Zurich or Basel - where to stay

[BonBonMentor]

Cruising on Avalon Imagery on Aug. 23. Flying into Zurich two days early....question is remain in Zurich for those days or immediately proceed to Basel by train after landing in Zurich? Cannot decide which city will be best for sightseeing. Two couples traveling.

[nancyevans]

Stay in Lucerne. Swiss trains are very dependable and Lucerne is very picturesque.

 

 

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[sunsetbeachgal]

Agreed with above, take the train to Luzern and stay there. Much more picturesque than Zurich or Basel. We stayed in a lovely hotel, Hotel des Alpes, just across the river from the train station, so many restaurants, shops and sights within a walk.

 

What great little town and so beautiful!! If it is a clear day ( ours wasn't but we went anyhow!) you can take a boAt excursion on the lake and a cog railway up a nearby mountain to hike or just look at the mountain views. Trains everywhere are easy and on time!

Edited April 27, 2017 by sunsetbeachgal

[acwmom]

I agree with the previous two posters. We just returned from a Rhine cruise, and arrived 2 days early, into Zurich. The total cost, for two, to take the train to Lucerne, then on to Basel, including a trip to the airport (Uniworld was transporting us to Kemps, for embarkation) was 138 Swiss francs. We had a river-view room at the Hotel des Balances, which was an 8 minute walk from the train station.

 

Several others on our cruise, we found out once onboard, had done the same thing.

 

Robin

[ukbballfan]

Another vote for Lucerne...Swiss train system is top notch. We spent 4 days there before our Rhine cruise last July and used Lucerne as a base. Managed to go to the Matterhorn and Lauterbrunnen Vally...both of which are spectacular!

 

 

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[mj_holiday]

I am going to vote for Basel. You go right from baggage to the train station in Zurich, trains to Basel leave every hour. There are many interesting neighborhoods to see in Basel and when ready to join the river cruise you just need to have your hotel find out where to embark and call a cab for you.

[mlld3536]

Cruising on Avalon Imagery on Aug. 23. Flying into Zurich two days early....question is remain in Zurich for those days or immediately proceed to Basel by train after landing in Zurich? Cannot decide which city will be best for sightseeing. Two couples traveling.

 

Hi, BonBonMentor--

 

Sorry--can't comment on this, as I am traveling in December. We plan to stay in Basel at present, despite all these votes for Lucerne, as it seems the most convenient for jet lag recovery.

 

However, I wonder if you can do me and a few other folks a favor: We have a thread on the River Cruise Roll Calls for all 2017 Imagery II cruises, and it is taking a while to get off the ground. Could you post your plans to it? This would help keep it on the first page of the thread, which might invite still more posts--who knows, maybe someone from your cruise. Presently, there are two June travelers in addition to myself--I'm doing Christmas Markets.

 

Thanks in advance--

Mary

[mthayer295]

Another vote for Lucerne...very pretty and lots to do there.

[CutieKakes]

I am going to vote for Basel. You go right from baggage to the train station in Zurich, trains to Basel leave every hour. There are many interesting neighborhoods to see in Basel and when ready to join the river cruise you just need to have your hotel find out where to embark and call a cab for you.

 

Me too. I love Basel. There is a Hilton within walking distance of the train station (and other hotel options as well). City trams are super easy to use, lots of great areas to walk, little neighborhoods to explore, a fantastic art museum etc