A beautiful Rhine hike from Rheinau to the “Rhine Falls Schaffhausen” and Schaffhausen.

Text and Pictures by Marc Gottwald

Summary of the Rhine Falls Hike

• – The “Rheinfall Schaffhausen” is Europe’s largest waterfall 
• – Picturesque scenery with the waterfall, the river, monastery, terraced vineyards and the beautiful timber-framed houses accompany you on the hike.
• – Leisurely hike, also suitable as a family hike

Duration: 3.5-4h; Condition: medium; Technique: light

Picturesque Rheinau with timber-framed houses, vineyards and its monastery

Do you love gigantic waterfalls? Then you’ll love the Schaffhausen Rheinfall anyway. Do you like old timber-framed houses and the architectural style of the Middle Ages?  Then this is the right hike for you, because it includes all these aspects!

Before you start your hike to the Rhine Falls next to Schaffhausen, it is worth taking a short walk through Rheinau. 

That’s why it’s best to get off at the bus stop „Rheinau Hallenbad“. These wonderful timber-framed houses with their different colours make Rheinau one of the most beautiful villages in Switzerland and remind me a little of Colmar in France. For hikers arriving by car, there are parking spaces at the Rheinau monastery.

At the end of the village, you can visit the former Benedictine monastery of Rheinau (Rheinau abbey) with its stunning medieval architectural style. It was founded in 778 and operated as a monastery for more than 1000 years. Today it houses a psychiatric clinic.

As it is raining cats and dogs, we start hiking directly in the direction of “Neuhausen am Rheinfall”, always with a view on the beautiful vineyards. 

Along the Rhine in direction to the “Rhine Falls Schaffhausen” – including beaver and war tracks

The first few minutes you hike on the Swiss side to the hydro power plant, where you cross the dam and then continue almost the entire hike along the German boarder. It’s nice that you always have a view of the gently drifting Rhine. 

Also interesting are the many bunkers on the Swiss side, which are built of reinforced concrete and steel armour. This is reminiscent of the time of the Second World War. It is special, however, that on the German side, where we are hiking, almost no bunkers are visible. 

And more news: The beaver is definitely back! Nibble marks on the trees clearly reveal that the beaver has already felled dozens of trees here in order to be able to dam up the water. Man, however, usually intervenes here and drags the trees down.

The “Rheinfall Schaffhausen” – Europe’s largest waterfall

After about 2.5-3h you reach the “Schaffhausen Rheinfall”, Europe’s largest waterfall. A spectacular natural spectacle! It’s incredible how much water it carries (over 600 m3 per second) and still has such a long way to go to the Dutch sea. 

The Rhine Falls are very close to the German side, but are 100 per cent on Swiss territory. If you want and need a rest, you can also take a boat trip. I love the view to “Schloss Laufen”.

If you want to come directly to the waterfall, I recommend you to travel by public transport to the station “Neuhausen am Rheinfall”. You can also arrive by car either near the German side at the large parking lot of Neuhausen or at “Schloss Laufen”, which is my personal favourite. What are the prices for the Rhine Falls Schaffhausen? The entrance to the biggest waterfall in Euripe is free, but you can take breathtaking boat tours or visit the “Schloss Laufen”, which costs extra.

Back to the hike: From the “Rhine Falls” we walk the last hour towards Schaffhausen. Schaffhausen is a medieval town that is well worth a visit. There are many great restaurants, shopping opportunities and other events.

But: Since this hiking trail is not very worth seeing, you can also board the train to get back. The train station is called “Neuhausen am Rheinfall”.

Conclusion Rhine Falls Hike

The hike from Rheinau to the “Schaffhausen Rhine Falls” is a highlight. The timber-framed houses of Rheinau, the gently flowing Rhine and the impressive waterfalls make this hike one of the “Top Hikes in Switzerland”. As the last part from the Rhine Falls to Schaffhausen does not offer many more highlights, you can take the train from “Neuhausen am Rheinfall”. The excursion can be combined with a trip to the middle age town of Stein am Rhein. It is only around 20 minutes away from Schaffhausen. As a top excursion destination from Zurich you reach the Rhine Falls in around one hour.