🇨🇭 Canton guide
Schaffhausen: living, going out and working in the canton
Everything about the canton of Schaffhausen: institutions, tax for French cross-border workers (outside the 1983 agreement), the Rhine Falls, the Munot, the Osterfingen vineyards, Stein am Rhein, and an interactive map.
Photo (cropped): Hauserphoton, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- residents at the end of 2025 (Federal Statistical Office)
- 90,087
- of the population are foreign nationals (calculated, end of 2025)
- 29.4%
- in Switzerland (scales A to H): the canton is not in the 1983 agreement
- At source
- the Constitution makes taking part in votes a duty (art. 23)
- Voting duty
10 sections≈ 12 min readSources checked on November 6, 2026
The interactive map
30 places marked: landmarks, museums, transport, restaurants, nights out and events. Tap a point to learn more.
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Places on the map (30)
Base map © swisstopo · Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors. When the map appears, your browser loads the tiles from the servers of the Swiss Confederation (swisstopo), which can see your IP address.
Schaffhausen is a small canton in northern Switzerland with 90,087 residents, lying on both sides of the Rhine, with the Rhine Falls (Rheinfall) at Neuhausen, the Munot above the town of Schaffhausen, the old town of Stein am Rhein and the vineyard of Osterfingen. It has 26 municipalities. It is not one of the eight cantons of the 1983 agreement, and its tax authority is one of the few that states in black and white what applies to French cross-border workers: they are taxed at source, on the ordinary scales A to H, and not in France as in Basel or Neuchâtel.
This page gathers what you need to know to live, go out and work in the canton of Schaffhausen: language, institutions, tax, transport, food and specialities, museums, nature, traditions. The figures come from official sources listed at the bottom of the page. Venues open, close and change their hours: always check with them before you travel. The interactive map further down places twelve municipalities and about twenty sites, from Merishausen to Stein am Rhein. The cantonal tourism site (schaffhauserland.ch) refuses automated reads and was not circumvented: the page relies on each venue's own site.
1. Schaffhausen at a glance
| Marker | What to know |
|---|---|
| Population | 90,087 residents at the end of 2025 (permanent resident population) |
| Foreign nationals | 26,530 people, or 29.4% |
| Largest municipality | Schaffhausen (39,228 residents, 31.4% foreign); the Constitution we read names no capital |
| Districts (FSO) | Schaffhausen (59,757), Reiat (9,719), Stein (6,485), Unterklettgau (5,428), Oberklettgau (5,405), Schleitheim (3,293) |
| Municipalities on the map | Schaffhausen (39,228), Neuhausen am Rheinfall (12,198; 46.2% foreign), Thayngen (5,925), Beringen (5,396), Stein am Rhein (3,956), Neunkirch (2,704), Hallau (2,600), Schleitheim (1,928), Wilchingen (1,747), Ramsen (1,697; 32.7%), Löhningen (1,658), Merishausen (907) |
| Parliament | Kantonsrat of 60 members (art. 52), proportional representation (art. 25) |
| Government | Regierungsrat of 5 members (art. 60), elected by majority vote (art. 25) |
| Tax for a French cross-border worker | At source in Switzerland, scales A to H (outside the 1983 agreement) |
| Names that come up often | Schaffhausen, Munot, Rheinfall, Neuhausen, Stein am Rhein, Klettgau |
The share of foreign nationals is calculated from the Federal Statistical Office table “Permanent resident population” (2025); the figures per district and per municipality come from the same table. The Constitution is dated 17 June 2002 and has been in force since 1 January 2003; the version we read is the one with the status of 24 November 2024.
2. Language
The Constitution we read contains no article on the official language, so we do not state one. The official texts we read (Constitution, tax circular, institutions' sites) are in German, and the contract, payslip and forms generally are too; people speak the Alemannic dialect. No main-language statistics were read, so we give no percentage of French speakers. For paperwork, count on German or English; with 29.4% foreign nationals (46.2% in Neuhausen am Rheinfall) you will not be the only one not speaking the dialect, but that is not a rule.
