Moving from French TGV in Basel to Swiss train

Looks like you just walk to the Swiss tracks.
http://seat61.com/stations/basel-sbb.htm

This is super easy to do. I did something similar twice last year, coming from Stragsbourg and Colmar to Basel.

The first thing to note is you want the Basel SBB train station. Here is a map for the Basel SBB station:

https://www.sbb.ch/de/bahnhof-services/am-bahnhof/bahnhoefe/bahnhof-baselsbb.html

You can check your tickets to see which platform your will arrive at. I put in some dummy dates/times and it looks like you’ll come in where it says platforms 30-35 or platform 1-12. It will be a short walk to where you’ll catch the train to Lucerne. That will most likely be where it says platform 4-17. The Basel train station is very well signed so just look for the sign directing you to the platform you need.

You will not go through immigration, but you may encounter the Swiss police checking when people get off the train from France. We noticed this once but were not stopped. I imagine they might stop some to check passports if they feel it’s warranted.

The train employees in Switzerland are super nice and helpful. Don’t hesitate to stop one if you have a question. There’s also a grocery store and some food places if you have some time between your trains.

Does your TGV go all the way from Dijon (Dijon Ville) to Basel (Basel SBB), or do you have a change of trains in Mulhouse? If you don't know, please share the time of departure from Dijon and it is easy to tell.

If it is a straight through TGV, the train actually originates in Paris, and is for a final destination of Zürich (Zürich HB).

If you want to go to Luzern via Zürich you just stay on and simply change the ticket you show to your Pass (validated I hope). If you want to take the shorter direct train you simply get off, go up the escalator to the pedestrian overbridge (admire the view), checking the platform on your phone or a display screen (there are lots) and go down the escalator to your platform, or to the concourse if you want to shop or wait a while for your train.

If your train from Dijon actually has you changing at Mulhouse to a TER local train it will in fact come in and terminate at the high numbered French platforms and you then do as described up thread.

This is all good information but I’m a bit confused by the two different explanations/descriptions. First off, yes our TGV is the one that originates in Paris and runs all the way thru to Zurich. But the tickets I purchased are for Dijon to Basel because I assumed I’d need to change trains there.
So, (1) won’t we be in trouble with authorities if we stay on the train all the way to Zurich? Or if my ticket is checked by authorities Would I simply show my Swiss pass? And what do you mean by “hopefully validated”? Must I validate my Swiss Pass?? It is in my Apple wallet. And (2) what would be the advantage of changing trains in Zurich rather than Basel? Is the station smaller? Easier to navigate? Closer to Lucerne? This is the first I’ve heard of this idea so I’m very curious.

Also one more question about using the Swiss Pass. Can I just get onto any train I choose with no reservation? Just flash my pass at the entrance gate on any platform. It’s not a half card. It’s the full Swiss Pass. Thx

Regarding the Swiss Travel Pass, there is nothing to validate. It sounds like you have already purchased it. There is no need to show anyone the Pass (the QR code that is in your apple wallet) prior to getting on a train. You will just show it (along with your passport) if the conductor comes around checking for tickets. The Pass is you ticket. You do not need reservations for any of the regular Swiss trains.

The TGVs from Paris always arrive in the main Swiss part of the station. Only local trains arrive in the French part. Both parts are just a short walk from each other. The connection between both sectors has been recently renovated, and there is a very nice restaurant/bar in the French sector that I often go to if I need to kill some time.

So continuing on a Swiss train is not an issue. Just get off, look for your next train, and board it. It is that simple. And if it just happens that your next destination is Zurich, then just stay in the train. Any Swiss domestic ticket, and pass, is valid on the TGV between Basel and Zurich. In fact, you may notice that a lot of Swiss commuters will board your train in Basel, just to go to Zurich.

But if you are going to Luzern you indeed just change trains in Basel. Use www.sbb.ch to find out what the best route is to your destination.

thanks for the additional info

when people use paper passes they usually need to be validated (date stamped) by the ticket office so they can be used from that date forward. If yours is an electronic one - no probs, already valid.

There is a more direct route from Basel to Luzern, as mentioned, or it is also possible to stay on to Zürich and change there for a train taking just over an hour to Luzern. All what you prefer. With your Swiss Travel Pass you are free as a bird to hop on and off whichever SBB train or Postbus you want for the duration of the pass. The pass is also valid to inhabited villages, even on cable cars and gondolas, but not above into purely tourist areas. You will have been given a synoptic map with the coverage throughout the country. If your pass is electronic I kinda guess they don't send you the map like they do with paper passes, but you can get the PDF and blow it up.

Happy Travels

With a paper pass you do indeed need to have it activated. However you do not always need to go to the ticket office for that. If you arrive by train you can have the train conductor do that for you. In case of the TGV Lyria: Those trains have both a Swiss and a French conductor. I suppose you would ask the Swiss conductor to do this.

Just FYI—When you purchase the Swiss Travel Pass online, it does not need to be validated. This is true for the paper Pass as well. When you purchase online, you will choose the start date for the Pass. So, when you print the Pass out, it will have the start date on it.