Rhine Falls: a day trip from Zurich
The Rhine Falls are promoted as Europe’s largest waterfall: 150 m wide and 23 m high. They can be visited around the clock, 365 days a year, and direct trains from Zürich HB take about 50 minutes.
- Where
- Neuhausen am Rheinfall / Laufen-Uhwiesen
- From Zürich HB
- Direct S9 or S12, about 50 minutes
- Size
- 150 m wide, 23 m high
- Opening hours and prices
- See official website
What to see
Limestone rocks split the falls into three parts; the middle rock marks the border between the cantons of Zurich and Schaffhausen. The average flow is about 600 m³ per second in summer and about 250 m³ per second in winter – the highest ever measured was 1,250 m³/s in 1965, the lowest 95 m³/s in 1921.
Schloss Laufen, the castle on a rocky spur above the falls, was first mentioned in an official document in 858. Its "Historama" exhibition fills eleven rooms on two floors.
Tips for your visit
- Boat to the middle rock: about 20 minutes on the rock and more than 100 steps up to a 30 m viewing platform with a 360-degree view. Not recommended if you have trouble walking or climbing stairs. Boats run seasonally – check the operator for dates.
- Viewing platforms at Schloss Laufen: "Belvedere" is reached by the panoramic trail (wheelchair and stroller accessible); "Känzeli" and "Fischetz" only by steps – Fischetz through a narrow, cave-like passage. Take the panoramic glass lift back up to the visitor centre.
- Entry on the Neuhausen side (Schlössli Wörth) is free; the Schloss Laufen side needs a ticket that covers the Historama and the viewing platforms.
- Walking trails: the small Rhine Falls circular trail (3.5 km, about 1 h) and the grand circular trail (7 km, about 1 h 50 min).
- The falls are lit after dusk until 11 p.m., except on the night of the full moon and the following night. Schloss Laufen announces no illumination from 26 October to 27 November 2026 because of renovation works.
A short history
- The waterfall was formed during the last ice age, roughly 14,000–17,000 years ago.
- People have visited the falls since the Middle Ages; J. M. W. Turner painted them, and Mary Shelley visited in 1840.
- In 1951 a petition with about 150,000 signatures stopped a planned power station at the falls. A small hydro power plant (4.4 MW) still operates there.
Getting there from Zürich HB
- North bank: a direct S9 runs from Zürich HB to Neuhausen Rheinfall (50 minutes in a timetable check for October 2026), then about 8 minutes on foot.
- South bank: a direct S12 runs to Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall (about 50 minutes), or RE48 and S12 via Schaffhausen; from the station it is a four-minute walk to the visitor centre, or take the glass lift.
- From Schaffhausen: bus No. 1 to "Neuhausen Zentrum", then about 10 minutes on foot.
- By car (south side): GPS address Areal Schloss Laufen, 8447 Dachsen; from Zurich take the A4, exit "Dachsen/Rheinfall".
- Both banks are linked by boat or by a footpath on the railway bridge upstream of the falls.