Hello,
Need help finding a private or local driver that will pick us up from our river cruise in Basel, Switzerland and take us to Lucerne, keep in mind we will need to keep our luggage stored with the driver and then after we are done exploring Lucerne, (about 5-6 hours) take us to our hotel in Zurich next to the Zurich airport. Does anyone know where I can get help with this?
Thanks,
Kris
Any reason you don't want to just take the train, store luggage in a locker in Luzern station, then take a train to Zurich airport?
Assuming this is a long time from now, you could buy a Saver Day several months in advance for 52 CHF per person and cover al transportation, plus local transport and lake boats in Luzern. I would guess that a private driver for the day would run about 1000 CHF. Switzerland is not a cheap country.
No experience with private drivers because, like most people, I take advantage of the terrific Swiss Rail System. I have used the Welcome Pickups company in other countries and you might try them to see if them could provide a driver for the day.
Is your flight out from Zurich early in the morning? If not, would it work to take the train to Luzern, drop bags at a hotel near train station (there are several), stay the night and then take the very short train ride to Zurich airport in the morning? The train takes between 42 minute and an hour and leaves frequently.
We took a river cruise that started in Basel. We took a tram to the dock the ship was at. I would think you could do the same in reverse. Get to the Basel train station and then travel via train to Luzern/Lucerne. I agree with the above comments, Switzerland has an amazing train system. I also agree that if your flight from Zurich is not early morning, it'd be so much nicer to overnight in Luzern.
The port that we used in Basel, and I think they use,at least most often, is Sankt Johanns-Rheinweg 109. Google is showing me that it is an easy 15-20 minute tram ride to the train station.
Kris, welcome. When we did our Viking cruise ending in Basel, the boat's staff asked people to identify any ongoing transportation needs a day or so before docking. They told me it was SOP for them. We were going to Luzern and requested a taxi to take us to the SBB rail station. When we disembarked, there was a slew of taxis waiting for people, by name, and our bags ready at the curb. We bought tickets at the train station and got to Luzern (1.5 hours) on our own. Noting that the taxi driver offered to take us all the way to Luzern herself for a fixed price, but we wanted to take the train. We stayed in Luzern for three nights, and then took a train directly to the Zurich airport (1.25 hours). We could have stored bags at the Luzern rail station. So, I guess I'm suggesting you don't necessarily need a dedicated chauffeur for such a long day, just for a few hours in Luzern.
Thanks for advice, however, with 3 older women disembarking in Basel, wanting to explore Lucerne, and then taking off early next morning from Zurich to Chicago, we just want to make it as easy as possible.
How many people? How much luggage?
I looked at daytrip.com and there is no easy way to specify what you want, since it is somewhat of a canned website quote engine. They do allow stopovers, but only short term and along the direct route. Since Luzern is not on a direct route between Basel and Zurich airport, does not seem doable. But to give you an idea, 3 people with extra luggage is about $345 from Basel to Luzern, and another $345 from Luzern to Zurich airport. Having a driver and car hang around for 5 to 6 hours is bound to be another $500, so I think my guess of 1000 CHF is not too far off. Are you good with that amount of money?
How old is "older"? Do they have mobility issues? How do you explore Luzern with mobility issues? I would just say that "older" being under 80 with good mobility, the train is easy peasy. An XXL locker at Luzern station costs 12 CHF for 6 hours and is 20"X 33"X 37", so it holds a lot of luggage.
Kris, with your added info, if it were me, I'd skip Luzern and go right to your Zurich hotel where you are only 15 minutes away from downtown Zurich by train. The attractions of Luzern (to me) are mostly the mountain excursions and lake cruises which you don't have much time for. Zurich is nice enough with its own lake excursions to fill in.
We have used Blacklane and Daytrip a few times.
You could always ask your hotel for its suggestions.
Daytrip: Private Car Transfers with Sightseeing https://share.google/5uxEd80FVLH99Q4Ux
Blacklane Global Chauffeur Service | Upgrade Your Travels https://share.google/wkPAG5YAphAsYTVLN
You will likely be off the boat at 9am, if not earlier. I'd rather spend the day in Luzern than Zurich. Trains are wonderful in Switzerland. I bet an employee would help you with bags. Further, there are always passengers helping folks out.
There is a lot to see in Luzern. The bridges, the churches, the Rick Steves guidebook has a walking tour. You could take a boat tour of the lake.
I have used Daytrip before and had no problems. You can do a multi city booking.
https://daytrip.com/?tripType=multiCity
But they don’t offer much to see in Lucerne. It’s offering sites elsewhere prior to arriving in Lucerne. So this probably doesn’t help.
