After floating the Limmat river in Zürich a few times, we branched out to the nearby Reuss river and found we like it even more. We floated from Bremgarten to Melligen, about a 2hr ride. The Reuss is still a pretty easy river for floating, but it has more small rapids and requires a little more active paddling, which we enjoyed. Here are all the logistics for floating this section of the Reuss.
See also: Equipment you need for a river float
| Location: | Bremgarten, Canton Aargau |
| Start: | Boat launch: Reussgasse 23, 5620 Bremgarten Parking: Wohlerstrasse 1, 5620 Bremgarten Bus stop: Bremgarten, Obertorplatz |
| End: | Boat exit & parking: Tägerigerweg, 5507 Mellingen Bus stop: Mellingen, Lindenplatz |
| Route: | 14.3 km one way, about 2.5-3 hrs (plus travel time to/from, total about 3-4 hours) |
| Skill: | easy |
| Open: | best June through September |
| Cost: | float is free, minimal costs for public transport and/or parking |
Reuss River – Route Overview
The float goes 14.3 km from Bremgarten north to Mellingen as shown on the map below. You can see another helpful map of this route at Kayakfun.com. They also rent equipment.
The official boat launch in Bremgarten is on the west edge of the old town next to the Hexenturm. You can drop your equipment with a car and park nearby. Or you can get here by public transport, the Bremgarten Obertor bus and train station are a short walk from the boat launch.
Unlike the Limmat float, there are no dams or other obstacles that require you to leave the river. There are a few trees, rocks and bridge pylons to avoid and small rapids to navigate, but generally an easy float. At the exit point in Mellingen, you can catch the bus back to your starting point in Bremgarten.
You can optionally keep floating after Mellingen, another 2-3 hours to Gebenstorf. We haven’t done that section yet, but you can information on this section at Kayakfun.com.
Where to launch the boat & park
The official launch point in Bremgarten is near the Hexturm at Reussgasse 23, 5620 Bremgarten. You can drive to the end of Augrabenstrasse and unload your equipment. This is a pic of the launch point.
Then you can park your car at one of the parking spots noted on the map below.
I would recommend parking at Wohlerstrasse 1, 5620 Bremgarten on the south side of the wooden bridge because you can park there longer, max 12 hrs, CHF1/hr until 19:00.
Unfortunately, the parking closest to the launch point is max 3 hrs, which is probably not enough time. I would give yourself minimum 4 hours considering your return by public transport. However it is only metered until 19:00. So if you are floating in the evening it will be fine.
Exit point at Mellingen
This exit point is a little tricky! Unlike the Limmat exit point which has a long slow approach, the exit point in Mellingen has fast water and you can’t see it from a distance. You come around a corner then suddenly you see the bridge and you need to exit before the bridge at the dirt patch shown below. Make sure you are watching your map and know well ahead of time when the exit point is coming up.
When we were there, the water was moving fast and we had to paddle hard to get the boats out. We had older kids in rings and they had hang off the side of the rings and kick themselves to the side.
If you have kids riding separately in rings or boats, make sure you are close together before the exit point and/or put the kids back in the main boat. Get your boats to the left side of the river before you get to the exit point.
If you miss the exit point, you can pull out immediately after the bridge at the Kayakfun.com exit point (there’s a flag next to the stairs). This is for Kayakfun customers, but we pulled out there once and it was ok.
Next to the exit point, there is a grassy lawn where you can pack up your boats. This is adjacent to the parking.
There is also a playground for kids while they wait for the car shuttle.
Returning by bus
After the float, you can return to the launch point by bus. From the exit point in Mellingen, it’s a 5 min 350m walk to the Mellingen, Lindenplatz bus stop as shown below.
Catch bus 332 from Mellingen, Lindenplatz to Bremgarten, Obertorplatz. On weekends, it runs once an hour on the :32, a 25 min ride. It runs every 30 mins on weekdays during the day. But check the schedule before you head out.
From Bremgarten, Obertorplatz, it’s a short walk to any of the parking areas near the launch point. The map below shows the 450m walk from the bus stop to the long term parking on the south side of the wooden bridge.
Optional car shuttle
If you have multiple cars, you can run a car shuttle, which is helpful on weekends and evenings when the bus only runs once an hour. When we did this, both cars dropped off the boats and people at the launch point.
Then the drivers went to the exit point at Tägerigerweg, 5507 Mellingen (about 15 min drive) and parked Car A at the exit point (CHF 3 for 4.5hrs). Then Car B returned with both drivers to the launch point and parked.
At the end of the float, we packed up Car A with their boats and passengers, plus the driver of Car B. They dropped the Car B driver back at the launch point. Car B returned to the exit point to pick up the Car B passengers boat.
Yes, it’s a little complicated, but it has it’s advantages. You can leave all the towels and dry clothes in Car A at the exit point, so you don’t have to pack everything in the dry bags. Plus you don’t have to carry the heavy boat and other equipment on the bus.
I hope you like it!
Want to float the Zürich Limmat river?
