Basel

We will arrive in Basel on April 19 for a Rhine cruise on the 21st. Does anyone have favorite things to do there or day trips from there? Thanks in advance.

Lake Lucern (or the city of Lucern about an hour away by train)

We went to Lake Lucern and then on to Mt. Pilatus. We made arrangements at the Swiss Rail Office in the train station and found them very helpful. Lucern is an hour by train, then a boat ride, and finally cog train to the top of Pilatus and a return by gondola. An absolute must if you are in Basel. It is an expensive day, but well worth it depending on the weather. We also enjoyed walking by the river and the main square. Trams are free for the tourists in Basel and easy to navigate. We even went to our boat by tram.

How widely are euros accepted in Basel just for walking around money, the Christmas Market, etc.? We'll be there only for a day before boarding the riverboat.

How widely are euros accepted in Basel just for walking around money, the Christmas Market, etc.? We'll be there only for a day before boarding the riverboat.

I was there for 2 days in November during the Autumn Fair before joining my cruise. I did not find euros accepted anywhere I went especially by the vendors at the Autumn Fair. I suspect that will hold true at the Christmas Markets as well.

How widely are euros accepted in Basel just for walking around money, the Christmas Market, etc.? We'll be there only for a day before boarding the riverboat.

You might struggle to spend Euros at the Christmas market, however it all depends on the stall holder in question - many of them come over from France or Germany so if you can find those ones then no issues at all. Larger shops normally take them with no issues but the exchange rate will not be that great.

If you find you do need Swiss Francs, find a cash machine that dispenses the small CHF10 and CHF20 notes - it is normally displayed on the screen what is available. Some of the stall holders even take credit/debit cards but with a minimum spend which can be from CHF10-20 depending if it is debit or credit card (credit card charges are higher than debit card)

Swiss Dave you make a good point. I had not thought about the vendors coming from France and Germany. Last year when I did Christmas markets along the Danube, there were few if any that accepted credit cards. Appears that things are different everywhere you go ;)

Thanks stanc3 for the recommendation. Any other recommendations for Basel or day trips from there would be appreciated.

When you arrive at the airport, take Bus 50 to the train station. It is free and then you can take a tram to your hotel. If your hotel is by the train station, just walk across the street. Basel is easy to navigate and the trams take you everywhere. I would definitely go to Lucerne for a day trip.

When we were in Basel two summers ago, we didn't find anyone who would take Euros. We used credit cards for Starbucks, meals and shopping. Swiss Francs are really necesary there.

Sheila

When we traveled through Switzerland (April 2011) we found many places would not take credit cards at all, it was cash only, for meals, drinks etc. The only places we coudl use credit was at hotels & rail station ( ticket office) the machines also would not accept our credit cards, (something to do with a chip.) We got off the boat in Basel & spent a week touring. .

When we traveled through Switzerland (April 2011) we found many places would not take credit cards at all, it was cash only, for meals, drinks etc. The only places we coudl use credit was at hotels & rail station ( ticket office) the machines also would not accept our credit cards, (something to do with a chip.) We got off the boat in Basel & spent a week touring. .

Can you share a few ideas of what you did while touring for a week in Switzerland? We fly into Zurich and will spend that day and night there. Then we have two full days and nights to travel in Switzerland before returning to Zurich to meet up with our group to go to Basel for our river cruise. Any suggestions? This will be at the very end of March 2012.

To Riviera Bound,

Lucerne is an hour south of Basel. It is a beautiful city and a must see.

Sheila

Can you share a few ideas of what you did while touring for a week in Switzerland? We fly into Zurich and will spend that day and night there. Then we have two full days and nights to travel in Switzerland before returning to Zurich to meet up with our group to go to Basel for our river cruise. Any suggestions? This will be at the very end of March 2012.

you might wish to check Viator's website for top places visited. Even if you don't use them, the reviews are very good.

Karen