Minibus Services Across Switzerland

Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls in a Minibus with Driver

Schaffhausen pairs a compact old town and the Munot fortress with the Rhine Falls, about ten minutes away. With a minibus, a small group can see both banks of the falls in a morning and still reach Stein am Rhein for lunch.

Which bank of the falls?

On the north bank at Neuhausen, the driver stops briefly at car park P1/P2 so everyone can get off, then parks on the Burgunwiese, about five minutes away, and comes back to collect you. The boat ticket office at Schlössli Wörth is on this side.

The south bank belongs to Schloss Laufen, with car parks P5 and P6 next to the visitor centre. Groups of 15 or more buy their tickets there for the Historama, the Panoramaweg and the viewing platforms. Wheelchair users should start from the north bank, because the south side has no step-free way down to the basin or the boat landings.

Sprinter 19-seat minibus, side view
Sprinter 19-seat minibus, side view

Out to the middle rock

From April to the end of October, the yellow boat takes you to the rock in the middle of the falls: about 30 minutes in all, with 20 minutes on top, where the platform is reached by more than 100 steps. Parties of 20 and over send a booking request online, and whoever leads the group checks in at the Schlössli Wörth desk 15 minutes before sailing.

At the Rhine Falls car park only vehicles over 2.90 m high count as coaches, so ask the operator how tall your minibus is. Parking there is not charged from 18:00 to 09:00.

Flying in to Schaffhausen

Favourite stops around Schaffhausen

  • Stein am Rhein (day trip) — Small old town on the Rhine, about 30 minutes by train from Schaffhausen (then about 10 minutes on foot to the old town). Scheduled boats run between Stein am Rhein and Schaffhausen. The town has a coach car park, "Busparkplatz Untertor Nord"; parking is paid 08:00 to 18:00 every day, and for coaches the town recommends paying online, where the parking period can be chosen in advance. Short-stay spaces in the old town area allow at most two hours.
  • Museum zu Allerheiligen — Klosterstrasse 16, 8200 Schaffhausen. Open Tuesday to Sunday 11:00 to 17:00, and until 20:00 on the last Thursday of each month; closed on Mondays. Reduced entry for groups of 15 or more. Coaches can set passengers down directly in front of the museum entrance on Klosterstrasse (headroom 3.80 m according to the coach map); coach parking is on Fischerhäuserstrasse. 10 minutes on foot from the boat landing; bus stops "Rhybadi/IWC" (line 5) and "Schifflände" (line 8).
  • Munot — Fortress and landmark above the old town. Open May to September 08:00 to 20:00 and October to April 09:00 to 17:00. Private guided tours (about 75 minutes) for tour groups, companies and school classes are booked through the Munotverein website; they start and end at the main entrance (the small bridge over the Hirschgraben, near the car park), and an aperitif on the battlement (Zinne) is possible for groups of up to 35 people. Bus 4 to "Künzleheim", then about 5 minutes on foot. Official coach parking: Munot sports ground, Munotstrasse.
  • Schaffhausen Altstadt (Old Town) — Compact old town between the station and the Rhine. Coaches cannot park in the old town; they set passengers down at the official 30-minute stops at Schaffhausen Bahnhof Nord (Mühlentalstrasse), Klosterstrasse in front of the Museum zu Allerheiligen, or Bachstrasse by the Mosergarten, and park at the Munot sports ground (Munotstrasse) or on Fischerhäuserstrasse (see the coach notes).
  • Rhine Falls boats and the Rheinfallfelsen (middle rock) — Boats run daily, including Sundays and holidays, from the beginning of April to the end of October, from the landings at Schlössli Wörth and Schloss Laufen. The "Felsenfahrt" (line 1, yellow) takes about 30 minutes, with a 20-minute stop on the middle rock, where more than 100 steps lead up about 30 m to the viewing platform; it is not recommended for people who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs. Groups of 20 or more get a group rate by sending a reservation request through the boat operator's online form; the booking is valid only once a confirmation has been received, and it can be cancelled free of charge in writing up to 2 days before. The tour leader must report the group at the group counter of the Ticketeria Schlössli Wörth at least 15 minutes before the booked departure. Groups starting from Schloss Laufen must be at the Schloss Laufen landing 20 minutes before departure and cross by the ferry (line 2, red). Boat tickets are not sold at the Schloss Laufen visitor centre. The boat operator asks coaches to use car park P1 on Rheinfallquai, about 3 minutes on foot from the Ticketeria.
  • Rheinfall, south bank - Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall (Dachsen, canton of Zürich) — Entry to the castle site includes the Historama, the Panoramaweg and the viewing platforms (the platforms are open around the clock); group rates from 15 people. Tickets for groups of 15 or more, and for visitors in wheelchairs or with pushchairs, are sold only at the visitor centre, which is right next to the car park and is open daily 09:00 to 18:00. Driving is not allowed on the castle site. GPS address: Areal Schloss Laufen, 8447 Dachsen; motorway A4 exit "Dachsen/Rheinfall". Cars and coaches use the official Schloss Laufen car park (P5, P6). Railway station "Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall" (S33 Winterthur-Schaffhausen), about 3 minutes on foot. There is no access to the basin or the boat landings for wheelchairs on this side.
  • Rheinfall (Rhine Falls), north bank - Neuhausen am Rheinfall and Schlössli Wörth — The Rhine Falls are open 365 days a year, around the clock, and access to the basin at the Schlössli Wörth (Rheinfallquai 32, 8212 Neuhausen am Rheinfall) is free. The boat ticket office (Ticketeria Schlössli Wörth, with a group counter) is on this side. Coaches use the official Rheinfall car park (see the coach notes): passengers get off at the short-stay stop at P1/P2 and the coach then parks on the Burgunwiese, about 5 minutes away. By rail: Neuhausen Rheinfall station (direct train from Zürich HB; a lift goes down to the basin), then about 5 to 8 minutes on foot.

