Switzerland7-Northeastern Switzerland - John Covey - University of ...
Switzerland7-Northeastern Switzerland - John Covey - University of ...
Switzerland7-Northeastern Switzerland - John Covey - University of ...
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274<br />
NORTHEASTERN SWITZERLAND KLETTGAU<br />
SYHA hostel (%052 659 61 52; www.youth<br />
hostel.ch/dachsen; dm Sfr28.50-36).<br />
Most views <strong>of</strong> the falls are free, but to get<br />
close up to the rushing waters on the south<br />
side <strong>of</strong> the falls, you pay Sfr5 for an adult<br />
and Sfr3.50 for a child at the Schloss Laufen<br />
souvenir shop (open daily) to descend the<br />
staircase to the Känzeli viewing platform.<br />
During summer, ferries (www.maendli.ch, in<br />
German) fl it in and out <strong>of</strong> the water at the<br />
bottom <strong>of</strong> the falls. Some merely cross from<br />
Schloss Laufen to Schlössli Worth (adult/<br />
child Sfr2/1) but the round trip that stops at<br />
the tall rock in the middle <strong>of</strong> the falls (adult/<br />
child Sfr8/4), where you can climb to the top<br />
and watch the water rush all around you, is<br />
far more fun.<br />
For an above-the-treetops perspective<br />
<strong>of</strong> the falls, visit the new Adventure Park<br />
(www.ap-rheinfall.ch, in German; adult/child<br />
Sfr40/26; %10am-7pm Mon-Sun Apr Oct), one <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Switzerland</strong>’s biggest rope parks, with routes<br />
graded according to diffi culty.<br />
To get to the Rheinfall, you can catch<br />
bus 1 or 6 from Schaff hausen train station<br />
to Neuhausen Zentrum (Sfr3, 13 minutes),<br />
then follow the yellow footprints to a point<br />
where you can go right towards Schlössli<br />
Worth or left across the combined train<br />
and pedestrian bridge to Schloss Laufen.<br />
If you come by train from Schaff hausen<br />
or Winterthur to Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall<br />
(April to October only), you’ll need to<br />
climb the hill to the castle. By car, you’ll<br />
pull up in the car park behind the castle.<br />
Klettgau<br />
West <strong>of</strong> Schaff hausen spreads the red-wineproducing<br />
territory <strong>of</strong> Klettgau, which<br />
spills over into neighbouring Germany.<br />
Like sheets <strong>of</strong> corduroy, the serried ranks <strong>of</strong><br />
mostly Pinot Noir vineyards are draped over<br />
pea-green fi elds and gentle rises.<br />
Sprinkled about this soothing countryside<br />
are engaging villages. The most striking<br />
is the medieval Neunkirch, 13km from<br />
Schaff hausen. Others worth passing through<br />
include Beringen, Hallau and Osterfingen.<br />
Some <strong>of</strong> these slow-paced hamlets come<br />
to life in mid-October for wine festivals. In<br />
particular, look out for Osterfi ngen’s Trottenfest<br />
(www.trottenfest.ch, in German), when<br />
vintners throw open their doors for tastings.<br />
If you come at any other time, head for Bad<br />
Osterfingen (%052 681 21 21; Zollstrasse; mains<br />
Sfr30-45; hlunch & dinner Wed-Sun), where you’ll<br />
be regaled with hearty local cooking and the<br />
best Spätzli (egg noddles) around for miles.<br />
Buses from Schaff hausen serve these<br />
villages.<br />
Stein am Rhein<br />
POP 3200 / ELEV 407M<br />
Stein am Rhein looks as though it has leaped<br />
out <strong>of</strong> the pages <strong>of</strong> a Swiss fairy tale, with<br />
its miniature steam train, leafy river promenade<br />
and gingerbready houses. The eff ect<br />
is most overwhelming in its cobblestone<br />
Rathausplatz, where houses <strong>of</strong> all shapes<br />
and sizes, some half-timbered, others<br />
covered in frescos line up for a permanent<br />
photo op. Why isn’t this place on Unesco’s<br />
World Heritage list?<br />
1 Sights & Activities<br />
Look out for daredevil kids diving from the<br />
bridge into the Rhine as you wander along<br />
the leafy river promenade. If you’d rather<br />
paddle along it, the SYHA hostel rents<br />
out canoes and kayaks for Sfr27 and Sfr36<br />
respectively per day.<br />
Rathausplatz SQUARE<br />
Often hailed <strong>Switzerland</strong>’s most beautiful<br />
town square (no mean feat!), the elongated<br />
Rathausplatz is picture book stuff . The<br />
fresco-festooned Rathaus (town hall) soars<br />
above the 16th-century houses named according<br />
to the pictures with which they are<br />
adorned, like Sonne (Sun) and Der Weisse<br />
Adler (The White Eagle).<br />
Museum Lindwurm MUSEUM<br />
(www.museum-lindwurm.ch; Unterstadt 18; admission<br />
Sfr5; h10am-5pm Mon-Sun Mar-Oct) A<br />
four-storey house has been converted into<br />
this museum, whose living rooms, servants’<br />
quarters and kitchen replicate the conditions<br />
enjoyed in the mid-19th century by a<br />
bourgeois family.<br />
Klostermuseum St Georgen MUSEUM<br />
(adult/child Sfr5/3; h10am-5pm Tue-Sun Apr-Oct)<br />
Also worth a look is this monastery museum<br />
between the Rathaus and the Rhine. A Benedictine<br />
monastery was built here in 1007,<br />
but what you see today, including the cloister<br />
and magnifi cent Festsaal (grand dining<br />
room), is largely a late-Gothic creation.<br />
4 Sleeping<br />
Given the abundance <strong>of</strong> gorgeous houses,<br />
there’s a disappointing lack <strong>of</strong> hotels with