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Three Days in Basel

We will be in Basel for three days in July., and would like to spend one day taking a day trip by train. We would love to see the alps and maybe do a moderate hike. Any suggestions as to where we should go? Also- should I purchase train tickets in advanced to save money?

Posted by
5508 posts

I enjoyed Basel. When people look at my pictures they comment on how colorful it was. You will see the Rathuis and the Munster, be sure to go behind the Munster for the view of the Rhine. We also enjoyed walking on the other side of the river for the views. We crossed a bridge by the big art museum and then walked until we got to another bridge which took us back to the old town by the Rathuis and Marketplatz. I believe from Basel you would be able to get to Luzern in an hour. Luzern is my favorite city in Switzerland. I would think it would be a very full day, but if you left at 8am or so, I think you could have a nice time wandering around the river and bridges of the old town and also make a trip up to Mt. Rigi where you could do some hiking. For Mt. Rigi, you would take a boat from a dock right in front of the train station. The boat ride is lovely. From the boat you will take two cog train rides to get to the top where you can hike and see the lake and all the surrounding mountains. Most people would want to spend a few days in Luzern, but I think you could do a lot in a day and it would be very enjoyable. I had a Swiss Travel Pass for the train travel and Mt. Rigi, so I can't say whether it makes sense to prepurchase the train ticket. Since its a short ride, I would think that it may not be an expensive ride to begin with?

Posted by
163 posts

Have a look into Mt Pilatus as well. We enjoyed both Pilatus and Rigi when staying in Basel. We spent several weeks there and loved it. Remember to take the faeri from Klien Basel to the other side. It will land near the Munster which is definitely worth visiting.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you for your input! We will definitely take your advise and do the ferry boat!