Rhine Falls – Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland

Since we were going to be so close to the Switzerland border I had to plan for us to go see Rhine Falls in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland ! This was our 11th country we have visited so far! It was 50 minutes from Monkey Mountain in Salem, Germany (LINK). It is also Europe’s largest plain waterfall. I have to say that since we lived in Iceland for 2 years we haven’t generally been impressed by waterfalls after seeing those, this one was worth the visit though.

When using your GPS make sure to use the no-toll road options to avoid having to get the vignette for €40. It’s good for year but expires Jan 30th 2015, and each following year.

Parking was easy to find, there are several parking lots and as soon as you get close to Rhine Falls you’ll start to see parking signs with how many spots are open in each area. We parked in P4, which was the furthest away (it was all that was open) and it was only a 3 minute walk to the falls. P4 also has a restroom in the parking lot as well. Parking was 6 for 2 hours.

The walk down to Rhine Falls was an easy 3 minute walk, walking back uphill took a few more minutes.

As soon as you get to the bottom you’ll see an information building ahead where you can get info & buy souvenirs.

You’ll also see Schloss Wörth to the right, head this way to get to the boats to buy your tickets & ride.

If you walk just past the entrance for the Schloss you’ll get some great views of the waterfalls & have some great photo opportunities. And yes you can ride the boat to the bottom of the falls and climb up The Rock! You can see the people climbing up & at the top in the photo.

We had to wait about 10 minutes in line to get our tickets for the boat, then we waited another 5 minutes to get on the boat. The boat runs every 10 minutes. It takes you over and drops you off and then you catch one back when you are ready. We were there on a Sunday and it was fairly busy, but not overly crowded. Boat ride to The Rock was CHF 5 adults, CHF 3.50 for kids ages 6-15, and they also have family passes. We paid CHF 23 for the 2 adults and 2 kids for the family pass ($24.28).
Also note the Rhine Falls area does take Euro but you will get a better exchange rate if you bring Swiss Francs (CHF), I got some from Community Bank before we left on our trip.

The boat ride is quick, maybe 2-3 minutes.

Taken from the boat as we were getting near.

The climb up The Rock is no joke. Make sure everyone in your group is able to climb up steep stairs. Be prepared that the top is about 6 feet long by 2 feet wide so only a few people can be up there at a time, which causes a line up the rock. The views of the falls and the surrounding area are amazing.

Another view of the climb. It’s a slow going process as well.

But the views from the top are worth the wait and climb!

You can also do the boat trip to the other Schloss, Schloss Laufen, and you can view the falls from the walkways over there.

So now that we’ve visited it I can say that it qualifies as a waterfall in my book and is worth a trip to see. Sure it’s not as huge as some of the ones we seen in Iceland but it is still quite impressive.

Here is a short video of the falls:

Afterwards we drove 10 minutes to eat at McDonald’s in Switzerland, for Bub’s bucket list. He’s ate at McDonald’s in 6 countries now. I will say the prices at there were higher than in Germany. It was CHF 11.20 for a Big Mac meal ($11.83). My friend was taking a photo of the menu board and he was told by the staff that he couldn’t do so, what is that all about?!

Have you been to Rhine Falls? What did you think?

Know Before You Go:

What: Rhine Falls in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Switzerland.

How To Get There: It’s about 5 hours from Spangdahlem, 4 hours from Ramstein, and 2 hours from Kelly Barracks in Stuttgart. GPS address: Rheinfallquai 32, 8212 Neuhausen am Rheinfall for the Northern Shore.

Parking: Was easy, there are several parking lots. We parked in P4, which was the furthest away (it was all that was open) and it was only a 3 minute walk to the falls. Parking was CHF 6 for 2 hours.

Cost: Boat ride to The Rock was CHF 5 adults, CHF 3.50 for kids ages 6-15, and they also have family passes. We paid CHF 23 for the 2 adults and 2 kids for the family pass ($24.28).

Dogs: Are not allowed on the boat rides.

Traveling with little kids: Strollers cannot be used on the boats, so you may want to bring a sling/carrier. Also the climb up to the top of The Rock was steep and narrow so your going to want your hands free to use the railing. My friend wore her 2 month old baby in a carrier and did fine.

How long: Plan on at least 1 hour, you could easily spend longer if you also did the boat ride to the other side and toured the Schloss.

Where to find info: Above links, AWAG book