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Lonely Planet Switzerland
Lonely Planet · 2024
Current Lonely Planet covering Schaffhausen, the Lauterbrunnen valley, Meiringen and Glarus, with transport and pass details.
Switzerland · Canton of St. Gallen
Thur waterfalls
The Thur waterfalls are two cascades located on the upper part of the river Thur, approximately ten minutes walking distance from the village square of Unterwasser in the Toggenburg region of the canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Essentials guide
Facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia, compiled September 2026; season and access are our estimate, not a visit report. How we build these pages.
Thur waterfalls drops over a series of steps. It is a cascade-type fall, and the nearest base for a visit is Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann, Switzerland. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA 4.0).
As a cascade waterfall, water tumbles down a series of rock steps rather than falling free.
What you can do here
A walk-in-and-look waterfall
No commercial adventures run at Thur waterfalls itself — the experience is the approach and the view. Guided day trips from Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann are the easiest way to combine it with the area around it.
Also good forHikingPhotography
When to go
Spring snowmelt and rain make April to June the fullest months; October adds colour, and a hard winter can freeze the face.
Getting there
- Base town Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann, Switzerland
- Country Switzerland
- Region Canton of St. Gallen, Alps & Central Europe, Europe
- Access Moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail
How it compares
This waterfall
Thur waterfalls
Switzerland
Height—Width—
Most similar
Langfoss
Norway
Height612 mWidth—
Also a cascade waterfall and in Norway
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
108 m
330 m
612 m
979 m
Victoria FallsEiffel TowerLangfossAngel Falls
Khone Phapheng Falls
10,783 m
Victoria Falls
1,708 m
We don't have a reliable crest width for Thur waterfalls yet, so it is left off the width chart. Tallest · widest lists.
Watch and read
Books worth packing
Guidebook
DK Eyewitness Switzerland
DK Eyewitness · 2024
Illustrated country guide useful for combining the Rhine Falls with the Bernese Oberland on one trip.
On the map
47.2023, 9.31177
Quick answers
Where is Thur waterfalls?
Thur waterfalls is in Switzerland (Canton of St. Gallen). The nearest base is Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann, Switzerland. Its coordinates are 47.2023, 9.3118.
When is the best time to visit Thur waterfalls?
Peak flow is April to June and October. Spring snowmelt and rain make April to June the fullest months; October adds colour, and a hard winter can freeze the face.
What can you do at Thur waterfalls?
Beyond the viewpoints: hiking and photography. Access to the main viewpoint is rated moderate — a real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail.
How do you get to Thur waterfalls?
The usual base is Wildhaus-Alt St. Johann, Switzerland. A real walk — expect stairs, uneven ground or an hour on the trail from there.
Nearby
Closest to Thur waterfalls
Seerenbach Falls
Switzerland · 585 m · 13 km away
One of the highest total-drop waterfalls in Europe
Full guide Rhine Falls
Switzerland · 23 m · 70 km away
Europe's largest plain waterfall by volume
Reichenbach Falls
Switzerland · 120 m · 100 km away
The waterfall where Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes
Giessbach
Switzerland · 110 km away
Giessbach is a waterfall in Switzerland.