We loved this beautiful bike tour along the Rhine river, on the border of Switzerland and Germany. We rented E-bikes from a shop in Germany, much cheaper than in Switzerland. Then we rode along the river to the Rhine Falls, about 2 hours.
Along the way, we had lunch at a riverside cafe and stopped occasionally for photos of the beautiful countryside. We looped back on the south side of the river, enjoying more villages and quite riverside paths.
This is a great tour for spring and early summer when the fields are bursting with flowers.
Contents
| Region: | Zürich region |
| Starting point: | Ohningen, Germany or Schaffhausen, Switzerland |
| Route: | 56 km loop • trail map |
| Time: | about 4 hours |
| Difficulty: | moderate, 390m up and down |
| Condition: | mostly paved, some dirt sections |
| Elevation: | highest elevation 450m |
| When to go: | best April to October |
| Cost: | bike rental CHF 25/day |
| Extras: | restaurants, river swimming |
| More info: | Rhein Route 2 • Stein am Rhein webcam • forecast |
Gallery
Trail map
This cycling trail is along the Rhine river, north of Zurich near Schaffhausen. It often follows Rhein Route 2: Stage 6, an official national route.
We started our ride in Ohningen Germany, since we rented E-Bikes there (much cheaper than renting in Switzerland). We followed Route 2 westwards to the Rhein Falls.
Then we looped back, partially following Route 26, then Route 82 along the south side of the river. Near Diessenhofen, we crossed a bridge back to the north side of the river and followed Route 2 back to our starting point.
See cycling route on Komoot • SchweizMobil
We spent about 5 hours on the bike ride, including breaks. You could easily shorten this by looping back earlier.
If you want to start this tour in Switzerland, you could start in Schaffhausen and join the loop in either direction.
Bike rental
We rented bikes in Ohningen at Ebike-Verleih Rückenwind. It cost CHF 25/day for an E-Bike. Small shop, very friendly. Best to reserve a bike a least one day in advance, more in summer when they can book out.
Here are a few other bike rental companies along the route:
- River Bike und Cycle Café – Rathausplatz 15 8260 Stein am Rhein
- Schaffhausen train station – Rent-a-bike.ch
Trail conditions
The trail is mostly on bike paths away from the car traffic. There are a couple short sections on busy roads where you need to be more careful.
Most of the path is paved but there are a few sections through forests on dirt service roads with some uneven terrain. We had city bike tires that were able to manage.
How to get there
By car
The bike shop we used is located at Poststraße 25, 78337 Öhningen, Germany. It’s about a 50 mins drive from Zürich. We parked for free in front of the bike shop.
By public transport
If you are coming by public transport from Zurich, it would be most convenient to take a train to Schaffhausen (40 min train ride). You can rent bikes there instead of Ohningen.
If you want to go to Ohningen, the Öhningen, Endorf/Höristrasse bus stop is right in front of the bike shop.
Photo story of trail
1. Picking up the bikes in Germany
Here’s the bike rental stop in Ohningen. It’s also a second-hand shop for all sorts of knick-knacks.
Here are the E-bikes we rented. Mine was easy to ride and had no problems getting up any of the hills. The owner also lent us a basket and saddle bag to store our things, no extra charge.
2. Starting Route 2 towards Schaffhausen
From the bike shop, we followed the first road that lead down to the river, signs pointing to Strandbad. Then we turned right when we saw signs for the bike routes. On the German side, they showed signs for Route 6. Follow the white/green sign pointing to Schaffhausen. You will join the Swiss Route 2 soon.
The path is sometimes on dirt and paved paths through farm fields.
Crossing the border from Germany into Switzerland, into canton Schaffhausen.
The bike route takes you through the adorable Stein am Rhein village. Best to walk your bike through here or ride very slowly. We were there on a Saturday morning when they had the weekly market going.
Some sections are on a dedicated bike path parallel to the main road.
Back in the farm fields, passing by these beautiful flowers blooming in April.
Some nice shady forested sections, good a hot day.
Apple trees also blossoming in mid April.
The route passes a few riverside parks, a nice place to have a picnic or take a break.
Passing through Dissenhofen – Gailingen.
Entering Schaffhausen.
We stopped at Lindli Kafi along the river for lunch.
We had these big salad bowls, healthy fuel for the rest of our ride.
3. Continue to Rhine Falls
After Schaffhausen, leave Route 2 and follow Route 86 Rheinfall-Zürcher Oberland. The route goes through the city streets of Neuhausen (keep following those Route 2 signs), leading to this viewpoint over the enormous Rhine Falls (see on map).
We parked at bikes here and walked along the stairs to take pictures.
We got back on our bikes and continued on Route 2, which passes by the crowded Rhine Falls tourist areas.
You have to walk your bike through this part.
The boardwalk across from the falls has a few cafes with tables and benches facing the view.
There’s a nice, new playground here.
And a big picnic area with a grill. On the weekends, this area is packed.
We continued our ride past the falls and crossed the bridge below.
Ride over the bridge, then turn right, following the Route 86 for a few more minutes.
4. Loop back to Schaffhausen
After climbing the hill and a short bit through a neighborhood, you’ll see this sign. Turn left following Route 26 toward Schaffhausen.
Route 26 takes you to another Rhine Falls entrance, then down to the river on the dirt path you see below.
Follow Route 26 along the river back to Schaffhausen.
5. Ride back on south side
At Schaffhausen, you can just follow Route 2 back the way you came. But we turned right at the big bridge (see on map) and followed Route 82 to Diessenhofen. It starts with a rather unpleasant bit in a bike lane on a busy road. But thankfully, that only lasts a few minutes and you head back down to the river and it gets nice again.
Passing by lots of quiet farms.
No traffic on these country roads.
Pretty things all around.
Lots of flowers in bloom and bugs hitting our faces while we rode.
6. Cross back to north side and finish ride
In Diessenhofen, we almost missed our turn. Make sure to look for signs to Galingen and leave Route 82, cross the wooden bridge (see on map), and turn right back onto Route 2.
Follow Route 2 back to your starting point. We stopped at Rheinuferpark, a river swimming area, for refreshments and toilet break. It would have been nice to swim here if the water was a bit warmer.
We passed through Stein am Rhein again on our way back.
Take some more pics of this beautiful town.
We took a break at Egg’s Teapot & Friends in the quiet part of town.
We had an affogato, a nice treat at the end of our day.
Hope you enjoy this cycling tour!
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