Basel accommodations and travel from ZRH

Near the train station AND close to the boat dock are mutually exclusive. The boat docks for cruise boats are generally in an industrial area north of the city center. So stay near the SBB station and near the Christmas Markets.

This past December we stayed at the Hotel Schweizerhof about one block from the Basel Hauptbahnhof. It was a good location for us because we took several day train trips. In my opinion, it is a beautiful hotel, with large rooms and bathrooms. We walked from there to the Christmas markets, but you can also take the S-bahns as the hotel provides you a card for free travel within Basel. I do not know where you will board the river cruise, but certainly taxis will be available at the train station.

Why restrict yourselves to a hotel near the train station or the boat dock? Basel has a good tram system and all hotels provide you with a free transportation pass for all days of your stay including the day of arrival and the day of departure. We stayed at the Hotel Spalentor for 4 days in August of 2024 and found it to be a great location for walking to various sights (the Spalentor, the botanical gardens, and the historic city center. There are also some good nearby restaurants and the hotel is only 1 block from the tram #3 stop.

If you want something modern, we enjoyed our stay at Motel One before our River cruise. Very centrally located to everything. Tram right outside the door and went straight to downtown and the River cruise port.

I second the recommendation for the Hotel Schweizerhof.

https://www.schweizerhof-basel.ch/en/

I stayed there in Sept. 2021. This was my review of the hotel:

While the Hotel Schweizerhof Basel is conveniently located to the main
train station and has a fabulous breakfast, what impressed us the most
was the hotel staff. The entire staff was exceptional!!! Everyone we
encountered was very welcoming and super helpful. Because this was our
first trip to Europe, we often had questions for the front desk.
Everyone was very helpful and we never felt like we were
inconveniencing anyone. We highly recommend this hotel!!!

Regarding your train travel question, traveling from Zurich airport to Basel is easy. No need to buy a ticket in advance. Just buy a ticket once you are through passport control. You can either buy on the SBB app on your phone or one of the ticket machines at the airport.

We waited for a train with no changes as some have a change at the Zurich main train station.

There are two train stations in Basel. You will most likely want Basel SBB.