Rhine Falls

After our trip to Liechtenstein we decided to visit Rhine Fall (萊茵瀑布) on 29 May (Sat). The word Rheinfall is in German, or Chutes du Rhin in French or Cascate del Reno in Italian.

Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall

At Zurich train station, we took train to Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall station.

Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall (left photo below) is a railway station in the Swiss canton of Zürich and municipality of Laufen-Uhwiesen. The station is overlooked by Laufen Castle (right photo below), and in turn overlooks the famous Rhine Falls, from which it derives its name.

To the east of the station where the railway line tunnels under the castle (left photo below) and then crosses the Rhine above the falls on a bridge that also carries pedestrian traffic (right photo below).

Rhine Falls

The Rhine Falls is a waterfall located in northern Switzerland and the most powerful waterfall in Europe. It is 150-meters wide and 23-meters high. In winter months, the average water flow can be 250 m³/s while in summer the average water flow can be 600 m³/s.

There are two routes to visit Rhine Falls:

• Northern Banks route: view from Wörth Castle and entry fee is free.
• Southern Banks route: view from Laufen Castle and entry fee cost CHF 5.

Northern Banks Route

We took the Northern Banks route in this trip. River seems rather calm at the upstream of the fall (left photo below) but loud roar could be heard when closer to the Rheinfallfelsen, a large rock formed from the original limestone cliff (right photo below).

Water turns more rapid as it rushes down the fall (photos below).

The power of the water certainly can be felt when it hits the Rheinfallfelsen and splashes back (photos below).

Here's the video on Rhine Falls:

To experience the Rhine Falls closer, visitors can take a boat trip to the Rheinfallfelsen and climb up the rock (photos below). It takes about 25-minutes and cost CHF 10.

Rhinefall Bridge

The Rhinefall Bridge, or Rheinfallbrücke in German (photos below), is a single-track railway bridge of 177-meters long which spans over the Rhine between Laufen-Uhwiesen and Neuhausen above the Rhine Falls. It does make picturesque with the bridge as backdrop.

Laufen Castle

The Laufen Castle or Schloss Laufen in German (left photo below), is a Swiss heritage site of national significance located in the municipality of Laufen-Uhwisesen overlooking the Rhine Falls. It is now serves as a tourist attraction, and contains a restaurant and a youth hostel. From the castle, steps lead down to viewing platforms near the edge of the falls. Entrance fee to this viewing platform cost CHF 5.

Wörth Castle

The Wörth Castle or Schloss Wörth in German (right photo below) is a fortification in the municipality of Laufen-Uhwisesen overlooking the Rhine Falls, and opposite of Laufen Castle. It now houses the restaurant Schlössli Wörth that claims to be a gourmet restaurant, and also a gift shop and a fast-food joint, connected with a terrace with a brilliant view of Rheinfall. It is also the starting point of the Rheinfall tour boats.

Rhine Falls Visitor Centre

Located near to Laufen Castle, the Rhine Falls Visitor Centre includes a Ticket Counter (left photo below), a Souvenir Shop (right photo below) and even restrooms.

Bahnhof Dachsen

Dachsen (left photo below) is a railway station located on the Rheinfall line. We boarded the train (right photo below) from this Dachsen station back to Neuchâtel at about 7pm.

With this, we ended our short trip to Rhine Falls.