We will end a tour in Basel, Switzerland, after spending 2 nights there. Previously I had posted a question wondering whether Basel deserved additional nights, but the response I received was "lukewarm" to Basel. I was hoping to find a city where we could relax for several days to sort of unwind before heading home. As another post worded it, "slow travel." My airport requirements: Flight departs at a decent hour in the morning.. and decent airfare price.
I have poured over the map of Europe, focusing mainly on Switzerland and Germany trying to decide on a city from which to fly back home.
Easy possibility: Zurich. Prices for hotels on weekdays are very high, but from reading the forum, not sure Zurich would warrant spending 2-3 days/nights sightseeing. We will have already spent 4 nights in Luzern.
I like Germany. Cities under consideration are Munich and Heidelberg (fly home from Frankfurt). However, not sure if there is an easy train route from Basel to Munich. I know how RS feels about Heidelberg, so will need to buy a different guide book, but German tourists love that city. Or is there another city in Germany you would recommend spending several nights before flying home?
Posted by
Corvallis OR
7170 posts
If Zurich has what you want for flight home I would stay there or somewhere near there. If you don't think Zurich deserves 2-3 nights, why not stay in Bern or Lucerne those last days. Both of them have direct trains to Zurich airport in a little over an hour so if your flight is 11:00 or later you could easily get to the airport in time. Both Bern and Lucerne (especially Lucerne) are worth 2-3 nights.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8339 posts
KLM Basil to Amsterdam and then Delta to Portland or SeaTac. They code share and can do the flight on one ticket. Amsterdam's a great airport too.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14837 posts
My thought was the same as David’s. Head back through Amsterdam to the non-stop to Seattle. You could spend a few days there although I don’t find Amsterdam “restful”!! Haarlem is not too far from the airport so that could be a possibility for a couple of days and is much less frantic than Amsterdam.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17564 posts
In similar circumstances we spent 2 nights in Colmar (lovely town), then one night in Frankfurt (nice walking along the river) before flying home to Seattle on a direct flight with Condor. They also fly to Portland and they price their flights one-way. We chose business class for $1100 each. The flight departed at a nice decent hour, allowing us ample time in the morning to have breakfast and pack carefully with our rushing around, before heading to the airport.
This was the only time in years that we did not fly British Airways in business class with our miles, and it was just fine.
Posted by
Alsenborn, Germany
1557 posts
If you're going to fly from Zurich you could always spend a few nights a few miles away in Konstanz. A couple days on Bodensee always worked for me. Then it would be easy to get back to Zurich, and you could even catch a short flight from there to Amsterdam.
As for Heidelberg, I like it. It has a great astronomy center, and the old town and hospital are quite scenic. Plus it's a short train ride to Worms. And it would easy to fly from Frankfurt from there. But Frankfurt and Mainz are also underrated cities for sightseeing.
I really can't recommend time in the Netherlands at this time of year. I always found it too cold and windy.
Posted by
OP
Southern Oregon
685 posts
Thanks for the varied suggestions. I sense a lack of enthusiasm for Germany for a flight home.
And, in case you were wondering, our trip is for September 2020, so we still have time to decide.
KGC: I'm not familiar with Konstanz and Bodensee, so will have to look into that location.
Lola: Colmar has been mentioned previously; will consider it. Is it a "walkable" town? And, is there a direct train to Frankfurt?
Pam: Not feeling particularly enthused for Amsterdam at this time. But Haarlem...hmm. Is it worth staying there and touring the
Corrie Ten Boom's house?
David: Is there really a flight from Basel to Amsterdam? I'm not sure I want Basel to be the last city of our trip. I guess I want my last town/city to be more appealing. For example, some of our previous "last cities" have been Paris (2x), Madrid, Edinburgh, and Lucca.
Nancy: I considered Bern, but I wasn't sure how relaxing it would be if we wanted to do and see a lot there. Also, after being in the country for almost 2 weeks, I was hoping to leave Switzerland for a less expensive area.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15794 posts
There may not be a train to Colmar, but there are quite a few to Strasbourg (1 hour 18 min). You can then take a train to Frankfurt airport with a change in the city or a Lufthansa shuttle bus directly to the airport. Come to think of it, Frankfurt is one of the most underrated tourist destinations in Europe and very walkable. There's a lot to see in the city, including one of the prettiest historic centers in Germany, plus day trips to Mainz, Wiesbaden, Buedingen to name a few.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
I would say you need 24 hours minimum in Basel, there is lots to see.
After that I suggest Luzern for your relaxation.
It is not necessary to stay in Zürich if you are flying out of there. Basel, Luzeren and many other places are only just over an hour from Zürich airport by train.
Basel airport has lots of flights to many places in Europe, including Amsterdam. It is a major hub for Easyjet. It just has no flights outside Europe/North Africa/Middle East.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
2764 posts
You don't mention where you're starting your adventure, but I recommend the PDX-AMS flight as an efficient way to get back to the west coast. Departure time AMS to PDX is 10:00 a.m. - not unreasonably early for a direct flight. The cost varies, but in September you are likely to find better fares.
Posted by
OP
Southern Oregon
685 posts
Chris, glad you added your positive thoughts on Basel. We are spending a couple of nights in Basel, as part of a tour. We'll have free time in the afternoons. So we were thinking that might be sufficient time to take in the essence of Basel. Luzern: based on the enthusiasm for that city by people on the forum, we are staying 4 nights there.
CL from Salem (hello from the Rogue Valley). We haven't booked our plane reservations yet, but we have help. We book a Road Scholar tour along with a Rick Steves tour and so Road Scholar will book the air for us. We always leave from the Medford airport and then travel either to San Fran or Salt Lake or Atlanta before the final leg of our journey overseas. Good to know about Amsterdam and when flights leave for PDX.
Chani: I'll add Strasbourg and Frankfurt to my list to research. Thanks
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1682 posts
I've plenty of time for Munich but if by "easy train route' you mean quick then no, there isn't. I'm the type who doesn't like to travel far between destinations or change accommodation frequently. Zurich is not worth it for me, Bern is (or was, many years ago). I've flown in and out of Frankfurt a number of times, never visited the downtown core. I was recently in Heidelberg, which I'd visited 20 years or so earlier, and didn't think much to it the second tme around
Depending on the number of stops you are willing to put up with, if you can get a cheap flight home from Basel then it's worth staying there an extra few days with quick, easy day trips by public transportation (I flew in and out of Basel with BA once, from Toronto via Heathrow).
You can make a day of Colmar and Riquewihr, give yourself a taste of Alsace, or combine Riquewihr and a walk through the vineyards to Ribeauville or Kayserberg. Make a day of Freiburg, a nice old centre with hiking immediately to the east, or do an easy walk along a creek from Bad Krozingen to the pretty wine village of Staufen. East of Basel are Bad Sackingen and Laufenburg (they may be on your cruise, I've no idea).