Schaffhausen

Schaffhausen is Switzerland's northernmost canton, lying almost entirely on the right bank of the Rhine and surrounded by Baden-Württemberg. A trip to Schaffhausen combines the largest waterfall in Central Europe with an old town full of painted oriel windows and vineyards in the Klettgau.

The City of Schaffhausen

The Munot, a round fortress from the 16th century, towers above the old town, and from its battlements you can look out over the rooftops and the Rhine. Every evening at nine, the Munot watchman rings the little bell – a custom that has been kept up for centuries. In the lanes you can count more than 170 oriel windows; the House of the Knight (Haus zum Ritter), with its Renaissance façade, is especially splendid. The Museum zu Allerheiligen, housed in a former Benedictine monastery, presents history, art and natural history. The city is home to the watchmaker IWC, whose museum offers a glimpse into the craft of fine watchmaking.

The Rhine Falls and the Surrounding Area

In Neuhausen am Rheinfall, the Rhine plunges 23 meters over a width of roughly 150 meters. In summer, up to 600 cubic meters of water per second flow over the falls. Boats take visitors to the rock in the middle of the falls, while viewing platforms and the adventure trail at Laufen Castle on the Zurich side bring you close to the spray. Upstream lies Stein am Rhein, with its painted town hall square and Hohenklingen Castle, one of the most beautiful old-town views in Switzerland.

Less well known but well worth a visit is the Randen, a wooded tabletop Jura region north of the city with lookout towers and orchid meadows, as well as the small town of Neunkirch with its rectangular layout. Thayngen in the Reiat is home to one of the oldest archaeological sites in Switzerland, the Kesslerloch, where Ice Age hunters once lived.

Wine, Cuisine and the Best Time to Visit

The Klettgau, with Hallau and Osterfingen, is the largest wine-growing region in German-speaking Switzerland; Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) is the main grape grown, and it is poured at harvest festivals in the fall. The perfect pairing is the Schaffhauser Bölletünne, an onion tart. Schaffhausen is about 40 minutes from Zurich by train, and boats run on the Rhine to Stein am Rhein and on to Kreuzlingen. The best time to visit is May through September, when the Rhine Falls carry the most water.