Rheinfelden

Rheinfelden was founded by the Zahringen dukes around 1130 and is one of the oldest towns in the Aargau, sitting on the Rhine with a bridge to its German namesake on the far bank. Its modern character came from an accident: drilling in 1844 in search of coal struck a deep brine deposit instead, and the town turned that into a spa industry, with saltworks and bath houses that made it one of the leading brine resorts in Europe by the late nineteenth century - the grand hotels of that period still stand. The Feldschlosschen brewery, in a castle-like building of 1876 beside the railway, is among the largest in Switzerland and runs tours.

What you actually see

• Brine found while drilling for coal - the 1844 accident that made the spa town.
• Nineteenth-century spa hotels - the buildings of the brine boom.
• A medieval Rhine town - Zahringen foundation with walls and towers.
• The Feldschlosschen brewery - the 1876 castle-like building, open for tours.

When to go

All year. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The spa is a modern commercial complex; the historic bath culture is mostly in the architecture. Brewery tours need booking. The German town across the bridge shares the name and confuses navigation. Industry is visible along the river.

Nearby

Basel is west; the Aare joins the Rhine a short way east.