My DH and I will be travelling to Basel in Spring. We're leaving from the US and are trying to decide whether it's better to fly to Frankfurt Airport and then take the train from there or to fly to Zurich Airport and take the train from there. Any advice? Also which train is the correct one to take ?

I've visited Basel a number of times over the past several years.

My first trips were always through Frankfurt, connecting to a small regional plane for the flight of less than one hour to the Basel/Mulhouse airport. There is a bus that runs every 15 minutes or so from the airport to the SBB train station in Basel.

I can now get a non-stop flight to Zurich and I prefer that route. At the train station at Zurich airport there is one train per hour that goes directly to Basel SBB train station; there are several others per hour that require a change of trains at the main Zurich station. The ride will be about 75-90 minutes.

http://www.sbb.ch/en/

After you pick up your bags and pass immigration and customs, follow the signs in the airport for Bahn (maybe a picture of a train, too?). In my experience, the ticket sellers speak English; they'll be able to tell you the train and the platform you need.

Zürich is closer to Basel than Frankfurt. The shortest travel time is 1 hour and 16 minutes.

You can take any one of many trains directly from the Zürich airport to Basel with no changes. Trains leave the airport station at 8:04 and hourly thereafter until well into the evening with a departure as late as 21:04. There are dozens of 1-change connections all day until after midnight.

The best travel time from Frankfurt is 2 hours, 53 minutes and trains are not nearly as frequent.

Moreover, I find the Zürich airport to be a nicer airport. That is of course a personal opinion.

The train station is directly under the main airport building with the tracks in the basement. The ticket office is on the floor above.

ATMs are common in the airport and there are many shopping facilities.

Zurich it is !!! Thanks a mil for both responses. These have been quite useful. Just have two more questions on this, for now anyway (smile)...

1. Do you forsee any problems with us getting seats if we purchase the train tickets when we arrive at the airport instead of purhacing them online, given UEFA 2008 (We will be travelling around Jun or Jul...)?

2. I visited the SBB website using the link in reply post and see that the trains have both 1st and 2nd class seats. What are the major differences between these two classes ?

Hi April2007,
better make an advance booking, if it is during the games.
1st class is more comfortable, but 2nd is by far good enough for that short ride. And its much cheaper too.

Check the UEFA site for match dates in Basel. See: http://www.uefa.com/competitions/eur...=32/index.html

I wouldn't bother reserving unless your arrival date falls on a match date.

The difference between first and second class isn't much. The seats are a bit more comfortable and there's usually less people in first class. It's quieter too.

Go to Migros grocery store located near the airport train station to stack up on some food before you get on the train.

Use sbb.ch for train schedules. All trains are OK to use.

Normally, buying a train ticket at a train station is no problem but it often seems that the Zürich airport train station often has long lines. Automatic ticket machines are often quicker. They are located in the train station area. You don't need the correct change but you do need Swiss Francs or Euros.

Here's a site for ticket automat instructions: http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...ettautomat.htm

Thanks for the prompt replies. Delighted to hear that 2nd class is also good for travel. I really appreciate these tips and Migros sounds good.

I’m not able to view the rates for Jun-Jul yet but the present rates were available (as listed below). Is there usually a significant change to the fares or is this a good ballpark to work with ?

Price (Swiss francs)
2nd Class, One-way 35.00
2nd Class, Return 70.00
1st Class, One-way 58.00
1st Class, Return 116.00

I agree with all of the above.
I never used a seat reservation in Switzerland, BUT special events can crowd trains. If you are arriving routinely, I would not worry about it.

The only time in normal traveling when I encountered a crowded train was one Sunday afternoon when traveling from Bern to Interlaken.

I was however a trip I will never, ever forget as long as my brain functions because it was one of the most touching moments of my entire life, and I am 75.

In Bern a man older than I (Age 70 at the time) sat down beside me and opposite my wife because it was the only seat left in the car.

He spoke no English and I speak limited German. Despite the barrier we got into a conversation. I learned that in his youth he had been a mountain guide and we talked about the peaks he had climbed and the proper technique for using ice axes, crampons, rope, pitons and carabiners. He knew of what he spoke, so I had no reason to doubt anything he said.

As we neared Spiez he rose to leave the train. He needed to take a ferry across the lake to visit old friends. Before he left, he thanked me for talking to him. Then he pulled out of his pocket a jewel sack that contained some beautifully polished minerals that he said that he had finished himself. With those comments he gave one to me and one to my wife.

The experience still invokes a very strong emotional reaction. My wife and I surmised from other evidence (my wife was a professional medical person) that the man probably was saying good bye. For some reason which we will never know, he decided we were qualified recipients of his gifts. Perhaps it was because I talked to him even though my language was poor and I talked to him about something he loved to do.

Hi Bob,

Great to hear back from you. I was so touched and fascinated by your experience on the train to Interlaken. It also caused me to have a flashback to some of the people I met on my visit to Argentina two years ago. That was indeed a memorable experience! It is special moments such as these that add to the hallmark events throughout our life.

After checking the match dates yesterday I realized that our arrival date coincided with one of the match dates so we’ve changed our itinerary and will now arrive the day before. It’s also good to know that the trains depart so frequently from Zurich so if we miss one we can easily wait for the next departure.

This will be my first time visiting Europe so I’m quite excited !!! Do many people in the main cities speak English ? My husband speaks a little French and I speak a little Spanish.

Could you recommend some good places to visit while in Switzerland ? I’d like see and experience as much as I can.

