Zurich to Strasbourg by train

The station plan for Basel SBB is here: https://www.sbb.ch/content/dam/infrastruktur/trafimage/bahnhofplaene/plan-basel-sbb-a4.pdf

Trains from Zürich use the platforms in the main part of the station, numbers 1 to 17.
Trains to Strasbourg use the "French" platforms, numbers 30 to 35. You can see these on the right of the plan, square K4.
The corridor between the two parts of the station is currently being rebuilt, you need to go outside the station.

• From your Zürich train, go up the escalator from the platform to the cross-passageway (labelled "Passerelle" on the plan), and head for the front exit (towards the low numbered platforms).
• Go down the escalators into the main hall and exit into the street (labelled "Centralbahnplatz"). This signposted "30-35".
• Turn left along the side of the building for approx 200 metres.
• At the end of the building, turn left back into the station.

This will take 5-10 minutes if you don't know where you are going

Are you starting from Zürich city centre ("Zürich HB"), or the airport ("Zürich Flughafen")? Either way, just get on the first train to Basel, do not wait for your specific train, that way you have more time at Basel to find your connection.

Thank you so much for the information. Very helpful. Should we pre-purchase the Zurich to Basel portion? If we miss the connection and have a ticket for the TER train for an earlier time, we can just get on the next one no problem with the earlier timed ticket?

Another question - we will be flying from Venice to Zurich. Do we have to go through any kind of passport control, etc.? Do you know if the train station at the airport is easy to find and should be buy advanced tickets to get to the main train station?

Another question - we will be flying from Venice to Zurich. Do we have to go through any kind of passport control, etc.?

No passport control, because both Italy and Switzerland are in the Schengen Area. You will walk through customs after picking up your bags, but most people aren't stopped.

Do you know if the train station at the airport is easy to find and should be buy advanced tickets to get to the main train station?
Should we pre-purchase the Zurich to Basel portion?

The station at the airport is called "Zürich Flughafen". When you emerge from arrivals at Zürich airport, look for the signs "Bahn/Railway". There are some direct trains from this station to Basel, there are also other trains which require a change at Zürich HB (info from https://www.sbb.ch/en ).

You just buy one ticket from Zürich Flughafen to Basel SBB which costs CHF 40. No discount for advance purchase. Swiss tickets are valid on any train in the day. You can buy your ticket either at the ticket machine (faster) or the manned counter (opportunity to ask where to find your train).

If we miss the connection and have a ticket for the TER train for an earlier time, we can just get on the next one no problem with the earlier timed ticket?

French TER tickets you buy at the station are valid on any train (and must be stamped before getting on the train). Or do you have a PDF ticket? You need to look at your ticket to see if it specifies a time.

BUT In your original post you said "9 am train . . . . It gets in to Basel at 10:03". Not sure where you got these times from, are they times from Zürich HB (city centre)? If you take the 08:56 from Zürich Flughafen you arrive at Basel SBB 10:29, too late for your 10:21 train to Strasbourg.
Earlier option: 08:43 from Zürich Flughafen, change Zürich HB, Basel SBB 09:53

When do you actually land? Have you allowed enough time for disembarking and getting through the airport?

No need to pre-purchase tickets. Prices are the same and trains are unreserved. Tickets are good on any train to Basel on that day. Same goes for TER trains to Strasbourg. You can probably buy tickets all the way from Zurich airport to Strasbourg.

Train station is across the street from the airport. Ground level is "Level 0", and the second floor (for Americans) is "Level 1", and the basement is "Level 01". So the pedestrian bridges over the street are on Level 1, then down 2 levels to the train station Level 01 to buy train tickets, then down one more level to the platforms on Level 02.
https://www.zurich-airport.com/passengers-and-visitors/airport-services-en/site-plans
Just follow the signage with the "train" icon.

Looks like trains to Strasbourg using the TER are at 8:43, 10:43, 11:43. Cost is 67 CHF, other connections with ICE and TGV trains will cost more. You can always take earlier trains to Basel and have a longer wait for the TER. Basel station has plenty of services to help kill time.

We will arrive at Zurich airport from Venice on a Friday and need to find our way to the main station city center in Zurich where our hotel is. We are in Zurich two nights - the following day (Saturday) we will travel to Lucerne for a day trip - (do we need to get tickets ahead of time for that) - then on Sunday we will depart from the main train station HB to Strasbourg - Thus the 9 am train.

Aha, that was the piece of info I was missing. When people say they are starting from Zürich, they often mean Zürich airport, not the city.
You do not need to buy any Swiss rail tickets in advance, no discount for doing so, just buy at the station. You can, if you wish, buy tickets a few days before in order to save time on the day, so long as you specify they are for a future date when you buy.

I looked up your train on the SBB website:

Zürich HB dep 09:00 , platform 16, train route code IC 3
Basel SBB arr 10:03, platform 11
Basel SBB dep 10:21, platform 31, TE2 96220
Strasbourg Ville arr 11:39 (SBB doesn't know the platforms for foreign stations)

Platform 31 is in the "French" annex, as I explained in the first post, and platform 11 is in the main part of the station.

Thank you so much for your help.

Since you have 12 people, you can get tickets for a 20% discount for groups of 10 or more with each 10th person getting a free ticket. These have to be bought in advance, at least two business days before hand.
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/group-tickets.html

Are all 12 adults? There are also deals for kids under 16 if at least one parent or grandparent is traveling with them.