Stein am Rhein, Switzerland (Photo: Switzerland Tourism)Historians say this village on the Rhein River tops the list as Switzerland's best-preserved medieval small town. You can wander Stein am Rhein's old town maze of cobbled streets past painted facades, half-timbered houses, the city hall, and the Monastery of St. Georgen that now houses a monastery museum. In summer, pedestrian-only areas flood with visitors who linger under colorful cafe umbrellas and in little shops. Walks up the hillside above town lead to the 13th-century Hohenklingen Castle surrounded by vineyards and woods.
If You Go: Take a guided tour of old town, the monastery, or Hohenklingen Castle, where you can also dine in the knights' hall. The Museum Lindwurm gives you a sense of 19th-century bourgeois and agricultural life. About 13 miles west of town is Europe's largest waterfall: Rhine Falls.
Getting There: Stein am Rhein is 35 miles northeast of Zurich. It's a one-hour train ride on SBB Swiss Railways from Zurich Airport, with one change of trains.