First on the language problem. Usually you can find someone around who speaks English, however there have been times when my limited German has been useful. Oddly enough it was of the most use in the FRENCH speaking parts where German is a foreign language. People in the French areas learn high German whereas those Berner Oberland valley accents floor me!

I might add that announcements on the trains are usually made in at least 3 languages: German, French, and English. In the Ticino Italian is used.

Now for places to go. I visit Switzerland for the mountains. I am not much of a city person and I don't go there to visit cities. We like Paris and Munich, so don't get me wrong on that, but in Switzerland we are there for the mountains.

If you want a quick trip, here is my first recommendation: If you are traveling by train, go to Interlaken Ost and change to the Berner Oberlandbahn train for Lauterbrunnen.

Change in Lauterbrunnen and take the mountain train to Wengen.\

From the Wengen train station walk through the car free middle of the village to the cable car that ascends to the crest of the ridge that towers over the valley.

From there, if you have the time and energy, walk downhill along a gentle trail to Kleine Scheidegg. From there you can go 3 ways by train and several ways by trail.

Take the train from Kleine Scheidegg back to Lauterbrunnen. The trip downhill takes about an hour.

Second recommendation: Take the train from Interlaken Ost to Grindelwald. Walk west along the main street to the First Gondola. (First is a proper name meaning ridge. It is the end station of the gondola line.)

Ride the gondola to the end station where there is cafe with a large terrace. The views from the terrace are eyepopping. So is the ride up!
I usually warn people to hold a finger over each eye to hold them in when you get that first look above tree line at the north face of the Eiger.

Third recommendation: (or first one) IF !! you have the time AND the budget, AND IF the day is very clear, ride the train all the way from Interlaken Ost to the Jungfraujoch.

From the obervation building walk the groomed snow track to the shelter facility called the Mönchsjochhütte. The Mönch is the peak that neighbors the Jungfrau, Joch means a pass or valley between two peaks, and Hütte is sort of like our word hut. In this case, the hut is a 3-story building bolted to the rock! Not exactly my idea of a hut.

As you approach the "hut" keep going until the wind stops you!! And look south over the Aletschgletscher.

If the day is sunny, you may have the paradoxical situation of sweating while you walk on the snow!! Let the wind hit you, and the heat dissipates rather rapidly, like in 2 seconds!!

At the "hut" you can get food and liquid refreshments.

Recommendation four: Go to Lautebrunnen as described. Take the new cable lift to Grutschalp. Here you can easily walk along a broad trail to Mürren. The route is fairly flat because you are on the shelf of the valley. The views in front of you are spectacular in the extreme. Once you get to Mürren, find a cafe with a terrace and drink in the view.

From Mürren you can continue your visit in several ways.

Again, if you have the time and the budget AND IF the day is clear, take the cable lift to the top of the Schilthorn for a spectacular look around.

You can return to Lauterbrunne by taking the Schilthornbhan all the way to the valley floor and then ride the Post Bus back to Lauterbrunnen. If you have the time, stop at Trömmelbach Falls for a visit. There is a slight fee to get in, but there is an elevator to take you part of the way up. Inside the mountain the falls are lighted.

If you don't go up to the Schilthorn, you can return to Lauterbrunnen in two ways. One way is to take the little train back to Grutschalp and ride down on the cable lift. The other way is to take the last two stages of the Schilthornbahn to the valley floor.
There is as stop at Gimmelwald of Rick Steves fame. It is a dot on the landscape and really not worth a stop in my opinion.

If you have more time I can incorporate my favorite of ALL these cable lifts.

Go to Zermatt and walk to the cable car station that has several destinations. Buy a ticket for the Klein Matterhorn station, but do so only if the day is clear!!

We did this trip in 2006 and we are still talking about it. The view from the Klein Matterhorn is the stuff of legends because to us it ew was overpowering. To the west we could see all the way to Mount Blanc; on the east we had a clear view of the Mischabel Range which includes some of the highest peaks entirely within Switzerland.
In front of us to the north, the Matterhorn itself blended into the background of other immense peaks like Dente Blanche and the Zinal Rothorn.

Yes Zermatt is touristy. No way around that aspect of it. But, so what? The mountains around Zermatt are enough to draw a mob!! So go and enjoy it if you have the time.

Well those are my top favorites. If we get into second tier favorites, we will be here the rest of the night. And even my second tier favorites are as spectacular as they can be and are probably many of them are other people's first tier favorites.

Hello Bob,
I had limited access to internet over the past few days. Thanks for providing such detailed information and your excellent suggestions. Your details will serve as a great guide for us. We definitely want to explore the mountains. The cable lift should also be an interesting experience…especially for a first timer like myself! If possible I will try to learn a little German before the trip. Always good to know several languages!

Please feel free to drop me a line anytime with any other suggestions or tips you have.

I have listed most of my top favorite excursions in Switzerland.

I could add a few more, but the ones I have listed could take several days to complete if you progressed at vacation speed like I do.

Let me add one note about Zermatt. The village itself is closed to most passenger cars, if not all gasoline vehicles. To reach Zermatt, one parks in a huge garage in the town of Täsch and takes the shuttle train to the main station.

If you are traveling by train all the way, you can reach Zermatt from Basel in a little over 3 hours.

Zermatt is served by a private mountain rail line so a change in the town of Visp is required.

The are many hotels in Zermatt and this board has many recommendations.

In addition to the Klein Matterhorn cable trip, there is also the cog train to the end station on the Gornergrat. The view point at the rail station gives terrific views of Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn.

However, cloudy days are frequent.
We were there once in September and had ideas of walking part of the way back to Zermatt. Then the clouds thickened and snow began falling to the extent that the trail was obscured. As a result we took the train all the way.