Saunamarathon Schaffhausen 2026
The third edition of the Swiss sauna marathon drew 2,000 participants to 25 sauna locations across the medieval old town, the Rhine riverfront, the Munot fortress, and (for the first time) the Rhine Falls. Modeled after the Estonian original but adapted for a walkable urban setting.
Next dates to be announced
Annual, February, Friday to Saturday. The details below are from the most recent edition, Feb 20–21, 2026.
- Dates
- Last held Feb 20–21, 2026
- Place
- Schaffhausen Old Town, Rhine, Munot, and Rhine FallsSchaffhausen, SwitzerlandCH
- Organizer
- Schaffhausen Old Town, Rhine, Munot, and Rhine Falls
- Type
- CompetitionIn person
- Official site
- saunamarathon.ch (opens in a new tab)
The Saunamarathon Schaffhausen launched in 2023, inspired by a delegation from the organizing committee that traveled to the European Sauna Marathon in Otepää, Estonia. By its third edition, the Swiss version had doubled the original's attendance, drawing roughly 2,000 participants.
The format is the same concept, adapted for a dense medieval city. The differences: Schaffhausen is walkable (no cars needed, free public transit included with the ticket), the time window is eight hours rather than five, and the locations extend across Schaffhausen's historic old town, the Rhine riverfront, the Munot fortress, a working steel foundry, and the Rhine Falls in Neuhausen.
The 2026 edition featured what exhibitor Thermic Vibes called the world's largest pop-up sauna tent (roughly 16 feet in diameter with four wood-burning stoves, made by Alpine Sauna), an international Banja-Team coordinated by Anton Bolilyi of the Berlin Banya Festival, and Aufguss performances by Tobias Johansson (Bastupaus founder) and Roger Huerta (2025 Swedish Saunagus Champion).
For more on how sauna marathons are spreading across Europe, see our analysis of the format.
