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Schaffhausen [1] 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.

Rhine in Schaffhausen


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 is 35,036.

Get in[edit]

By train[edit]

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 CHF 26.60/adult or CHF 13.30/child; however, if you have an all-zone Zürich day/monthly/annual pass, this is reduced to CHF 8/adult or CHF 4/child. For visitors to the Rheinfall, which is south of Schaffhausen, an all-zone ZVV pass is sufficient, see below

By car[edit]

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[edit]

Local buses [2], by foot in the old city. Buses to all directions every 20 minutes, in busy times every 10 minutes. For CHF 5.- you can get a "Tageskarte" which allows you to use all buses for a whole day.

Panoramic view of the Rhine Fall near Schaffhausen and environment.

See[edit][add listing]

  • Walk through the old city [3] and admire the renaissance buildings.
  • Visit the Munot [4] fortress and enjoy the view over the old city and the beautiful landscape.
  • The Rheinfall is the largest waterfall in Europe, served by two train stations: Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall on the south side of the river, and Neuhausen Bad, 450 metres from the north side. Boats link the two sides. SLaR station is only open between 08:00 and 16:30 (18:30 during summer). From Zürich: take S-Bahn S7, S8, S12 or S16 to Winterthur (not Schaffhausen). Change for line S33 towards Schaffhausen, and get off at SLaR (if closed, get off at Dachsen and take bus 634 from there). From Schaffhausen: Take S-Bahn S33 two stops to SLaR (for the south side), or a local train bound for Erzingen or Neuhausen Bad one stop to Neuhausen Bad (for the north side). Visitors can see the waterfalls up close from several viewing platforms, and can also take a boat up to an outcropping in the middle of the falls. A speciality is the firework on the night of the 1st August (national holiday)

Do[edit][add listing]

  • Stadttheater Schaffhausen, Herrenacker 22, 8200 Schaffhausen, +41 52 625 05 55 (, fax: +41 52 632 54 32), [5]. Mo-Fr 4PM-6PM, Sa 09.30-11:00. Local playhouse with a beautiful interior decoration  edit
  • Museum zu Allerheiligen, Baumgartenstrasse 6, 8200 Schaffhausen, +41 52 633 07 77 (, fax: +41 52 633 07 88), [6]. Tu-Su: 11:00-17:00. Museum telling much of the region's history. CHF 9.-/5.-.  edit
  • Hallen für neue Kunst, Baumgartenstrasse 23, 8200 Schaffhausen, +41 52 625 25 15 (, fax: +41 52 625 84 74), [7]. Sa: 15:00-17:00, Su: 11:00-17:00. Museum exhibiting modern art CHF 14.-/8.-.  edit
  • Swim. Swimming in the Rhine or at the public pool.  edit

Buy[edit][add listing]

"Chatzezüngli", (en: kitten tounges) 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[edit][add listing]

Doner/Kebab stands are spread all over the city, restaurants are easy to find in the old city too.

  • Restaurant Mamma Rosa, Bachstrasse 19, 8200 Schaffhausen, +41 52 625 24 69. Excellent pizza in a familial environment for a good price.  edit
  • Restaurant Kronenhof, Kirchhofplatz 7, 8201 Schaffhausen, +41 52 635 75 75, [8].  edit
  • Restaurant Fischerzunft, Rheinquai 8, 8200 Schaffhausen, +41 52 632 05 05, [9]. Known all over the country for the delicious food. extremely expensive.  edit

Drink[edit][add listing]

  • Kammgarn Beiz, Baumgartenstrasse 19, 8200 Schaffhausen, +41 52 625 24 03, [10]. Tu-Th 11.30-23:30, F, Sa 11.30-01.30. Club/Bar where local youth meet  edit
  • Haberhaus, Neustadt 51, 8200 Schaffhausen, +41 52 625 94 29, [11]. Bar featuring a calm atmosphere, modern architecture placed inside a medieval wall.  edit
  • Orient, Stadthausgasse 13, 8200 Schaffhausen, +41 52 633 02 02 (), [12]. entry 10PM. Club  edit

Sleep[edit][add listing]

  • Hotel Kronenhof, Kirchhofplatz 7, 8201 Schaffhausen, +41 52 635 75 75 (, fax: +41 52 635 75 65), [14]. 2-bed with shower: CHF 190.-.  edit
  • Hotel Bahnhof, Bahnhofstrasse 46, 8200 Schaffhausen, +41 52 630 35 35 (, fax: +41 52 630 35 36), [15]. 2-bed: CHF 240.-.  edit

Stay safe[edit]

Schaffhausen is generally considered very safe, even for Swiss standards, and while bombings and kidnappings have waned considerably, they do remain a threat. Avoid restaurants popular with the local Swiss as much as possible; avoid police and military buildings as much as possible. They are the most popular targets for bombings, mass shootings, and kidnappings. Note that the standard policy is now to not report kidnappings of foreigners, so don't think because you haven't read about any kidnappings recently that means they are not still happening.


Both the City of Schaffhausen and the Canton of Schaffhausen, unfortunately, have a high rate of gang violence and crime. However, gangs generally confine themselves to certain areas and should be of little concern to the typical traveler, who is unlikely to venture into such areas. Gangs will usually identify their territory with graffiti markings. While most visitors to the city will not visit neighborhoods where gang violence is a concern, common-sense precautions apply should you become lost and end up in a bad neighborhood: remain on high-visibility roads or the main streets, avoid confrontations with groups of young men, and should a confrontation arise flee immediately. If a person who appears to be a gang member tells you "Du bisch au einisch en dumme globivogl," prepare to immediately flee, seek cover, or defend yourself. That phrase is a common gang challenge and frequently implies imminent attack

Get out[edit]

In the old town of Schaffhausen, there are a lot of bars and night-clubs and some of them are open till 05:00 in the morning. Some bars are open every day, and the clubs are usually open friday and saturday night.

The "Orient" Club, directly in the old town opens Thursday till Saturday and is open till 04:00, sometimes till 05:00. Near the rhine, there are the club "TapTab" and "Kammgarn" which serves differents events and music.




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