I am taking a Viking cruise that ends in Basel the end of June 2026. I was thinking of staying a few days after the cruise, and maybe going to a couple other countries that are near by. Any suggestions on what to do and how many days to stay and accommodations to stay at. Maybe what other countries would be good to see. If there is good transportation to the other countries as well.
Thank you for any information you would like to share that you found useful.
Stay Safe and Healthy!
How many days? Basel is lovely, you could spend a good two days there. Luzern/Lucerne is about an hour a way. Absolutely gorgeous little town on a river and lake and in the mountains. You could spend two three days there. And Bern, the capital is another wonderful town to visit. Really fun fountains, historic old center with clock tower, Einstein's house, a museum with a huge area devoted to Einstein.
Luzern would be my first choice. I also like the Black Forest, having spent a couple of weeks in Gengenbach over the past 10 years
We enjoyed a day and a half before our river cruise. Enjoyed walking around, Basel Minster, the Paper Museum and the art museum (Kunstmuseum). We stayed at Motel One. Great location to all the sites. Clean, modern and quiet.
We visited Colmar and the Alsace region of France, Lucerne and then Zurich for two nights each after our cruise in May. Here's a link to my Trip Report. If you scroll down to day 10, that's where my post-cruise report starts. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-amsterdam-to-zurich-by-boat-and-train
Having gone from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, I trip to the high Alps beckons. They are only a couple hours by train from Basel. Luzern is the safe choice, as it is on the doorstep of the Alps, with several destinations reachable by boat or train. There are several bad weather options.
The other choice is the Berner Oberland, either Wengen or Muerren, in the mountains in car-free villages. Hope for good weather.
