We toured Schaffhausen on our first vacation in Switzerland, before we moved to Europe. It’s fine, not incredibly differentiated on my list of cities, and I wouldn’t make a huge effort to stay here. Older medieval city, well preserved. And, of course, it has the Rheinfall.

What we did miss on our first visit was the lovely riverfront district on the east side of town – the complete opposite side, not at all near the falls. Do seek out this pretty pedestrian area, lined with cafes and restaurants. There’s a very classic riverside swimming area with saunas, the Rhybadi.

We stayed (cringe) next to the train station at the **Best Western Plus Hotel Bahnhof – it was affordable, nothing exceptional. And, as memory serves, did not explore more than a few blocks away. Dinner at **Restaurant Falken – a local brewery in the old town – was good. 

A walk to the southwest along the Rhein will take you to Europe’s widest waterfall (249 meters), the *Rheinfall. Honestly, having been to this twice, I don’t think the scene – relative to the masses of crowds – is particularly worth making the trip. There’s a decent, calm view from the dining room at Schlossli Worth, though you have to have a meal to eat in the dining room (they don’t allow cocktails only).

On a bike ride, we had a nice lunch at **Restaurant Eder Büsingen – technically in Germany, along the Rhine just outside of town. Casual, with a riverside terrace, well executed Swiss-German classics.

Rheinau

Just south of Schaffhausen: ***Rheinau, with its 11th-century monastery, “one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Switzerland.” This was really excellent – stunning setting, lovely church (similar to that in St. Gallen). Worth the detour.

Stein am Rhein

Stein am Rhein features heavily in the tourist destination sites around Schaffhausen and Lake Constance. With a lovely spot on the Rhine River, under a castle-topped hill, the little Old Town (historic area about 3 blocks x 3 blocks) is famous for its well-preserved painted facades and half-timbered houses. 

It’s a good lunch stop, without a lot of ground to cover. We also didn’t mind our overnight – it’s a very different experience after 18:00, nearly empty.

There are a lot of historic sights, which we didn’t see (wrong day of the week) – the Monastery of St. Georgen, one of the best-preserved Medieval monastery complexes, the Lindwurm Museum depicting 19th century bourgeois and agricultural life, and the Hohenklingen Castle, dating to 1225 (reportedly, on top of a Roman fortress). We did drive up to the latter, which appears to only be open when the onsite restaurant is open – and no views, unfortunately, from the surrounding hills.

We stayed at **Restaurant & Hotel Rheingerbe, which was charmingly friendly. Run by a Spanish woman with an international staff, they make a point of engaging with guests, and the rooms – while not super fancy – are comfortable and well-appointed. The dinner menu is long and international. Breakfast was excellent. They also had secure parking and a setup for charging electric bikes.

Speaking of bikes – this is biking central, a great way to explore the region. We took large portions of route 2, stage 6 to the Rheinfall, route 86, stage 1, and then route 45, stage 1 to complete a nice day ride sized 60 km around the region.