August 21, 2016 (Neuhausen am Rheinfall)
I thought it would be fun for Grant and I to visit Rheinfall on the first weekend after we arrived in Zurich. I felt compelled to visit this waterfall as it was a place I had been to on my last visit to Switzerland 12 years before. So for me, it was like coming full circle. And I wanted Grant to experience the beauty of the falls.
To get here, Grant and I took a train to the main station (Hauptbahnhof) and then bought our tickets to Dachsen, where we transferred to a regional train to Neuhausen.
Rheinfall is a waterfall in Northern Switzerland near the border of Germany and was formed in the last ice age between 14,000 and 17,000 years ago. Rheinfall is considered to be the largest plain waterfall in Europe and is located on the High Rhine area between the towns of Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Laufen-Uhwiesen. The waterfall measures 450 ft (150 m) wide and 75 ft (23 m) tall. According to Wikipedia, fish such as salmon, cannot climb up the falls for the exception of river eels which are able to inch their way up the rocks.
But all this technical information is not why Grant and I decided to visit on this beautiful, sunny afternoon. The ride out there took about an hour and a half but we were craving to be in nature. The walk from the train station was pretty simple as it drops you off right at the falls, you just have to take the walkway leading down the cliff to the river. If you solely want to view the waterfall you can, but there are boats operating with four options (or combination thereof):
1) A ferry across the river to the other side, where there are souvenir shops, and a restaurant to get food and drinks. And then brings you back again.
2) A ferry to take you to the “island” in the middle of the waterfall. This is a rock outcropping that peaks out of the waterfall rapids.
3) A 30-minute tour that takes you right up to the waterfall and circles back; you are sure to get wet if you get a brave boat driver who takes you right into the spray of the falls.
4) an hour and a half tour of the falls and Rhine river.
We opted for options 1 through 3.
We took the ferry to the other side to catch the waterfall tour. These boat rides are pretty smooth, and for someone who gets motion sickness easily, I felt comfortable the entire time.
Afterwards, we took our ferry to the center rock outcropping. This was super crowded and took us about 30 minutes to climb the stairs to the very top; not due to the height but the crowds had created a line on the one-person wide staircase leading to the platform. The views were totally worth the wait. You are right in the middle of the raging waterfall with panoramic views of the river and the old structures that mark the landscape. It felt thrilling and frightening to see the torrents of water rushing below you on all sides. And it’s pretty amazing that this rock can withstand the force of the waterfall, it felt empowering to be among such a great force of nature.
Laufen Castle is visible in this picture. The first reference to this castle dates back to the year 858 and was the home of the Barons of Laufen.
Next we caught our ferry back to the cafe and got some wine and water canned from the waterfall.
We took the last ferry back to the bank we started from. This was a little deceptive because we had just missed the last train home from this stop. Grant and I were a little panicky because we didn’t have cell phones with us to call an über or taxi. Luckily, a tourist ticket stand was open at the top of the cliff and they informed us we could take a bus to the train station we had transferred at earlier.
What a relief!
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