Steep tiled roofs of Schaffhausen's old town framed by leafy branches, with a clock tower on the right and a slim church spire on the left

Zurich, Basel & Northern Switzerland, Switzerland

Schaffhausen

The old town of Schaffhausen seen from the Emmersberg, with the tower of St. Johann and, on the left, the Minster tower. (Hauserphoton / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0)

The capital of Switzerland's northernmost canton, on the right bank of the Rhine just upstream of the Rhine Falls. It grew as a landing place where goods were unloaded to get round the falls and around a Benedictine abbey, and today its largely pedestrianised old town of painted façades and oriel windows sits below the round Munot fortress.

Neighbourhoods

  • Old Town
    • First-time visitors
    • Historic district

    The largely pedestrianised core between the station and the Rhine, with two surviving medieval gate towers, Renaissance houses decorated with frescoes and sculpture, and 171 oriel windows. The Fronwagplatz, with its two historic fountains, is its busiest square.

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  • Emmersberg and the Munot
    • Viewpoints
    • Historic district

    The hill above the old town, crowned by the round Munot fortress and its vineyards, with views over the old town rooftops.

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  • Neuhausen am Rheinfall
    • Rhine Falls
    • Close to public transport

    The neighbouring municipality downstream, a short train or bus ride away, where the Rhine drops over the falls. It has its own stations close to the viewing points and the boat landings.

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Things to do

The old town

  • Munotlandmark

    The circular fortress on the Emmersberg built between 1564 and 1589, whose design reflects the fortification ideas of Albrecht Dürer; it is the symbol of the town, surrounded by vineyards, with a colony of fallow deer in its moat since 1905.

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  • Haus zum Ritterlandmark

    A house in the old town whose façade is decorated with paintings by the Renaissance artist Tobias Stimmer.

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  • Fronwagplatzlandmark

    The square at the heart of the pedestrian zone, the busiest in the town, with two historic fountains restored and painted in the 1880s.

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  • Schaffhausen Minsterlandmark

    The Romanesque church of the former Benedictine abbey of All Saints, begun around 1090 and consecrated in the early 12th century, with its cloister and herb garden beside it.

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Museums

  • Museum zu Allerheiligenmuseum

    The museum in the buildings of the former abbey, with art, cultural history and natural history collections.

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The Rhine and the falls

  • Rhine Fallsattraction

    Europe's largest waterfall, 150 metres wide and 23 metres high, at Neuhausen; boats cross the river below it or take visitors to the large rock in the middle of the falls.

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  • Swimming in the Rhineattraction

    In summer people swim in the Rhine along the town's riverbank, and there is a public pool as well.

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  • Riverside walk to the fallstrail

    A walking path along the Rhine leads from the town all the way to the Rhine Falls.

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Short trips from the town

  • Stein am Rheinattraction

    A small medieval town upstream on the Rhine, known for its square of frescoed houses.

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Eat and drink

Long-standing places and food districts in Schaffhausen. Hours, ratings and directions come from your maps app, always current.

Food districts

  • Old town restaurantsneighborhood

    Restaurants are easy to find in the old town lanes around the Fronwagplatz and Vordergasse, and kebab stands are spread across the town.

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  • Vordergasse confectionerscafe

    The main old town street has a confectioner selling the town's own boxed chocolates.

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  • Wine from the cantonneighborhood

    Vineyards surround the Munot and cover the slopes of the canton, which is known for its white Riesling wine.

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Experience Schaffhausen

History

Schaffhausen is first mentioned in 1045 as Villa Scafhusun, the year from which it is documented as striking its own coins. Its name may come from the skiffs used to unload goods coming down the Rhine from Constance so they could be carried round the Rhine Falls, and that break in river traffic made the place a trading post. Around 1050 the counts of Nellenburg founded the Benedictine monastery of All Saints, which became the centre of the town; its Romanesque minster was begun around 1090 and consecrated in the early 12th century.

In the Middle Ages Schaffhausen was a city state, and in 1501 it became a full member of the Old Swiss Confederacy. Over the following century the town built the Munot, a round fortress on the Emmersberg completed in 1589, partly with compulsory labour, and merchants decorated their houses with frescoes, sculptures and oriel windows that still line the streets.

The town's most traumatic day came on 1 April 1944, when aircraft of the United States Army Air Forces, which had strayed from German airspace into neutral Switzerland through navigation errors, bombed Schaffhausen. Today the old town is largely pedestrianised, with two medieval gate towers and many fine Renaissance buildings preserved.

Culture & Customs

Schaffhausen is known above all for its façades. The old town has 171 oriel windows, more than any other Swiss town, along with houses painted with frescoes; the most famous, the Haus zum Ritter, is covered in Renaissance paintings by Tobias Stimmer. The Fronwagplatz, at the heart of the pedestrian zone, is the town's meeting place.

