually stopped near the Rheinfalls. The falls were deafening at this point, but it was also nice to see it from this angle.
After this stop, we went back to the starting point of our journey. There were some lovely parks along the way.
Getting close to the Rheinfalls near Schaffhausen
I decided that I had seen enough of the Rheinfalls and bought a ticket to go back to the other side of the river with the blue boat again except this time we made a loop right in front of the falls.
Getting so close to the falls was magnificent! The falls were thunderous and powerful. It sprayed us even though we were not that close to it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
If you are staying in Zurich and looking for a day trip out of the city, visiting the Rheinfalls near Schaffhausen is the perfect trip for you!
Have you been to the Rheinfalls? Is there another waterfall you loved visiting?