5 Best Sights in Eastern Switzerland, Switzerland

Kathedrale

Fodor's choice
The cathedral is an impressive sight. Begun in 1755 and completed in 1766, it is the antithesis of the decadent Abbey Library nearby, although the nave and rotunda are the work of the same architect, Peter Thumb. The scale is outsized and the decor light, bright, and open, despite spectacular excesses of wedding-cake trim.

Rheinfall

Fodor's choice

The Rheinfall is 492 feet wide, drops some 75 feet in a series of three dramatic leaps, and is split at the center by a bushy crag straight out of a 19th-century landscape painting. The effect—mist, roaring water, jutting rocks—is positively Wagnerian. Goethe saw in the falls the "ocean's source," although today's jaded globe-trotters have been known to find them "cute." A visitor center at the nearby Schloss Laufen includes a souvenir shop, restaurant, playground, and new bridge walkway that lets you see, hear, and get sprayed by the falls.

Free Fodor's Choice Family Waterfall
Rheinfallquai 32, Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Schaffhausen, 8212, Switzerland
www.rheinfall.ch
Sights Details
Rate Includes: SF5 to hike down the falls under Schloss Laufen; otherwise free, From Schaffhausen, the S33 or S9 train takes you to the Rheinfall in 5 mins

Altstadt

The grounds of the abbey and the cathedral border the Altstadt, which demonstrates a healthy symbiosis between scrupulously preserved Renaissance and baroque architecture and a thriving modern shopping scene. The best examples of oriel windows, half-timbering, and frescoes can be seen along Gallusstrasse, Schmiedgasse, Marktgasse, and Spisergasse, all pedestrian streets.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Drei Weieren

Atop Freudenberg Hill you'll find Drei Weieren, a relaxing park and swimming area with several refreshing ponds. Swimming is free at the largest pond and each is surrounded by grassy fields, lifeguard stations, and handsome striped changing cabins built in the 1920s. This lofty perch offers a fantastic lookout over the soaring steeples, tiled rooftops, and cow-grazed valleys below.
Pool Free Family
Bitzistr. 65, St. Gallen, Saint Gallen, 9011, Switzerland
Sights Details
Rate Includes: Swimming in the Mannenweiher is free. Admission is charged to the family pond, the Frauenweiher, Take Bus 2 or 8 to Mühlegg from the St. Gallen train station or take the Mühleggbahn

Schaukäserei

Modern cheese-making methods are demonstrated at the Schaukäserei, a combination of a factory and a museum. Cheese is made until 3. A self-guided tour (free with the Appenzell Card) reveals the history of the local cheese, and a movie about the region is a surefire way to whet your appetite. The attached restaurant is one of the best places to sample some traditional dishes made with Appenzeller cheese, including a silky cheese soup, gooey fondues and raclettes (melted cheese served with small potatoes in their skins, pickled pearl onions, and gherkins), and a savory chääsflade (cheese pie). A playground keeps children happy, too.