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Seek Advice - ship in at Basel, fly out at Zurich

We will disembark a river cruise at Basel in early morning (Aug 29), have 4 nights to spend before flying out at Zurich on day 5 morning. We mostly want to see BO and Luzern, but also interested in Bern and Zurich if time permits. Need advice on itinerary – how to allocate the 4 nights to get most out of the time there.

Posted by
6783 posts

How early do you fly out of Zürich?
If it is after 9.30-10 AM or so, you can travel from Luzern to the airport that same morning without issues. In that case, I would opt for 2 nights in the Berner Oberland (Wengen, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald: choice is yours, listed in my order of preference) and 2 in Luzern.

You could stop in Bern for a few hours on your way from Basel to the BO (use the lockers at the station), but if the weather is nice, I would head straight to the BO to maximize time there.

Zürich is best skipped with so little time.

Posted by
1792 posts

Definitely Berner Oberland and Luzern. Tough part is how to split the days. If you can tack on a day I would do 3 BO and 2 Luzern. Otherwise 3 BO 1 Luzern as I prefer more time in say Murren.

Posted by
6783 posts

With a 9:50 flight, you'd have to take the second train of the day at 5:35, which gets you to the airport at 6:44. The trains are extremely reliable so that would be comfortable enough for me, but the previous train at 4:52 would provide an additional buffer if you wish.
The station in Luzern is super central: pick a hotel close to it, and you will minimize the hassle.

If the above sounds unpleasant, a hotel at Zürich airport is a very valid choice too.

Posted by
222 posts

We have not spent time in Basil but we have been in Zurich old town twice while passing to other areas and have stayed in Bern. While Zurich old town was nice, if you have a chance to spend time in Bern and/or the BO I would not pass that up to see Zurich.

Posted by
79 posts

We did something very similar to your plan in early July. The river cruise ended in Basel, and we then spent 2 days in Bern, 4 days in Murren, 3 in Lucerne, and 2 in Zurich before flying home. If you're physically active and or just enjoy eye-dropping scenery, spend your time in the BO. I would definitely skip Bern (town seemed to be under construction everywhere) and probably Zurich. Luzern is worthwhile (especially Mt. Rigi and the lake), but with only 4 days, I'd recommend Murren, Wengen, Grindalwald or any of the other BO villages.

Posted by
6 posts

Hi, I want to thank each of you for taking the time to answer my help for advice. We have decided to spend 3 nights in BO and 1 night in Luzern, going to the airport from Luzern and saving Bern and Zurich for the next time. All your recommendations are greatly appreciated!