Zurich is a great city to establish as a base. It gives you access to a vast train network not only within Switzerland but to many connections to nearby countries as well. However, if you feel like taking a more relaxed day trip from Zurich, which can easily be done in half a day so you can come back to Zurich and spend the evening, I'd recommend Rhine Falls or Rhein Falls as it's called. It's considered to be the largest plain waterfalls in Europe and it is a splendid sight to behold. For me, it's also about the nostalgia associated with it, as I went there as a child and marveled in awe at this natural wonder. So I really wanted to take my husband there as well and to reminisce some great childhood memories.
So we woke up at a leisurely hour as we did not need to travel far on this day (Rhine Falls is only a fifty-minute train ride from Zurich). We walked to the station and headed to Neuhausen Rheinfall station. I had mapped it as per Google Maps which recommended this station. However, I came to know later there was another station Schloss Laufen Am Rheinfall close by which had the main bridge viewpoint (which is a paid entry) for Rhein Falls. Anyway, we arrived at Neuhausen Rheinfall station and I must say that the Swiss regional line trains are not as well-maintained now as they were before. I wish that they put further efforts into the same as Switzerland was always considered to be one of the cleanest countries in Europe, which used to reflect in the cleanliness trains as well. We got down at the station and we experienced light rainfall for some time, but that did not deter us as we were greeted with some fantastic views of the falls as the station was located at a height.
We then headed along a short path to reach the first viewpoint of the falls (see pic no 1 on this post). The sound of the water gushing at those enormous speeds, the huge expanse of this waterfall, it was so exciting to see it again, yet it was peaceful and calming in a way. This viewpoint and this area near to the Neuhausen station is free of charge and if you want you can just see the views from here and visit the nearby cafe for a snack or a drink and leave. I however wanted to see the falls closer from the viewpoint that I remembered visiting when I was a kid, but I was confused and couldn't understand where it went! That's when I looked around and saw a few people walking across the falls on a long bridge to the other side and I realized maybe that led the way.
So we walked across, it took us fifteen minutes approximately to cross the bridge and that's when we reached the Schloss Laufen area which had a paid entry. We paid CHF 5 each and there was a bit of a winding walk and we finally reached the suspended bridge which was right on the falls. Now this was the view of Rhine Falls that I remembered!
To see the falls from so up close was just so wonderful and we enjoyed just observing the beauty of the gushing water. On the other side, we could also see the tour boats below in the reservoir heading closer towards the falls. This bridge was so close to the waterfall, that it felt like any moment the strong force of water would wash me away! It was exhilarating just being on this bridge as the waterfalls roared by us. After we had our fill of the views we decided to head back and thankfully there was a glass lift that we could take which took us straight back up to the Schloss. I would have walked up but we had to first walk to the other side of the bridge to reach the Schloss and hence I was just tired. So if you want to get the best views of Rhine Falls I suggest paying the entry fee and also getting down at the Schloss Laufen Am Rheinfall station. I also recommend coming in the morning time as by the afternoon the rush started increasing even more. As it was afternoon time when we were leaving, many food stalls just outside the Schloss opened up. My husband and I enjoyed some freshly made warm crepes with Nutella before heading back to Zurich.
We were easily able to cover this amazing destination in half a day and reached back to Zurich in time for a late lunch at our favorite vegetarian restaurant Hiltl. So if you want to have a relaxing day trip yet experience one of the most beautiful sights in Europe, Rhine Falls is a must-visit.
Hope you enjoyed my blog post. Thank you for reading.❤️
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