In my mission to visit every single country (and territory) in the world, my adventures sometimes see me traveling to some rather unique destinations that are often unlikely to be on most people's radars.
So when I proposed we head out to Switzerland, near the border of southwestern Germany, to visit Büsingen am Hochrhein, one of two German autonomous regions (the other being Helgoland), he had never heard of the place!
One of my favourite parts of my goal to see all the world's countries is exactly this: going to weird and wonderful destinations and experiencing things that other people may never even dream of. Büsingen am Hochrhein was actually included in a 2019 BBC article as part of a series on "Places That Don't Belong" - which sounds like my kind of place!
→ Check out the reel I made about Büsingen am Hochrhein!
We really enjoyed our day trip and would happily come back to spend more time here, slowing down, going for walks along the river and exploring. Here is my guide to Büsingen am Hochrhein:
Before we get into the travel guide, it's worth explaining a little bit about what exactly Büsingen am Hochrhein is.
Büsingen am Hochrhein is technically German but is surrounded entirely by Switzerland. It is therefore both an exclave of Germany (specifically of the state of Baden-Württemberg) and an enclave of Switzerland (specifically the cantons of Schaffhausen, Zurich and Thurgau). At its closest, Büsingen am Hochrhein is just 680m away from the German border!
While Büsingen am Hochrhein is technically part of Germany, its unique exclave status means it operates rather differently in some key areas. Particularly economically, wherein it participates in the Swiss customs union (alongside Liechtenstein), therefore there has been no border control between it and Switzerland since October 1967. It also is not part of the EU, even though it is part of Germany, and most people use Swiss francs to pay, although euros are also accepted.
Interestingly enough, Büsingen am Hochrhein was an exclave of Germany long before modern Germany and Switzerland even existed, already existing in this way throughout history.
In the Middle Ages, Büsingen am Hochrhein was part of the Landgraviate of Nellenburg, sitting under Austrian Habsburg power from 1465, altogether making up a part of Further Austria, a collection of distant Hapsburg lands not connected to the main empire. In 1693, the Confederate Swiss abducted then-feudal lord Eberhard Im Thurn, an incident which did not go down well for Büsingen am Hochrhein. Later, in 1805, during the Napoleonic Wars, Büsingen am Hochrhein became part of the German Kingdom of Württemberg; five years later, in 1810, it became part of the Grand Duchy of Baden; in 1871 this Grand Duchy (including Büsingen am Hochrhein) became an official part of the German Empire.
A referendum held after the First World War in 1918 showed that 96% of Büsingen am Hochrhein wanted to become an official part of Switzerland; unfortunately no trade was ever satisfactory enough for Germany.
There was a moment after the Second World War in 1945 where Büsingen am Hochrhein was temporarily assigned to the French zone although the Swiss swiftly denied this saying that no sovereign German government existed post-war with whom to negotiate. Switzerland, while neutral in the war, disagree with two key elements of post-war settlements: (a) the permanent removal of Germany's easternmost territories and (b) the expulsion of ethnic Germans from those regions; allowing Büsingen am Hochrhein to become French would have been seen as hypocritical for the Swiss government.
To avoid Büsingen am Hochrhein becoming a German haven for Nazi war criminals, a limited number of French soldiers were permitted to enter Büsingen am Hochrhein to maintain law and order. Büsingen am Hochrhein officially joined the new state of Baden-Württemberg in 1952 under the new Federal Republic of West Germany.
I looked up some fun facts about Büsingen am Hochrhein and here are my favourites:
- Electricity in Büsingen am Hochrhein is provided by Switzerland (there is no other option) but the wall sockets are German.
- Residents of Büsingen am Hochrhein can take out German or Swiss healthcare coverage.
- Both German and Swiss police have a presence in Büsingen am Hochrhein; there can be three German police officers per 100 inhabitants and a total of ten Swiss police officers at any one time.
- Büsingen am Hochrhein has postal codes from both countries: D-78266 for Germany and CH-8238 for Switzerland. Deutsche Post services Büsingen am Hochrhein but a number of other German delivery services cannot deliver to Büsingen am Hochrhein as they are not allowed to cross the Swiss customs area even if it is solely for the purpose of reaching the German exclave.
- Büsingen am Hochrhein also has phone prefixes from both countries: +49 for Germany and +41 for Switzerland.
- Büsingen am Hochrhein has a football team, FC Büsingen, which is the only German team to play in the Swiss Football League.
- Because of complicated taxation issues between the two countries, Büsingen am Hochrhein residents often pay nearly double their German or Swiss counterparts.
- Büsingen am Hochrhein has the highest average age of residents in the whole state; likely due to the high cost of living and taxation.
