An excellent fine-weather
excursion is to the Rhine falls
( www.rheinfall.ch ),
Europe's largest waterfalls, which
tumble 3km west of the northern
Swiss town of SCHAFFHAUSEN
. They are truly magnificent, not
so much for their height (a mere
23m) as for their impressive
breadth (150m) and the sheer drama
of the place, with spray rising in
a cloud of rainbows above the
forested banks. The turreted
castle Schloss Laufen on
the south bank completes the
spectacle. Be here on August 1,
Switzerland's national day, for a
famous fireworks display. Zurich's
9-Uhr-Tagespass (valid Mon-Fri
after 9am, Sat & Sun all day;
Sfr20; press *141 on the ticket
machines) covers all city
transport as well as the
train-ride north to Schloss Laufen
station (change at Winterthur).
Damp steps lead down from the
castle souvenir shop (Sfr1) to
platforms at the water's edge,
where the falls roar inches from
your nose. In summer, the best
views are from daredevil boats,
which scurry about in the spray
(Sfr5-7).