3. How the canton is governed
| Institution | What the Constitution says |
|---|---|
| Right to vote | Adult Swiss citizens living in the canton, for cantonal and municipal matters (art. 23); the right to vote carries the duty to take part in votes and elections, with exceptions set by law |
| Elections | At the ballot box: Kantonsrat, Regierungsrat and the Schaffhausen members of the Council of States and the National Council (art. 24) |
| Kantonsrat | 60 members (art. 52) by proportional representation; seats shared among the constituencies according to population, at least one per constituency (art. 25) |
| Regierungsrat | 5 members (art. 60), elected by majority vote; each heads a department |
| Terms of office | Four years (art. 41) |
| Popular initiative | 1,000 voters: revision of the Constitution, a law, negotiating a treaty or a cantonal initiative in Bern (art. 27) |
| Mandatory vote | Constitutional amendments, popular initiatives, new one-off expenditure above CHF 3 million or annual above CHF 500,000 (art. 32) |
| Optional referendum | 1,000 voters within 90 days; 30 days for the budget when the tax rate changes (art. 33) |
| Recall | 1,000 voters can demand a full re-election of the Kantonsrat or the Regierungsrat (art. 26) |
A cross-border worker has no right to vote in the canton: they vote neither in cantonal or municipal elections nor in votes.
4. Working in Schaffhausen as a cross-border worker
| Point | What we read |
|---|---|
| 1983 agreement | The Federal Council signed it on behalf of Bern, Solothurn, Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Vaud, Valais, Neuchâtel and Jura: Schaffhausen is not one of them |
| Definition | The circular calls French cross-border workers those who work in Switzerland and regularly return to their home in France |
| Regime in Schaffhausen | In the canton this has so far triggered normal taxation on the ordinary scales A to H; Switzerland taxed the days worked in Switzerland |
| Telework (since 1 January 2026) | A new agreement applies: up to 40% telework, full taxation of French cross-border workers in Switzerland on the scales A to H |
| Employer's duty | Report each year the telework share of its French cross-border workers to the Steuerverwaltung; report a hire or change within eight days, settle within 30 days after the period (circular of December 2024); a web solution was announced for 1 April 2026 |
| Subsequent ordinary assessment (NOV) | Possible for people resident in Switzerland who are taxed at source; request by 31 March |
| Recalculation | Can be requested, whatever the residence, if the gross wage, the rate-determining income or the scale was wrongly applied; by 31 March |
| Form GRE 3 | Employer's certificate on non-return on more than 60 working days; to be submitted by 31 March |
| Cantonal minimum wage | Not read; check the collective agreement of your sector (see our guide on the CCNT) |
| Number of cross-border workers | Not read |
The details of your case (scale, deduction, 45 days, remote work, health insurance) depend on your situation: follow our guides rather than this page.
5. Getting around
| Means | What we read |
|---|---|
| Schaffhausen station | Bahnhofstrasse; the Verkehrsbetriebe Schaffhausen (vbsh) run the city buses, partly electric; 125 years of history since the tram |
| Neuhausen am Rheinfall | The Smilestones miniature world offers a RailAway deal with the train |
| Rheinfall | Small circuit of 3.5 km (about 1 h, 51 m of ascent) and large circuit of 7 km (1 h 50, 120 m of ascent) |
| Rheinfall, waterside access | Path from Schloss Laufen to the Fischetz platform; boat trips (Felsenfahrten, boats) cited by the site |
| Munot | Not accessible to wheelchairs: steep climbs, Reitschnecke cobbled at a 15% slope |
We did not read a detailed network map, timetables or fares. Check your journey on the SBB website before choosing where to live.
6. Eating and drinking
| Place | What we read |
|---|---|
| Bergtrotte Osterfingen (Trottenweg 38) | Half-timbered building of 1584, a symbol of the canton's wine-growing tradition; continuous regional cooking, lunch 12-14, dinner from 18, a “Naturpark-Wirt”; game weeks until 14 November 2026 |
| Schlössli Wörth (Rheinfallquai 30) | At the falls, gourmet menus and a terrace |
| Kammgarn Beiz | The cultural centre's restaurant, open before concerts; simple dishes at moderate prices according to the site |
| “dZinne” bar (Munot) | June to September, in fine weather, Tuesday-Sunday 2-8 pm |
| Munot-Silvester | On 31 December 2026, mulled wine and bouillon offered on the Zinne |
| Wines of the canton | The Bergtrotte's site speaks of the canton's wine-growing tradition; no list of estates, grape varieties or production figures was read |
No list of restaurants was read for this canton (the cantonal tourism site is closed to automated reads) and no culinary speciality is cited for lack of a source: better no dish than the wrong one.
