Schaffhausen
Schaffhausen 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.
Understand
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 the city is 35,413, and of the eponymous canton where it is located 77,955.
Get in
By train
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 9.30; however, if you have an all-zone Zürich day/monthly/annual pass, this is reduced to CHF 3.60. Special conditions apply for visitors to the Rheinfall, see below
By car
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
You can get around by local bus, however in the old city only by foot. Buses depart 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.
See
- Old town. Walk through the old town and admire the renaissance buildings.
- 1 Munot fortress. Visit the Munot fortress and enjoy the view over the old city and the beautiful landscape.
- Rheinfall. The Rheinfall is the largest waterfall in Europe, served by two train stations: Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall and Neuhausen Bad. SLaR is more convenient, but closed during winter. From Zürich: take S-Bahn S16 towards Thayngen, get off not at Schaffhausen, but at Winterthur. Change for line S33 towards Schaffhausen, and get off at SLaR (during winter, get off at Dachsen and take bus 634 from there). From Schaffhausen, Take S-Bahn S33 two stops to SLaR, or an Erzingen bound local train one stop to Neuhausen Bad. Visitors can see the waterfalls up close from several viewing platforms (access on the Schloss Laufen side: CHF 5 or €5, adults), 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).
Museums
- 2 Museum zu Allerheiligen, Baumgartenstrasse 6, 8200 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 633 07 77, fax: +41 52 633 07 88, admin.allerheiligen@stsh.ch. Tu-Su: 11AM - 5PM. Museum telling much of the region's history. CHF 9/5.
- 3 Hallen für neue Kunst, Baumgartenstrasse 23, 8200 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 625 25 15, fax: +41 52 625 84 74, hfnk@modern-art.ch. Sa: 3-5PM, Su: 11AM-5PM. Museum exhibiting modern art CHF 14/8.
Do
- 1 Stadttheater Schaffhausen, Herrenacker 22, 8200 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 625 05 55, fax: +41 52 632 54 32, theater@stadttheater-sh.ch. Mo-Fr 4PM-6PM, Sa 9.30AM-11AM. Local playhouse with a beautiful interior decoration
- Swim. Swimming in the Rhine or at the public pool.
Buy
"Chatzezüngli", (en: kitten tongues) 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
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.
- Restaurant Kronenhof, Kirchhofplatz 7, 8201 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 635 75 75.
- Restaurant Fischerzunft, Rheinquai 8, 8200 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 632 05 05. Known all over the country for the delicious food. extremely expensive.
Drink
- Kammgarn Beiz, Baumgartenstrasse 19, 8200 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 625 24 03. Tu-Sa 11.30AM-late, Th 11.30AM-0.30AM Fr-Sa 11.30AM - 1.30AM. Club/Bar where the local youth meet.
- Haberhaus, Neustadt 51, 8200 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 625 94 29. Bar featuring a calm atmosphere, modern architecture placed inside a medieval wall.
- Orient, Stadthausgasse 13, 8200 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 633 02 02, info@orient.ch. entry 10PM. Club
Sleep
- Youthhostel, Randenstrasse 65, ☏ +41 52 625 88 00, fax: +41 52 624 59 54, schaffhausen@youthhostel.ch. multiple beds room: CHF 27.50.
- Hotel Kronenhof, Kirchhofplatz 7, 8201 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 635 75 75, fax: +41 52 635 75 65, info@kronenhof.ch. 2-bed with shower: CHF 190.
- Hotel Bahnhof, Bahnhofstrasse 46, 8200 Schaffhausen, ☏ +41 52 630 35 35, fax: +41 52 630 35 36, bahnhof@bestwestern.ch. 2-bed: CHF 240.
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