In Neuhausen Am Rheinfall, the history of a place by the Rhine Falls meets a wide range of discoveries: from a tour through the town’s development to miniature worlds, urban golf and swimming. For your plans, it is worth asking yourself one question first: should the Rhine Falls themselves be the main focus, or would you also like to include cultural and leisure activities?

From a salt-trade route settlement to an industrial town

The historic settlement arose where the salt-trade route turned because of the topography and led down to a goods transshipment point below the Rhine Falls. From a modest clustered village, Neuhausen developed into the canton of Schaffhausen’s second-largest industrial town in the 19th and 20th centuries. The opportunity to harness the hydropower of the Rhine Falls played a part: the Swiss Industrial Company Neuhausen (SIG) established itself here in 1853, followed by the Aluminium-Industrie-Aktien-Gesellschaft Neuhausen (AIAG) in 1888. Both grew into large industrial companies.

This development gives the Explorer Trail its historical arc. It leads from a fishing and wine-growing village via an industrial site to modern Neuhausen, also making lesser-known sights accessible along the way. This lets you explore the town’s transformation as a theme for your visit, rather than seeing Neuhausen only through the lens of the Rhine Falls.

Miniature world, theatre and immersive art

Smilestones is an indoor miniature world, presented as the largest in Switzerland. Among other things, you can see the Alpstein region with the Säntis, the Bernese Oberland with the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, the Rhine Falls and the Unspunnen Schwinget wrestling festival. The miniatures thus feature different landscapes and an event; here, the Rhine Falls appear as a model, while in real life they are a destination in their own right. Smilestones also offers guided tours with a look behind the scenes. If you would like to plan such a tour, check the dates and availability in advance.

Rhyality Immersive Art Hall also offers an immersive experience at the Rhine Falls. The Central – Das Theater am Rheinfall also offers a diverse cultural programme in the region. These venues have different focuses from the historical route or the miniature world: depending on your interests, you can include culture and local history in your plans for your stay.

Urban golf and swimming

The urban golf course is the first of its kind in the region. Its route starts at the historic SIG site, passes the Rhine Falls with views of the waterfall, runs through Burgunwiese and returns to the centre of Neuhausen. This means the round connects several named locations in the town.

Rhyfallbadi Otterstall has a 50-metre swimming pool as well as one- and three-metre diving platforms. There is also a spacious non-swimmer pool, a 35-metre-long waterslide with a separate pool and a children’s paddling pool. The different pools offer a range of uses, from swimming to splashing about. If you plan to make this visit a fixed part of your itinerary, check the information that applies to your chosen date.

Planning your visit to the Rhine Falls and getting there

The Rhine Falls are accessible year-round, around the clock. The accessible “Neuhausen Rheinfall” railway station is one possible starting point for your journey to the Rhine Falls: an elevator leads down from the railway platform to the Rhine Falls basin. As operational information about maintenance may change, check whether the elevator is running before your visit. Train and bus services in and around Neuhausen often stop near popular starting points for walks along the Rhine and towards the Rhine Falls.

The Rhine Falls fireworks take place on 31 July and are a Neuhausen tradition; specific arrangements may vary. If the event is important for your stay, check the details for your chosen date. When looking for a hotel in Neuhausen Am Rheinfall, it helps to decide on the main focus of your visit first: the Rhine Falls and getting there, local history, culture or leisure activities.

Discover more destinations: Beringen, Trasadingen, Schleitheim, Schaffhausen, Hallau

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