Rhine Falls to the Säntis
Europe’s mightiest waterfall, painted Stein am Rhein, St. Gallen’s abbey library and the green hills of Appenzell below the Alpstein.
- Distance
- 114 km (71 mi)
- Driving
- 1 h 35 min
- Suggested days
- 3
- Stops
- 8
- Countries
- Switzerland
- Updated
- July 23, 2026
At a glance: 3-day road trip of about 114 km (71 mi) with 8 stops, from Schaffhausen to Säntis from Schwägalp. About 1 h 35 min of driving in total.
Route description
Schaffhausen is a town of oriel windows below the round Munot fortress. The Rhine Falls are just downstream at Neuhausen; the best views are from the platforms at Laufen Castle on the south bank, and boats run to the rock in the middle.
Follow the Rhine upstream to Stein am Rhein, whose old town is covered with painted façades. Then continue along the shore of the Untersee and Lake Constance on road 13 before turning inland to St. Gallen.
St. Gallen’s abbey precinct, with its cathedral and the Rococo library, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From there, winding roads lead south into Appenzell, a landscape of green hills dotted with farmhouses; the village of Appenzell has painted house fronts and cheese and herbal liqueur shops.
From Wasserauen, walk up to the Seealpsee or take the cable car to the Ebenalp. Finish at the Schwägalp pass, where a cable car climbs the Säntis, the highest peak of the Alpstein. The Säntis is best on clear days in autumn; parking at Wasserauen fills early on sunny weekends.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Schaffhausen
Switzerland - 23 km
Rhine Falls
NatureNeuhausen am Rheinfall, SwitzerlandEurope’s most powerful waterfall by volume, 23 m high and 150 m wide. Platforms below Laufen Castle reach almost into the spray, and boats run out to the rock in the middle.
- 323 km
Stein am Rhein
Switzerland - 459 km
St. Gallen
Switzerland - 50 km
Abbey Library of St. Gallen
HistorySt. Gallen, SwitzerlandA Rococo library hall with inlaid wooden floors (felt slippers provided) and manuscripts more than a thousand years old, part of the UNESCO-listed abbey precinct.
- 613 km
Appenzell
Switzerland - 78 km
Seealpsee
NatureSchwende, SwitzerlandA mountain lake beneath the Alpstein cliffs, about an hour’s walk from Wasserauen, or downhill from the Ebenalp cable car past the Wildkirchli caves.
- 88 km
Säntis from Schwägalp
ViewsHundwil, SwitzerlandA cable car from the Schwägalp pass climbs to the 2,502 m Säntis summit, with views over six countries on a clear day. The pass road itself is a fine drive.
