From Zurich
The Rhine Falls and Stein am Rhein
Twenty-three metres high, a hundred and fifty wide, an hour from Zurich.
Loop
114 km
Driving time only
1 h 54
Suggested hire
6 h
From
600 CHF
The Rhine Falls are at Neuhausen am Rheinfall, seventy kilometres from Zurich Airport. Twenty-three metres high, a hundred and fifty wide: the largest waterfall in Europe, and the nearest striking outing from Zurich.
Over six hours the full loop runs 114 kilometres, of which under two hours of driving. It is the shortest outing on our list out of Zurich, and the only one that genuinely fits a long half-day without cutting anything.
We drive and we wait. We sell neither boat tickets nor admissions, and we have no link with the operators.
The itinerary
Neuhausen am Rheinfall
Seventy kilometres from Zurich Airport, a little over an hour. The falls are 23 metres high and 150 metres wide: the largest waterfall in Europe, and you hear it before you see it.
Les deux rives
Schloss Laufen dominates the south bank, with viewing platforms running down to the water. The north bank, on the Neuhausen side, gives the other angle. You can do both: the chauffeur drives round, you do not walk it.
Les bateaux vers le rocher
Shuttle boats cross to the central rock, the one that splits the fall in two. It is the only way to be in the middle of it. Timetables depend on the season and the flow: we check before setting off.
Stein am Rhein
Half an hour upstream. The town-hall square is lined with painted façades, and the town crosses in twenty minutes. It is what turns a one-hour stop into a half-day that holds together.
Retour
A little under an hour back to Zurich. The full loop runs 114 kilometres against 150 included in the six hours: no supplement, and margin if you want to linger somewhere.
km included : 150 km
The kilometres below are measured from the airport. Starting from a hotel in town, or from another town, changes the loop and therefore the count: the quote is adjusted to your actual pickup point.
Both banks, without walking
Schloss Laufen on one side, Neuhausen on the other: the two viewpoints are not equivalent and are not five minutes apart on foot. With the car you do both and save your legs for the platforms, which run down to the water.
The flow depends on the season
The fall is at its most impressive in early summer, with the meltwater. In winter the flow drops markedly and some shuttles do not run. If your date falls then, we say so rather than letting you find out on site.
Why add Stein am Rhein
The falls alone take one to two hours. Stein am Rhein is half an hour upstream and gives the half-day its second half, without lengthening the drive unreasonably.
What is included and what is not
The rate covers the vehicle, the chauffeur and 150 kilometres across the six hours. The loop runs 114, so no supplement. Boats, paid platforms and meals are settled on site.
Frequently asked questions
From 600 CHF in an E-Class for six hours of hire, 840 CHF in an S-Class and 780 CHF in a V-Class. The 150 included kilometres cover the 114 km loop, so no supplement.
Twenty-three metres high and a hundred and fifty metres wide, at Neuhausen am Rheinfall in the canton of Schaffhausen. They are the largest waterfall in Europe.
One to two hours for both banks and the platforms. That is why we add Stein am Rhein: on their own, the falls do not fill a half-day.
Early summer, when the meltwater brings the flow to its peak. In winter the flow drops markedly and some shuttles do not run. We check before setting off.
Yes, shuttles cross to the central rock that splits the fall in two. Timetables depend on the season and the flow; tickets are bought on site and are not in our rate.
A town on the Rhine, half an hour from the falls, whose town-hall square is lined with painted façades. It crosses in about twenty minutes on foot.
Yes for this programme: under two hours of driving out of six, so more than four hours on the ground split between the two stops. If you want an unhurried lunch, take eight hours.