Waterfalls in Switzerland

Switzerland's falls are concentrated in two very different settings: the wide, low Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen, Europe's largest plain waterfall by volume, and the string of glacier-fed falls dropping off the steep valley walls above Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland. Staubbach Falls, one of Europe's highest free-falling drops, is said to have inspired both a Goethe poem and Tolkien's valley of Rivendell. Trummelbach Falls, nearby, is the only glacier waterfall system in Europe that can be walked inside, via tunnels blasted into the rock. Reichenbach Falls, above Meiringen, is where Arthur Conan Doyle staged Sherlock Holmes's fictional death. Seerenbach Falls, in Glarus, has one of the largest total drops in Europe but is far less visited, reached by boat across the Walensee or on foot along the lake shore.

When to go

Glacier and snowmelt feed most of these falls, so flow peaks June-August; Rhine Falls, drawing on a much larger, lake-regulated catchment, stays strong for most of the year. Winter can bring ice to the Lauterbrunnen valley falls and reduced service on some cable cars.

Getting around

Switzerland's rail network reaches close to nearly every fall here: a short train from Zurich or Schaffhausen reaches Rhine Falls, and Lauterbrunnen's falls are visible directly from the valley train and cable cars up to Murren and Wengen. Seerenbach is reached by boat across the Walensee or by the lakeside path from Weesen.

Entry requirements

Switzerland is in the Schengen area though not the EU; US, Canadian and UK visitors enter visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180. The EU's ETIAS pre-travel authorisation has been repeatedly delayed and was not in operation at the time of writing (September 2026), so check before you travel.

Entry rules checked September 2026. They change without much notice — confirm with the official government source before you travel.