The country of Switzerland is one of my favorite places in the world. With its high peaked mountains and lush green pastures it has an unparalleled natural beauty that is unlike any place that I have been to before, though the rocky mountains of British Columbia Canada may come close. Driving down any country road or even the highway for that matter, it's hard not to be in awe of the landscape.
Speaking of beautiful natural wonders, the country is also full of waterfalls. So many in fact that it seems that you can't drive for more than 30 minutes without passing at least one waterfall tumbling down a mountain or falling from the side of a cliff face. With so many of these amazing natural wonders scattered throughout the country, to me, Switzerland is not only the land of beauty but also the land of waterfalls.
One waterfall stands out among the rest though. It is unlike any other in the country and holds the title of Europe's largest. It has a span of 150 meters and a flow of 23 meters of water per second. It's a beast of roaring water that you can actually feel rumbling inside your gut when you get near it. It's truly remarkable to experience.
If Switzerland is the land of waterfalls then in my mind the Rhine Falls at Neuhausen is its king.
The Rhine Falls was the first stop on our trip to Switzerland this summer. We left on a Friday evening and got there early in the morning on Saturday. I basically drove through the night and slept in the car for a few hours at a rest stop to make it happen. Then I woke up at the crack of dawn to finish the journey across the border to bring us to the destination.
But enough about the drive. Let me tell you about the falls.
You can park your car in a free lot thats just a short walk from the falls and then make your way to the waters edge.
There's a really nice walking and cycling path that travels next the river and its worth taking a stroll along the edge of the water. In doing so, one of the first things that you'll notice is the water becoming increasing more turbulent as you begin to approach the Falls.
There's a bridge that spans the water just before the falls themselves. It takes you to the visitors center and a castle on the cliff and offers a good viewpoint of the river and the churning water. If you stay on the opposite side of the castle though you can continue to walk along the path, which brings you to several panoramic viewpoints located along the waters edge.
Here you will begin to feel the power of the water rumbling in our bones as is moves swiftly passed you.
The subtle rumble becomes more pronounced the closer you get to the falls until eventually you find yourself standing right next to a roaring torrent. Here you have to shout to be heard above the noise.
In the center of the river are and few large rocky islands that have been forged from the flow of the water moving around them. On the tallest is a staircase and platform and at the peak is a Swiss flag swaying proudly in the breeze.
You can take a boat tour of the falls which brings you to the island and from there you can climb the staircase to stand in the misty air to view the water from a central location. We didn't do this ourselves but it's an option for those who are so inclined.
On the opposite side of the river to where these pictures were taken you will see the old castle mentioned previously. It sits on the edge of a cliff and below it, right down by the waters edge is another platform built into the rocks. You can pay 5.00 CHF at the visitors center to gain access to platform. We didn't do this either but I assume that it's a prime location to view the falls.
Following the walking path brings you to an old pump house or mill. It has a large working water wheel attached to the side of the building which is actually really cool to see.
Beside the pump house is a much smaller waterfall that would be impressive in itself if it weren't right next to something so magnificently grand as the Rhine Falls.
Moving passed the pump house the walking path opens up to a boardwalk promenade. A little further ahead is the location where you can purchase the boat ride to the central island.
You can pause here for a few minutes to sit in some large chairs that are located next to the water. It's a nice spot to stop and take in your surroundings.
There are several park benches located along the water a little further ahead and the entire area seems like it would be a great spot to hang out and have a picnic or simply sit and watch the falls across the water.
The path continues on down the river if you want to continue your journey along the water.
Overall, I didn't really know what to expect from the Rhine Falls. Pictures online never really do a place justice and sometimes places are embellished beyond what they are truly worth. I'm sure I have done this myself in the past. As such it can be hard to determine whether or not a location is worth stopping by to see. For me, I went to the Rhine Falls with pretty low expectations and treated them as a brief stop over, as something to see on our way to our primary destination for the day. We didn't explore the town of Neuhausen so I can't say anything about it but for me the falls more than exceeded my expectations. I didn't feel that we missed out on not paying for a boat tour either or for the platform down by the waters edge, so as something that is completely free to do, I personally thought that the falls were incredible experience and well worth taking the time to see if you are in the area.
