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Daytrips from Basel

Posted by (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) on

We will be travelling to Switzerland for 18 days not including arrival and departure days in late July 2015. We are travelling with three children ages 7, 9 and 12. This is our second trip. Our visit two summers ago was for 5.5 weeks. Our base was then, and will be again, Basel. I know its not the most central location but we really like it. Plus, hubbie needs to meet a few clients while we are there. We do have three days (Friday to Monday) planned to visit Zermatt. Other than that visit, our days will start and end in Basel. We will travel by train. I'd love advice and suggestions for daytrips.

I guess I should mention the places we have been as I'm looking for new places to visit :-) On our last trip we did day visits to:

Bern
Lucerne (one day to Mt Pilatus and brief exploration of the city and one day to the transportation museum)
one day to Rhinefalls, Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein
one day to Rhienfelden (Augusta Raurica)
half day Zurich/half day Rapperswil (visited the Knie Kinderzoo)
one day visit to the Alsace region in France

We also took six days and visited Murren (3n), Vevey (2n) and Gruyere (1n).

We're open to a few longer trips. Hubbie would like to take a day to visit Geneva and I know that will be one super long day. So maybe another would be fine. Otherwise I'd kind of like to limit it to within 1.5 hours of Basel. Or with a stop along the way to break up the trip at least in one direction.

I'd love your thoughts and suggestion!

Posted by
8889 posts

Day trips from Basel. By public transport unless noted otherwise:

  • Day trip up Titlis. Train via Luzern. www.titlis.ch
  • Bern. Don't forget to say hello to the bears.
  • Freiburg-im-Breisgau (north of Basel, hourly train, buy a "Baden-Württemberg ticket"). Nice city.
  • Bad Säckingen, a "fairy tale" town for the kids. Approach from the Swiss side (Stein-Säckingen), across the wooden bridge, spot the (stone) troll. Spot the people the witch turned to stone (statues in the middle of the pedestrianised street), plus the witch, look inside the church.
  • Black Forest by car. Lots of good tours.
  • Black forest by public transport. Buy a "Baden-Württemberg ticket". Train Basel - Freiburg-im-Breisgau - Titisee. Look round, lake, cuckoo-clock shops and places for lunch. Hourly bus from station over Feldberg pass to Zell. Train from Zell back to Basel.
  • Europapark, Rust (big theme park).

You said "one day visit to the Alsace", but there is plenty more to see:

  • Colmar (train)
  • Strasbourg (train)
  • Route des Vins d'Alsace (needs car).
  • Route de crêtes. Along crest of Vosges mountains (needs car).

Is that enough for starters?

Posted by
16893 posts

In Switzerland, it sounds like Murten (with medieval ramparts) and Avenches (with some Roman ruins) would also be new for you. They take about 2 hours each way by train.

Posted by
163 posts

Thank you! So many answers so fast! Bad Sackingen looks fun, as do the others. We did visit many places on the Route des Vins last time. We had a guide that drove us around so it was wonderful but we really didn't have a lot of time in any one place. I'd love to return.

Posted by
32732 posts

Freiburg-im-Breisgau

An excellent choice. Just south of town in the Mooswald is our favourite Thermen - mineral baths - , something for the kiddoes and the big folk.

Have a look at http://www.keidelbad.de/english/

And an easy bus or bike ride from the town centre will get you there.

We will be back there this summer.

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