Schaffhausen is a city in north-eastern Switzerland on the river Rhine, next to the German border. Its prime tourist attraction are the Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfalls.
Understand
Schaffhausen is a city-canton which entered the Swiss Confederation in 1501. It is Switzerland's northernmost canton and is mostly agricultural land.
In 1944 Schaffhausen was bombed by the United States Air Force, killing 40 people — it was later determined that the daylight raid was an accident, due to a navigational error.
The current population of Schaffhausen the city is 35,413, and of the eponymous canton where it is located 77,955.
Get in
By train
From Zürich Hbf an hourly S-Bahn suburban train, line S16, runs towards Thayngen, stopping at Winterthur among others and taking 57 minutes to Schaffhausen. A single ticket costs Fr. 9.30; however, if you have an all-zone Zürich day/monthly/annual pass, this is reduced to Fr. 3.60. Look up time tables or other train routes on the Swiss Federal Railways website.
Special conditions apply for visitors to the Rheinfall, see below
By car
From Zurich: Take the A4/E41 direction north. It will lead you right into the city. Note that you need a vignette for all Swiss motorways.
Get around
You can get around by local bus, however in the old city only by foot. Buses depart every 20 minutes, in busy times every 10 minutes. For Fr. 5 you can get a "Tageskarte" which allows you to use all buses for a whole day.
See
- Old town. Walk through the old town and admire the renaissance buildings.
- Munot fortress, 47.696944°, 8.639722°. Visit the Munot fortress and enjoy the view over the old city and the beautiful landscape. free
- Rheinfall, 47.6785°, 8.6160°. The Rheinfall is the largest waterfall in Europe, served by two train stations: Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall (closed in winter) and Neuhausen Rheinfall (you can also use the Neuhausen Bad Bhf station, but it will require a short walk along the Rhine). The former station is more convenient for the main tourist route and all the observation platforms - it starts at the Laufen castle (Fr. 5 or €5, adults). The latter is better if you plan to take a tourist boat, and for a nice view over the castle and the waterfall together. There exist several boat routes - just to cross the Rhine near the waterfall (the cheapest option), to get very close to the waterfall and back, or to go to an outcropping in the middle of the falls (the most expensive option). A speciality is the firework on the night of the 1st August (national holiday).
Get in: From Zürich: take S-Bahn S16 towards Thayngen, get off not at Schaffhausen, but at Winterthur. Change for line S33 towards Schaffhausen, and get off at SLaR (during winter, get off at Dachsen and take bus 634 from there). From Schaffhausen, Take S-Bahn S33 two stops to 'Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall", or S-Bahn S22 two stops to 'Neuhausen Rheinfall' (3,20 CHF) (or an Erzingen bound local train one stop to Neuhausen Bad Bhf - and by foot from there).
If you're fond of long walking, you can also make the full way from Schaffhausen to the Rheinfall by foot - there exists a nice walking road along the Rhine.
Museums
- Museum zu Allerheiligen, Baumgartenstrasse 6, 47.694833°, 8.635889°, +41 52 633 07 77, admin.allerheiligen@stsh.ch. Tu-Su: 11:00–17:00. Museum telling much of the region's history. Fr. 9/5
- Hallen für neue Kunst, Baumgartenstrasse 23, 47.695°, 8.636°, +41 52 625 25 15, hfnk@modern-art.ch. Sa: 15:00–17:00, Su: 11:00–17:00. Museum exhibiting modern art. Fr. 14/8
Do
- Stadttheater Schaffhausen, Herrenacker 22, 47.6959°, 8.6332°, +41 52 625 05 55, theater@stadttheater-sh.ch. M-F 16:00–18:00, Sa 09:30–11:00. Local playhouse with a beautiful interior decoration.
- Swim. Swimming in the Rhine or at the public pool.
Buy
"Chatzezüngli", (en: kitten tongues) are a speciality of Schaffhausen. You can get a box of this chocolate either in the confectionery at the Vordergasse or at their shop inside the train station.
Eat
Doner/Kebab stands are spread all over the city, restaurants are easy to find in the old city too.
- Restaurant Mamma Rosa, Bachstrasse 19, +41 52 625 24 69. Excellent pizza in a familial environment for a good price.
- Restaurant Kronenhof, Kirchhofplatz 7, 47.69712°, 8.63618°, +41 52 635 75 75.
Drink
- Kammgarn Beiz, Baumgartenstrasse 19, +41 52 625 24 03. Tu-Sa 11:30–late, Th 11:30–00:30 F-Sa 11:30–01:30. Club/Bar where the local youth meet.
- Haberhaus, Neustadt 51, +41 52 625 94 29. Bar featuring a calm atmosphere, modern architecture placed inside a medieval wall.
- Orient, Stadthausgasse 13, +41 52 633 02 02, info@orient.ch. entry 22:00. Club
Sleep
- Youthhostel, Randenstrasse 65, 47.70190°, 8.62255°, +41 52 625 88 00, schaffhausen@youthhostel.ch. multiple beds room: Fr. 30.50 2017-01-31
- Hotel Kronenhof, Kirchhofplatz 7, +41 52 635 75 75, info@kronenhof.ch. 2-bed with shower: Fr. 190
- Hotel Bahnhof, Bahnhofstrasse 46, +41 52 630 35 35, bahnhof@bestwestern.ch. 2-bed: Fr. 240