Basel or Lucerne

michaele,

My suggestion would most definitely be Lucerne.

We stayed in Lucerne in the Altstadt part (old town), and it was lovely. Lucerne was a very walkable city, and the lake is gorgeous, especially if you go out on a paddlewheel steamboat for an excursion. We traveled in a leisurely way to Weggis, explored a bit, had a great lunch, and then returned to Lucerne on our last day of our 15 day vacation to Paris and Switzerland. It was a perfect, low key and beautiful way to spend half a day.

Laurie

Lucerne, definitely. Spent 2 nights there in March, and it was cold but crystal-clear and beautiful. Vistas in every direction. Work to get a reasonable hotel room fairly close to the Reuss river, on either side, and you can walk to your heart's content. Old Town, Lion Monument, Chapel Bridge--all sights to see. Food is expensive but no more than Paris or Geneva. Have lunch one day at the Manor Department store cafeteria, which is a great place, high-quality, dining area on the rooftop and doesn't break the bank. People couldn't be nicer. Enjoy!

For two days without a car, I'd also pick Lucerne. But if I had a car, I'd consider Basel or nearby. It's a question of whether the specific attractions in and near Basel (art museums, Augusta Raurica, Vitra Design Museum (Germany), etc.) outweigh the many attractions of Lucerne. You might consider what the percentage of clear days there are in April if you're hoping for a mountain ascent from Lucerne. You have to check off-season things in Switzerland very carefully.

Lucerne is lovely!!