A practical guide to Büsingen am Hochrhein: how a German village ended up surrounded by Switzerland, how daily life works across two systems, and how to visit from Schaffhausen.
Büsingen am Hochrhein is a German municipality in Baden-Württemberg that is completely surrounded by Switzerland. It covers 7.62 square kilometers, had 1,439 residents at the end of 2025 and lies about 5 kilometers from Schaffhausen. A Swiss strip about 680 meters wide at its narrowest, containing the village of Dörflingen, separates it from the rest of Germany.
For a visitor, it is a short and unusual stop rather than a destination for several days. The most interesting part is how the two systems overlap, and the practical planning is simply how to get there from Schaffhausen.
Büsingen is one of several places in our video about territories cut off from their own country. For the quick version of this page, see our Büsingen travel guide.
Under the Landgraviate of Nellenburg, Büsingen came under Habsburg control in 1465 and stayed in Further Austria until 1805. In 1693 an Austrian feudal lord, Eberhard Im Thurn, was abducted and imprisoned by Swiss authorities, and the diplomatic dispute that followed helped keep the village from Swiss control.
It passed to Württemberg in 1805 and to Baden in 1810, and became part of the German Empire in 1871. In 1918, 96 percent of voters in a referendum backed joining Switzerland, but no land transfer happened because Switzerland had nothing suitable to offer in exchange. In 1945 it was assigned to the French occupation zone, and Switzerland again declined to annex it. It became part of Baden-Württemberg in 1952 and took its present name in 1961.
A 1964 treaty, in force from 4 October 1967, formally defined the exclave. Since that date there have been no border controls between Switzerland and Büsingen. The border with Switzerland is 17.141 kilometers long and is marked by 123 stones, which makes it a good walk for anyone who likes to follow a line on the ground.
Because the village is surrounded by Switzerland, there is also a long strip of Swiss land between it and the rest of Germany, and its history is tied to that geography.
Büsingen is politically German but economically part of the Swiss customs union. It is not part of the EU customs territory. The euro is legal tender, but Swiss francs are more widely used, since many residents are cross-border commuters paid in francs. Electricity comes from Switzerland and is billed in Swiss francs.
Swiss VAT rates apply: 7.7 percent standard, 2.5 percent reduced for items such as food and books, and 3.7 percent for hotels. German VAT is 19 percent. For visitors, the practical advice is to carry a card that works in Swiss francs and euros, and to expect prices that follow the Swiss level.
Phone numbers use either the German prefix +49, the Swiss prefix +41, or both, depending on the provider. There are two postal codes, DE-78266 and CH-8238. Most mail goes through Deutsche Post, with some services from Swiss Post. Health insurance can be taken out in either country.
The car plate code is BÜS, and only around 700 are in use at any time. They are treated as Swiss vehicles for customs purposes. The local football team, FC Büsingen, is the only German team in the Swiss Football League, which is a good example of how the village sits between systems.
Living in Büsingen means living between tax systems. The municipality levies no property tax, and its business tax is the lowest in Baden-Württemberg. Residents are treated as third-country nationals for German and EU VAT, so they can reclaim VAT on EU purchases that they export to Büsingen. Younger workers reportedly pay roughly double the income tax of their peers in nearby Swiss areas, and a tax advantage on pensions is being phased out by 2040.
None of this affects a short visit, but it explains why the place is more than a curiosity. It is a working community where people commute across a border that, in daily life, hardly exists.
Büsingen is about 5 kilometers from Schaffhausen. Buses from Verkehrsbetriebe Schaffhausen connect to Büsingen, Dörflingen, Ramsen, Buch and Randegg, and a Südbadenbus route runs to Gailingen and Gottmadingen. From spring to autumn, boats on the High Rhine and the Untersee run between Schaffhausen and Kreuzlingen via Konstanz.
Timetables change, so check them for the day you travel. Because bus and boat services are mainly for locals and day trippers, plan your return before you set out.
Büsingen is known as a recreation area along the Rhine, and it is close to the Rhine Falls at Neuhausen am Rheinfall. Within the municipality there are also two abandoned villages, Eggingen and Gluringen.
This is our own suggestion, not an official itinerary.
Our video groups Büsingen with Llívia in Spain, Point Roberts in the United States, Kaliningrad in Russia and Baarle, where Belgian and Dutch patches mix. Each place is cut off in a different way, but Büsingen is one of the easiest to visit, because it is only a short trip from a Swiss city and has no border checks.
If you are interested in the topic, we also have guides to Point Roberts and Baarle-Hertog, which are good companions to this page.
The village can be visited throughout the year, but boat services run only from spring to autumn, so that is the best time if you want to combine the visit with a trip on the Rhine. Summer is best for walking along the river.
It is a German municipality in Baden-Württemberg, completely surrounded by Switzerland.
The euro is legal tender, but Swiss francs are more widely used.
In 1918, 96 percent of voters backed joining Switzerland, but no land transfer took place because Switzerland had nothing suitable to offer in exchange.
No. There have been none between Switzerland and Büsingen since the treaty came into force on 4 October 1967.
1,439 at the end of 2025.
By bus from Schaffhausen, about 5 km away. Boats run on the High Rhine from spring to autumn.
The code is BÜS, and only about 700 are in use at any time.
The Rhine Falls at Neuhausen am Rheinfall and the Rhine path are close.
Büsingen is tiny and has few places to stay, so most visitors use nearby Schaffhausen as a base and visit the village on a short trip. Compare prices and reviews, and check the cancellation terms before you reserve.
See stays in Schaffhausen on Booking.com →
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We checked this guide on November 10, 2026. Bus timetables, boat services and opening hours change, so confirm them with local sources before you go. Confirm details with official sources before you go.
Sources checked November 10, 2026: Wikipedia: Büsingen am Hochrhein · Schaffhausen tourism