Hello:
I am going on a river cruise embarking in Basel and will be there two nights in advance of the cruise. Can anyone recommend a good hotel that will be quiet, not too expensive and relatively near the river to access the cruise vessel. Also, are there "must sees" in Basel that you recommend? Thanks so much!
I think you'll need to define what you mean by "moderate". Are you traveling solo, or do you need a double room? Switzerland as a whole is quite expensive.
There will be two of us. I'm looking for moderate priced for Switzerland. Thanks!
Ther are lots of hotels in Basel, and as I live her I have not stayed in any of them, so I cannot compare.
You can look up all the hotels in the Basel website: https://www.basel.com/en
One small hotel I have had good reports about is the Resslirytti: https://www.resslirytti.ch/ but there are many more.
As far as prices, these "start" at CHF 100-150 per night. For location, anywhere in the city is OK. Basel has good public transport, and all hotel guests in the city get a free transport pass for the duration of their stay. "near the river" is easy, the river runs through the centre. The city is small enough that you do not need to stay near the ship location.
Must sees: the city is good for just wandering around and enjoying the atmosphere. The city centre is full of small alleys where you can forget which century you are in.
Click for photo, photo 2, photo 3 and photo 4 (cathedral and the Rhine).
There are lots of museums. See the https://www.basel.com/en website for more info.
There are three possible places cruise ships dock at: "St Johann", "Klybeck" and "Dreiländereck". Make sure you know which one your ship is at, which may not be decided until a few hours before it arrives.
Near the station is the Ibis hotel. https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-6510-ibis-basel-bahnhof/index.shtml
I've stayed there. Very convenient and I heard no noise whatsoever. Simple and predictable, with nice staff, and at the junction of two tram lines. I don't know if their definition of moderate meets your definition. For a random date in May (no knowledge of the real date) - the 8 and 9, the quote is (the first figure is no Accor membership, the second with; free membership easy to get)
ADVANCE SAVER RATE
Cannot be cancelled or refunded
240 CHF 228 CHF
Members' rate
VAT included. Taxes not included : 16 CHF
FLEXIBLE RATE
Cancel free of charge until May 8th 14:00
282 CHF 267 ,90 CHF
Members' rate
VAT included. Taxes not included : 16 CHF
ADVANCE SAVER - BED AND BREAKFAST
Cannot be cancelled or refunded
Breakfast included
296 CHF 281,20 CHF
Members' rate
VAT included. Taxes not included : 16 CHF
IBIS SPECIAL EVENT RATE
Cannot be cancelled or refunded
282 CHF
VAT included. Taxes not included : 16 CHF
FLEXIBLE RATE - BED AND BREAKFAST
Cancel free of charge until May 8th 14:00
Breakfast included
338 CHF 321,10 CHF
Members' rate
VAT included. Taxes not included : 16 CHF
Thanks to both of you, Chris and Nigel. I am going to follow up on your suggestions. Cheers! Jennifer
I had a nice stay at the Steinenschanze Hotel: https://www.steinenschanze.ch/. I'm not at home, so I can't see what I paid, but I remember the price being quite reasonable (for Switzerland). The breakfast was very expensive (something like 25 CHF), so I just got yogurt from supermarkets each day. It's on a direct bus from the train station, and an easy walk to lots of restaurants.
For sightseeing, the main art museum was a highlight (Kunstmuseum Basel). Don't miss the Tinguely Fountain. And walk around some of the old town, including the hilly parts.
Thanks all: I'm checking out these great tips. Chris, since you are a local, can you recommend good restaurants that the tourist may not be able to find? We like all sorts of food. Oh, and anyone else, please feel free to add Basel restaurant recommendations! Jennifer
German friends have recommended the Motel One chain and we booked the Basel location for June, 2019 ahead of a river cruise.
https://www.motel-one.com/en/hotels/basel/hotel-basel/
Joining their free loyalty program first will generate a coupon for one free breakfast if the coupon is applied at the time of booking.
Ditto Selkie's suggestion of Motel One. We loved it. It was reasonably priced, clean and fresh with helpful staff. Its in the center of the old town in walking distance to the Rathuis and marketplatz(MUST SEE!) and the Munster (view behind Munster is lovely) We walked across the bridge by the big art museum and then along the river to the bridge that goes to the marktplatz. So picturesque!
Also, I contacted Basel's tourist information and they sent me maps and four different suggested guided walks. We were pleasantly surprised by how lovely Basel is.
Thanks. I will check out Motel One.