Good pickup points

  • Stein am Rhein
  • Laufen-Uhwiesen / Dachsen (south bank of the Rhine Falls, canton of Zürich)
  • Neuhausen am Rheinfall (north bank of the Rhine Falls)
  • Herblingen (FCS Arena)
  • Breite / Munot area
  • Rhine riverside at the Schifflände and Rheinuferstrasse
  • Schaffhausen Bahnhof / Mühlental
  • Schaffhausen Altstadt (old town)

Old town and the Munot

In town, three stops allow 30 minutes for getting on and off: Bahnhof Nord, the front of the Museum zu Allerheiligen and the Mosergarten. Afterwards the minibus waits on Fischerhäuserstrasse or by the Munot sports ground.

Private Munot tours last about 75 minutes, and parties of 35 or fewer can finish with an aperitif up on the battlements. The Museum zu Allerheiligen is closed on Mondays.

Stein am Rhein by boat or road

Stein am Rhein is about 30 minutes by road. Scheduled boats run between the two towns, so sail one way and let the driver meet you at the other end. The town's coach park at Untertor Nord can be paid online in advance.

Lake Constance is close too: Konstanz and Mainau take about an hour each. For the Black Forest, allow about 1.25 hours to Titisee.

Questions travellers ask

Can we sail from Schaffhausen to the falls?

No boat links the two. Instead, a little tourist train leaves from the Schifflände, and town buses 1 and 6 run from the station to Neuhausen Zentrum, about ten minutes on foot from the falls.

How far is Zurich Airport?

About 37 km from the Fronwagplatz, roughly 50 minutes in light traffic, close enough for a visit to the falls on the day you land.

Can we see the Rhine Falls in winter?

Yes, the falls can be seen all year and the viewing platforms at Schloss Laufen stay open. The boats stop at the end of October, and car park P4 closes from November to March.

Other trips we arrange

Other vehicles with a driver

Plan a day at the falls

Let us know the date, how many are coming, where you start and whether you want the boat, the castle or both. Minibus and driver come from a licensed partner operator.

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