Christmas in Zurich and Basel

Why go to Basil and Zurich when the real reason to go to CH is to visit the Lauterbrunnen Valley (Berner Oberland).

Thank you Mary Pat. I haven't visited Switzerland since I was a teenager. I was going by some Christmas market experience that I saw on television and I also was hoping for an easy Christmas market trip without a car (recently did some big USA road trips, would rather not drive), finishing in Zurich for easy airport access and minimizing my time in trains and train-station to-and-fro. If there are smarter and more charming ways to that, I am definitely open. I was thinking of saving extensive alpine experiences for a future trip due to lack of car and winter weather, but I am all ears, would love to hear what you think.

My apologies, you don’t have time for the Lauterbrunnen Valley because you need a minimum of five nights and that’s if the weather is good. You’re smart postponing until the weather is more promising.
I would sleep in Strasbourg, FR instead of Basel that requires a train transfer in Basel if coming from the airport (3h 15m). A good day trip option from Strasbourg is Colmar (45-minutes). You could sleep in Zurich the night before flying home.

We go over every year for the Xmas Markets -while the ones in Switzerland are OK = the Xmas Markets originated in GERMANY which is where the best ones are.

I’ve been to many Christmas markets in my lifetime. I’m going back again this year and only doing German markets. To me Strasbourg has the most beautiful decorations. Colmar has 5 markets and is a beautiful town in and of itself. The outlying villages are something out of a storybook. Check out Noel-Colmar.com which should also give you information on the nearby villages.
If you are flying into Basel there should be good connections to many destinations. I made all my hotel reservations, but some of the ones I wanted were already sold out.
If you have an iPhone or similar I suggest downloading the Deutsches Bahn app - it will give you a general idea of train schedules for countries in and outside Germany.

Enjoy!

I would go to Bern. It has a beautiful old town, great Christmas Markets, and you can easily do day trips to the mountains, to Basel and Luzern and other places of interest.

Taking the train in Switzerland is as trivial as taking the Subway in New York. Switzerland has a nationwide mass transit system that is excellent and easy to use. And for that reason you do not even need to stay in Zurich for access to the airport. There are trains direct from Bern to Zurich Airport and vv. every half hour. Trains to other parts of the country run as a rule every half hour as well.

Your proposed itinerary is easy to do but we much preferred Lucerne to Basel. It's about 45 minutes my train from Basel and is on the way to Zurich.

Thanks everyone, this is great advice,
Francis

Francis, agreeing with Luzern vs Basel or Zurich or both. You can get from Luzern to the rail station in the Zurich airport in 1.25 hours easily. Luzern is much more scenic, surrounded by mountains and a beautiful cruisable lake. Cant comment on the Christmas markets there.

Agree with Lucerne and Bern! Both are beautiful, and easy access back to the airport. Zurich is a lovely city, but very very expensive.

Strasbourg is absolutely beautiful but takes a little effort more to get to. I would rather stay in Strasbourg than Basel. We have taken the train from Zurich to Strasbourg upon arrival before (change in Basel) and it was easy. I think your Christmas market experience would be more fulfilling in Strasbourg if you are still considering Basel.

Why go to Basil and Zurich when the real reason to go to CH is to visit the Lauterbrunnen Valley (Berner Oberland).

Because Switzerland has so much more to offer that your limited view.