The Rhine flows through the entire canton of Schaffhausen - from Stein am Rhein to Schaffhausen, further towards Neuhausen, where it plunges 23 meters into the depths and finally to Rheinau, then Rüdlingen and Buchberg, where it leaves the canton of Schaffhausen again.

The Rhine has had an important role in the development of Schaffhausen since the 11th century. Goods that were transported on the Rhine from Lake Constance to Basel or vice versa had to be reloaded onto wagons because the Rhine was not continuously navigable. Salt in particular was transported.