Switzerland · Bernese Oberland
Reichenbachfall
Arthur Conan Doyle sent Sherlock Holmes to his apparent death over these falls in The Final Problem, and a funicular railway still carries visitors up to viewing terraces beside the thundering drop. A small memorial plaque marks the fictional site of the detective's battle with Moriarty.
Checked September 2026 by David Bussell
Reichenbach Falls drops 120 metres (394 ft) on the Rychenbach. It is a tiered-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Meiringen, with BRN the closest airport. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy.
As a tiered waterfall, a series of distinct drops, one below the other.
No commercial adventures run at Reichenbach Falls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Meiringen are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
Summer glacial melt gives the fullest, most dramatic flow through the gorge.
Entry: Funicular CHF 15 return (runs May to early October)
This waterfall
Reichenbach Falls
Switzerland
Height120 mWidth—
Most similar
Fukuroda Falls
Japan
Height120 mWidth73 m
Also a tiered waterfall and of similar height
Largest curtain
Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe · Zambia
Height108 mWidth1,708 m
Largest single sheet of falling water
Tallest on earth
Angel Falls
Venezuela
Height979 mWidth—
Widest on earth
Khone Phapheng Falls
Laos
Height21 mWidth10,783 m
Measured across the whole multi-channel system
Angel Falls is 8.2× taller than Reichenbach Falls. It is about the same height as Victoria Falls (108 m). We don't have a reliable crest width for Reichenbach Falls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
21:15
6:02
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History & travel
Arthur Conan Doyle · 2009
Contains 'The Final Problem', where Holmes and Moriarty meet at the Reichenbach Falls; this annotated edition adds context.
Walking guide
Kev Reynolds · 2015
Kev Reynolds' wider Oberland guide, taking in Lauterbrunnen and the Meiringen–Rosenlaui side where the Reichenbach Falls drop.
Walking guide
Lesley Williams & Jonathan Williams · 2023
50 day walks around Grindelwald, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen and Mürren, the valley of Staubbach and Trümmelbach falls.
Guidebook
Lonely Planet · 2024
Current Lonely Planet covering Schaffhausen, the Lauterbrunnen valley, Meiringen and Glarus, with transport and pass details.
46.7133, 8.1824
Reichenbach Falls is in Switzerland (Bernese Oberland). The nearest base is Meiringen and the closest airport is BRN. Its coordinates are 46.7133, 8.1824.
Reichenbach Falls drops 120 metres (394 feet). It is a tiered-type waterfall on the Rychenbach.
Peak flow is May to September. Summer glacial melt gives the fullest, most dramatic flow through the gorge.
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated easy — a short walk or roadside viewpoint.
The usual base is Meiringen, and the closest airport is BRN. A short walk or roadside viewpoint from there. Funicular CHF 15 return (runs May to early October).
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