Two-country tour with the SUP on the High Rhine

Here in the southwest, the Rhine is very suitable for paddling on the SUP and for tours in many sections. In the area from Lake Constance to Basel, it is not yet used for freight navigation. From Basel downstream, there are always sections where the side arms and the natural river run parallel to the canal and are largely left in their natural state.

Shortly before the start picturesque Swiss half-timbered houses at the Rhine Falls Schaffhausen car park

This SUP tour starts spectacularly directly below the Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen. You can enter the water at the Rhine Falls on the side of the canton of Schaffhausen on the right after the Rhine Falls basin and after the Schlössli Wörth restaurant, past the fish farm. Parking is available at the Rhine Falls, but the parking ticket for one day is extremely expensive (the first hour 5 CHF, each additional hour 2 CHF), so it is advisable to travel by train to the Neuhausen a. Rhf stop. You can get back by paddling to Eglisau (8h), which is the next station on this route. The station in Eglisau is elevated on the mountain and you have to carry your board up at the end of the tour. Alternatively, you can organise a shuttle with two cars.

The Schaffhausen Rhine Falls - this is where the tour starts below.

Tip: The SUP Club e.V. in Altenburg (DE) offers a shuttle for club members from Altenburg (DE) to the Rhine Falls once a week during the high season. If there is still space available, you are welcome to join. See www.inselpaddler.de/Programm when and if the shuttle takes place. Meeting point is at the car park at the Rhine near the Altenburg sewage plant.

You can enter the water at the Rhine Falls on the side of the Canton of Schaffhausen on the right after the Rhine Falls basin and after the Schlössli Wörth restaurant, past the fish farm.

Most of the time, the Rhine moves noticeably up to the weir at Rheinau, 7 km away. In the summer months, smaller tourist boats and private weidlings ply this stretch, but no large ferries. Nevertheless, as everywhere else, you should obey the boating rules. At the weir at Rheinau, you have to cross over on the right-hand side. Stairs make it easier to get in and out.

Immediately after the weir, paddle left towards the monastery island of Rheinau, which you should definitely circumnavigate for its beauty. Shortly before the monastery, you can also cross the island via a small tunnel. The Rhine is very calm here, almost like a lake. On the left, after the island and the small pointed church, there is a boat landing stage, and after a while on the right - now the German side - a small bathing place with a jetty.

Circumnavigation of the monastery island of Rheinau on the almost lake-like Rhine.

A few kilometres further on, after the bend, there is another small landing place for boats on the right, this is the home of the island paddlers and the two-hour tour ends here. We are back at the car park at the sewage treatment plant.

If you want to continue, we recommend paddling as far as Eglisau. There are two more weirs to cross before Eglisau. The scenery is simply a dream. In places it resembles a canyon. The different currents of the Rhine make the whole tour just as varied, sometimes it's fast forward, sometimes it's calm and you have to paddle well in places.

Tip: Relaxed touring even with luggage with the Lite Venture ULTRA Inflatables

A note on safety: It should be noted that there are some weirs on the High Rhine and also dangerous sections in the area of bridge piers. The current can be very strong here. So be sure to find out about the route beforehand, wear a hip leash and life jacket and get out and carry around at a generous distance from the weirs. The Rhine is off-limits at high tide.