- Büsingen am Hochrhein has the rarest license plate in Germany with only about 700 in use. The BÜS license plate is German but, for customs purposes, treated as if they were Swiss.
By flight: Büsingen am Hochrhein is too small to have its own airport. The closest airport is in Zurich, Switzerland, just under an hour away by car.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Zurich.
You can also travel by public transport to Büsingen am Hochrhein. From Zurich Airport, take the S24 tram to Schaffhausen for just over 45 minutes, then transfer onto bus 25 which takes just ten minutes across the border in Büsingen am Hochrhein.
By car: The best way to reach Büsingen am Hochrhein is of course with your own wheels as it is a bit of an obscure destination. There are no border controls between Switzerland and Germany under the 2008 Schengen Agreement.
By bus: You can take bus 25 from Schaffhausen for ten minutes across the border into Büsingen am Hochrhein. Schaffhausen is the closest Swiss city to the exclave and is easily accessible by train from within Switzerland and Germany.
Büsingen am Hochrhein, outlined in red, a German exclave in Switzerland
The easiest way to explore Büsingen am Hochrhein is with your own wheels. It's not a long exclave, being 17km in circumference and just 4km wide, but your own car means you can visit different spots as and when you please.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one at Zurich Airport.
According to Rome2Rio, there are three different buses operating to and within Büsingen am Hochrhein but you'll have to do your own research here to be sure:
- Verkehrzbetriebe Schaffhausen: runs bus 25 from Schaffhausen (Swiss)
- PostAuto Schweiz AG: runs a bus from Gailingen am Hochrhein (German) and a ferry to Schaffhausen (Swiss)
- Landkreis Konstanz: runs a bus from Gottmadingen and Rielasingen-Worblingen (German)
We didn't stay in Büsingen am Hochrhein this time - but plan to next time we visit, at least for a night!
As it's small, there are only a few options, but they do really look lovely. We drove past the Hotel Alte Rheinmühle which also has a popular restaurant in it.
→ Check out the accommodation options in Büsingen am Hochrhein.
For this visit we just got a taste of Büsingen am Hochrhein, visiting some of its highlights, but we enjoyed the vibe so much we plan to come back!
Here is what we saw in this funky German exclave that claims their "spirit and heart are Swiss":
Check out the Exclave Trail
The Exclave Trail is a 7km easy hiking trail looping through most of Büsingen am Hochrhein featuring 11 yellow signs that share interesting tidbits of information about the exclave. We came across a few different ones in town; it's a great way to cover all of Büsingen am Hochrhein and learn about it as you go.
One of the Exclave Trail signs at the church
Visit the Bergkirche St. Michael
The Bergkirche St. Michael was first mentioned by Pope Urban II in a protection letter in 1095 when the church was the place for baptisms across Büsingen am Hochrhein and Schaffhausen in Switzerland. On the grounds are the main church as well as a small outer building and a graveyard.
The graveyard
Hang out on the riverside at the Strandbad Büsingen
This beautiful river is a delightful spot for a picnic, a river swim and for a bite to eat from the Lido. It's especially beautiful at sunset.
Spot the Junkerhaus
The half-timbered beautiful house was built in the 1500s and served as the residence for local bailiffs.
Walk along the Rhine River at Zol Beach
One edge of Büsingen am Hochrhein runs all the way along the Rhine River; a particularly pretty spot is right near the western border at Zol Beach where you can look across the river to Switzerland.
We visited Büsingen am Hochrhein as part of a weekend trip exploring four countries. Here is where else we went nearby, all of which would be perfect to include in your trip:
Vaduz, Liechtenstein
I first visited Liechtenstein in early spring last year visiting both the capital of Vaduz and the delightful mountain town of Malbun. On the way to Büsingen am Hochrhein, we drove through the second-richest country in the world (only after Monaco), stretching just 25km long with fewer than 40,000 inhabitants, in order to visit my favourite viewpoint at Schloss Vaduz, the seat of the Prince of Liechtenstein.
Bodensee, Germany
Known as Lake Constance in English, Bodensee sits across three countries: Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Often nicknamed "Germany's Riviera", it is the third largest lake in Europe and home to a wonderful climate, beautiful wineries and a bike path that encircles the lake through all three countries.
Rhine Falls, Switzerland
The Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen are considered Europe's largest waterfall by volume, chundering 600 cubic metres of water per second over the Rhine River. These are incredibly powerful falls and not to be missed! Stretching 150 metres wide and about 23 metres tall, you can spot them from a number of different view points.
→ Check out all my complete guide to visiting the Rhine Falls!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
