My wife and I are taking a river cruise to Amstrerdam with Viking in July. We are flying into Zurich and need to get to the Basel cruise port by 6:00 PM, we land in Zurich at around 10:30 AM. We are thinking either a private car service or the train and then a taxi or Uber to the port. We will have one large suitcase each and she will have a rolling computer case and a purse and I will have a backpack.
Any thoughts on the easiest way to do this considering time and cost?
Posted by
Green Bay
22581 posts
Train for sure. There is a direct train from the airport at 56 past the hour, and frequent trains at other times with a connection at Zurich HB. Travel time is anywhere from 1 hour and 10 to 28 minutes.
You will need to get directions from Viking as there are several docking locations in Basel.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
5323 posts
Doesn't Viking offer transportation as part of their package? If not, the train is best and then you'll need to track where your ship is and possibly arrange for a taxi in Basel. We didn't use Viking but our river cruise in May docked 30 minutes north of Basel in France.
Posted by
San Diego, California
6649 posts
If at all possible, fly in the day before. There are just too many flight delays and cancelations post Covid.
Good luck and I wish you a wonderful trip.
Posted by
7 posts
Train, it's easy and quick. Look for the SBB app and download it to your phone. It will tell you the times the trains are leaving Zurich and arrive in Basel. Also tells you how many changes you need to make, there are many direct trains to Basel. The trip is about 1 hour and 5-15 minutes. Just be sure to look closely at your selection to make sure.
Posted by
San Diego, California
6649 posts
This was a June post. Looks like they traveled in July. Maybe they will let us know what option they choose?
Posted by
New Jersey
41 posts
Just to respond to one of Allan’s points.
Viking provides transport to and from the ship if three things are true:
A. Using their Viking Air booking service.
B. Arriving the day of departure.
C. Arriving at one of their designated airports.
If you don’t use Viking Air you can pay extra for the transfer if the other conditions are met.
We have taken a bunch of Viking cruises and really like them, but their air service is clunky and often doesn’t meet our needs.
They get very good rates on economy seats, but sometimes it is better to handle the air travel ourselves.