Day trip from Basel to Lucerne on our own

[travelin_nat]

We are doing a Rhine cruise on Viking from Basel to Amsterdam mid-December.  We booked the Basel extension through Viking.  We were thinking of skipping the walking tour of Basel the day after we arrive and instead taking a train from Basel to Lucerne for the day, returning later that same day.  Has anyone done this?  Any thoughts or recommendations?  We are just interested in the scenery and walking around.  TIA

[Gourmet Gal]

Sounds fun.  Both cities are interesting but even more fun would be to rent a car and go to a cheese maker, chocolate factory, etc. on the way!  Swiss highways and tunnels are a marvel. 

[texasstar]

Are you flying in to Zurich?   If so, I would suggest flying a few days early, take the train from Zurich to Lucerne, stay a couple of nights, then take the train to Basel.  The train station is in the basement of the Zurich airport.  You can walk to your hotel in Lucerne from the train station.  Lucerne has much more charm than Basel, so I would spend the time there if possible.

[gnome12]

The only reason I can see for using Viking’s extension is if there are any flight or location changes. Otherwise, why bother with the Viking pre-cruise. Do one yourself (Zurich airport to Lucerne to Basel) as suggested above for considerably less. 

[Jeff in Torrance]

We took the train between Basel, Zurich Zug (airport) and Lucerne.  Very easy.  I don't recall how much time the various trips were, but less than two hours each (I think).

[spin_j]

It should be fairly easy day trip.  Note there's two train stations in Basel SBB (the Swiss station) and Basel Badischer Bf (the German station) but you can get to Lucerne from either.  The Swissotel is about a 10m walk from Basel Bad.  It looks like there's 1-2 trips an hour to Lucerne and back but it's 1:15 with a connection (some combos are 2h).  Most people speak english in Basel so you shouldn't have too many issues there.

 

It might be a long day if you're jetlagged but it should be pretty easy otherwise.

[CILCIANRQTS]

Lucerne is very walkable. Many attractions within a short distance.

Locals are very helpful and English was spoken by everyone we encountered.

As noted, the train station is centrally located.

Google for highlights that fit your interests.

[sharkster77]

We ended our Rhine cruise in Basel and went to Lucerne for 3 days DIY.  We had bought our air from Viking and they booked our flights home from Zurich no problem.  The train station in the bottom floor of the Zurich terminal made getting to the airport easy.

 

When you step out of the Lucerne train station you are on the River Reuss in the old town.  Several hotels within walking distance.  We stayed at Hotel des Alpes, which is across the river from the train station.

[ninaks]

We did a one day trip to Lucerne from Basel before our river cruise and took a trip on the lake and went up Mt. Pilatus.  It was well worth it!    We took a train, bus, funicular, boat  and gondola all in one day.  It is a gorgeous town and the mountains are beautiful.  I had never been up a funicular before and it was a quite an experience.   I would highly recommend it.  If you go to the train station , they gave us all the information we needed for the trip.  

[Judicruise1]

If you use the train after flying in to Zurich, where do you put your large luggage?  Is it hard to drag your luggage along on a train?