7. What to see and do
Schaffhausen, the Munot and Stein am Rhein
| Place | What we read |
|---|---|
| Munot | Fortress four centuries old, saved from ruin by Johann Jakob Beck and the Munotverein (founded in 1839); Kasematte, Reitschnecke and Zinne freely accessible: May-September 8-20, October-April 9-17 |
| Munotglöggli | Bell of 1589, rung by hand every evening at 9 pm for five minutes, once the signal to close the town gates |
| Museum zu Allerheiligen (Baumgartenstrasse 6) | Former monastery: archaeology, Cranach, Hodler, Vallotton, Otto Dix, Adolf Dietrich, natural history; Tuesday-Sunday 11-17, CHF 12, free on the first Saturday of the month |
| Vebikus Kunsthalle (Baumgartenstrasse 19) | Contemporary art hall, 2026 programme; children's workshop on 7 November 2026 |
| Museum Kloster Sankt Georgen (Stein am Rhein) | Former Benedictine convent until 1525; winter break, reopening on 26 March 2027 |
| Steuerverwaltung (J. J. Wepfer-Strasse 6) | Source-tax division, 052 632 75 43 |
The Rheinfall and around
| Place | What we read |
|---|---|
| Rheinfall | 150 m wide, presented as the largest waterfall in Europe; floodlit every day from dusk until 11 pm, except on the day of the full moon and the day after |
| Smilestones (Im RhyTech 4) | Miniature world of Switzerland; November-March: closed Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday-Friday 11-17:30; CHF 22 (adult), CHF 12 (child from 6) |
| SIG Areal | Former industrial site, now an open district; Einläuten on 28 November 2026, Samichlaus on 6 December 2026 |
| Activities on the Rheinfall site | Felsenfahrten, boats, Adventure Park, Rhyality, Schloss Laufen (Zurich bank) |
8. Bars, nights out and venues
| Place | What we read |
|---|---|
| Kammgarn (Baumgartenstrasse) | Cultural centre in the former worsted-spinning mill (1865): concerts, parties, theatre, film festival; 7 November 2026: Razorlight; 13 November: Lunik; 20 November: “Hoch die Hände, Wochenende” party |
| Stadttheater (Herrenacker 22) | 2026/27 season; opera “Trennt euch” on 10 November 2026 at 7:30 pm |
| “dZinne” bar | On the Munot, June to September, in fine weather |
| Munotverein Gala | 13 March 2027, Pavillon im Park, with dancing |
No list of bars or clubs was read for this canton, and no going-out hours: we kept only the venues whose website we read. The Hallen für Neue Kunst closed in 2014 (press release of the canton and the town of 6 June 2014) and are therefore not on the map.
9. Traditions and highlights
| Event | When | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Munot-Silvester | 31 December 2026 | Quiet alternative to New Year in town: Kasematte lit by 2,027 candles |
| Munotverein Gala | 13 March 2027 | Annual ball (formerly the Frühlingsball) at the Pavillon im Park |
| Reopening of the Kloster Sankt Georgen | 26 March 2027 | Start of the season at the Stein am Rhein museum |
| Rheinfall illumination | Every evening | Until 11 pm, except full moon and the day after |
| Samichlaus at the SIG Areal | 6 December 2026 | Saint Nicholas, Schmutzli and donkey |
| Winterzauber Schloss Laufen | 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 | Winter event at Schloss Laufen, cited by the Rheinfall site (programme not read) |
Sources
- Constitution of the canton of Schaffhausen (101.000): status of 24 November 2024; art. 23 to 27, 32, 33, 40, 41, 52, 60. Text in German.
- Federal Statistical Office: permanent resident population (table px-x-0102010000_101, 2025): population, foreign nationals, districts, municipalities.
- Agreement of 11 April 1983 on the taxation of cross-border workers.
- Schaffhausen tax authority: “Quellensteuer, information and news 2026” (December 2025) and 2025 edition.
- Site guides, checked against official sources: G permit, contract and salary (CCNT).
- Munotverein; Museum zu Allerheiligen; Vebikus Kunsthalle; Museum Kloster Sankt Georgen; Stadttheater; Kammgarn.
- Rheinfall; Smilestones; SIG Areal; Bergtrotte Osterfingen; Verkehrsbetriebe Schaffhausen.
- Canton and town of Schaffhausen: press release on the closure of the Hallen für Neue Kunst (6 June 2014).
- Map coordinates: © OpenStreetMap contributors; base map © swisstopo.
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