The Munot is the town's symbol. Its round walls rise above the old town, its vineyards have been cultivated since the early 20th century, and since 1905 a colony of fallow deer has lived in its moat, owned by the town since 1927. The Museum zu Allerheiligen, in the buildings of the former abbey, holds collections of art, cultural history and natural history.

The everyday language is Swiss German, and the town looks north as much as south: Germany is close by, and the agglomeration even includes the German enclave of Büsingen. The Rhine is part of daily life, used for swimming in summer and for walks along its bank to the falls.

Daily Life

About 37,000 people lived in the town in 2020, and in 2014 just over a quarter of residents were foreign nationals, many of them from Germany, Italy and the countries of former Yugoslavia. Schaffhausen is the capital of its canton and the centre of a small urban area that reaches into the Zurich Weinland, Thurgau and the German enclave of Büsingen.

Most people work in services, but industry remains important: almost 30 per cent of the working population was employed in the secondary sector. Two-thirds of workers were employed full-time and a third part-time.

Life is unhurried and centred on the old town, where the pedestrian streets and the Fronwagplatz, the busiest square, fill in the daytime. Local buses link the districts, and in December 2025 the town's last trolleybus line was replaced by battery-electric buses. In summer people swim in the Rhine and walk the riverbank, while the Rhine Falls downstream counted 1.3 million visitors in 2014.

Food

Schaffhausen's food is that of German-speaking Switzerland, with restaurants scattered through the old town lanes around the Fronwagplatz and the Vordergasse and kebab stands across the town for cheaper meals. A confectioner on the Vordergasse sells the town's own boxed chocolates, which are also sold at the railway station.

Wine is the local product to look for. Vines grow on the slopes around the Munot, where they have been cultivated since the early 20th century, and across the canton, whose valleys include the Klettgau. The canton is known for well-regarded white Riesling as well as several other grape varieties, and the wines of the canton are the natural choice with a meal in town.

Eating out tends to be relaxed. On warm evenings the tables of the old town restaurants spill onto the squares, and picnics by the Rhine, along the path that leads to the falls, are a cheap alternative to restaurant prices.

Planning tools

Budget

Schaffhausen costs somewhat less than Zurich or Basel, but prices are still high by any standard. The old town, the Munot and the walk along the Rhine are free; the Rhine Falls boat trips and museum tickets are the main extra costs.

Daily Budget Midrange
USD 280–480 (hotel, restaurant dinners, a museum and a boat trip at the Rhine Falls)
Daily Budget Shoestring
USD 110–180 (hostel or simple room, supermarket meals and takeaways, local buses and trains)

The old town, the Munot and the riverside path to the falls cost nothing; a picnic by the Rhine is the cheapest lunch.

Best Time to Visit

May to September, when the Rhine is warm enough for swimming, the boats run at the falls and the old town squares fill with tables. Winters are cold and often grey, and one of the two stations at the falls closes in winter.

Suggested Number of Days

One or two days are enough for the old town and the falls. Two or three give time for the small towns along the Rhine upstream as well.

First Visit
1–2 days
With Surroundings
2–3 days

Transportation

The old town is small and pedestrianised, and local buses run to the outer districts and to Neuhausen. S-Bahn trains reach the two stations at the Rhine Falls in a couple of stops. Until December 2025 the main bus line was run by trolleybuses; battery-electric buses have replaced them.

For the falls, Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall station (closed in winter) serves Laufen Castle on the south bank, and Neuhausen Rheinfall station serves the Neuhausen side.

Airport & Station Connections

Schaffhausen station is on the main line from Zurich, with frequent direct trains, and also has trains into Germany. Zurich Airport is the nearest major airport, reached by train.

Walkability

The old town is compact and almost entirely pedestrian, with the station on its edge. The climb to the Munot is short but steep, and a path along the Rhine leads all the way to the falls for those happy to walk.

Safety

Switzerland is very safe, with low crime. The Rhine is the main hazard: the current is strong, and the river near the falls is dangerous.

Swim in the Rhine only at the town's bathing spots and never near the falls or after drinking. Check current official travel advice before travelling.

Climate

The climate of the northern Swiss plateau, with warm summers and cold winters. The annual mean temperature is about 10°C.

Summer
warm — July averages about 19°C over day and night, with around 51 days a year reaching 25°C and 11 or 12 reaching 30°C
Winter
cold — January averages about 1°C over day and night

Local Customs

By law a service charge is included in the bill, so tips are modest and never required. Swiss German is the everyday speech, with standard German in writing. Sundays are quiet, with most shops closed.

Greet staff when entering shops and restaurants, and keep noise down in residential streets at night and on Sundays.

Common Payment Methods

The currency is the Swiss franc. Switzerland is more cash-oriented than many European countries, but credit and debit card payments are common and it is easy to go for days without needing cash. Some supermarkets, restaurants, ticket counters and railway ticket machines accept euro notes (but not coins). ATMs accept foreign cards, and money can be exchanged at train stations and most banks.