"Rhine Falls, near the town of Schaffhausen" Top 5 Page for this destination Schaffhausen by Wild_Orchid

Schaffhausen Travel Guide: 159 reviews and 520 photos

Rhine Falls, near the town of Schaffhausen - Schaffhausen

I first visited the Rhine Falls as part of a quasi "second-honeymoon" tour that covered a number of European countries. My husband and I joined Trafalgar Tours, a tour that begin when we arrived at Heathrow Airport in August 1997.

After overnighting at the Forum Hotel near London, we drove through the Kent countryside to the white cliffs of Dover and took a ferry across to Calais in France. From there, we drove to Belgium and onwards to Holland.

Day 2:
After a morning tour of Amsterdam, and Cologne to see the awesome gothic Cathedral, we drove via Bonn to the Rhine Valley for a Cruise of River Rhine.

Day 3:
First stop: Heidelberg Castle, and the University City of "student prince" fame. Next stop, the Black Forest and Lake Titisee and after a short break to pick up some souveniors, here we are at the Rhine Falls at Schaffhausen on the Swiss Border. I recall crossing the border was pretty easy and was amazed at the lack of formalities.

The water at the Rhine Falls is clear and clean, a striking emerald green colour that sparkles brightly in the morning sun. To complete the magnificent spectacle, in the picture, you can also see the turreted Castle Schloss Laufen on a cliff directly above the falls to the south.

On August 1 – the Swiss National Day – there is a huge fireworks display mounted on the riverside, making the view of the Rhine Falls even more remarkable.

Fast forward to 2002 and there I was at the same waterfalls again. As you can see, this time, despite having just flown in that morning (having landed at Zurich airport this time) I am more relaxed, and was sitting waiting for a cup of coffee. Unfortunately as it was still pretty early, nothing was open at that time of the morning and the coffee that we had later was entirely self-service from a vending machine.

Pros and Cons

In a nutshell:The Largest Falls in Europe!

Intro Updated Apr 30, 2005
Add to Trip Planner (?)
Report Abuse

Reviews (7)

Another view of the Falls - Schaffhausen

Another view of the Falls Things to Do (7)

Although we were told to get back on the coach, I couldn't resist another chance to get one last picture with the... more travel advice

Take a boat out to the Falls - Schaffhausen

Take a boat out to the Falls Things to Do (7)

Apart from walking around, tourists to the Rhine Falls can also choose to take a boat ride to the rock to get a closer... more travel advice

Take a break: have a coffee Things to Do (7)

After checking out the awesome sight of the Rhine Falls, it was time to take a break and rest my tired feet. Looked... more travel advice

The largest Waterfall in Europe Things to Do (7)

Compared with the picture taken in 1997 as seen above, this picture taken in 2002 in almost exactly the same spot shows... more travel advice

Comments (25)

Reply
- Report abuse
abvideo Dec 4, 2009 at 5:19 AM

great page, I had been there in my childhood !
Reply
- Report abuse
robertgaz Mar 12, 2008 at 9:48 PM

I trust it's not too icy in Suisse for a tropical flower :~)
Reply
- Report abuse
victorwkf Feb 4, 2008 at 5:55 AM

The Rhine Falls are simply awesome! Wish a happy chinese new year!
Reply
- Report abuse
janetanne Jun 28, 2007 at 11:47 PM

I too, dream of cooler places. Athens has been 45C+ for over a week and now the forests are all burning! A Sad situation to see the trees being destroyed.
Reply
- Report abuse
Tijavi Apr 27, 2007 at 3:51 AM

Keeping in touch with old VT friends...dreaming of colder climes now as weather gets hotter in the desert...and your "cool" Swiss page seemed the perfect spot.
Reply
- Report abuse
loisl Apr 2, 2007 at 11:48 PM

Hi WildGirl, yes, thanks, I'm doing fine, preparing my Japan trip upcoming in 2 weeks, Cheers, Peter
Reply
- Report abuse
Vulindlela Mar 26, 2007 at 8:14 PM

Wow, that looks pretty! Thank you for sharing.
Reply
- Report abuse
littlesam1 Nov 28, 2006 at 6:30 PM

I love Switzerland. Your pics are wonderful.
Reply
- Report abuse
Confucius Jun 13, 2006 at 5:31 PM

Poor Switzerland. Yesterday Roger Federer lost in Paris and tomorrow their soccer team will play a scoreless tie against France. I see you said Americans are the best befrienders. We were certainly very friendly with those Czechs today, weren't we?
Reply
- Report abuse
Lady_Mystique Mar 29, 2006 at 4:38 PM

Those falls are awesome!!! Would love to go there!!!