Zurich to Basel
 

We will be arriving into Zurich on AA/Swiss air code share flight and then it is showing Zurich to Basel by Swiss rail...Does anyone know if the train station is in the airport...will we have to claim luggage and then carry to trains??? Also anyone know about transfer from Basel train station to the river cruise departure...how far and apprx cost????

Thank you for the reply.

Trains run hourly at :04 mins after the hourly from Zurich Flughafen (airport) to Basel, taking 1 hr and 14 mins - the train station is right in Zurich airport. For schedules visit: www.bahn.de, German rail website that is best in my experience for schedules for all of Europe. Click on "Internat. Guests" on top bar to get English timetable page. But appears every hour at :04 after.

I've flown into Zurich a number of times and have had to catch a train. I claim my bags first, and then take them to the train station, which is in the lower level of ZRH airport. It's really very easy. There are plenty of signs directing you to the SwissBahn. There are machines where you can purchase your ticket, but I prefer getting in line and talking to an agent.

I try to travel "light" when I know I'm going from plane to train, because I am responsible for dragging along my own belongings.

I have not taken the train to Basel, but I'm sure it is just as easy as taking one to Lucerne, which is what I always seem to be doing when I get to ZRH. Trains depart from ZRH regularly, so if you miss one, there will be another one soon!

I cannot answer your question about distance from the train station in Basel to the river cruise departure point. But I trust you won't have any problems getting a taxi to take you there.

Picking up luggage and gettng through Swiss customs is very easy - basically no wait once you have your luggage. In Basel, there is a tram stop right outside the train station that goes to many places including the river. However, I don't know where the river cruise departure point is so I can't help with that. In my experience, taxis are very expensive in Switzerland but may be your best choice if you can't figure out the tram stops.

The best website for Swiss rail info is the Swiss Rail site at rail.ch, it is already in English. Enter "Zurich airport" as your starting point and "Basel" as your destination. As noted above, a trains run hourly at :04 past the hour and requires no changes to get to Basel. There are many other trains which will require a change at the main train station in Zurich (the hautbanhof) or other stations, which is generally very easy to do, it is up to you if you want to change with baggage. Otherwise, you may have to wait up to an hour to get the :04 train from the airport.

The airport train station is in the lower basement of the Zurich airport (i.e. two floors down from the arrivals level). You can buy tickets from personnel at ticket windows or automated ticket machines, both are located near the escalators on the first level down after arrivals. Peronnel speak English, often better than yours. You can take luggage carts on the escalators all the way down to the tracks (a bit unnerving until you get used to it, just remember to let go of the handle so the brakes lock). From there you do have to lug them onto the trains and there are generally some stairs, so two smaller bags rather than one large bag would be better.

To get to the cruise pier in Basel, I would suggest you first contact the cruse line to get the exact location. They may have already arranged transport from the Basel train station and/or will have precise details on tram numbers or buses; you may have to take a combination of trams and buses to get to the pier. Taxis are quite expensive in Switzerland, but would be fine as long as you are prepared for the cost; the cruise line should be able to give you an idea of cost. Most taxis take credit cards, drivers generally speak English, but have the address written down to show the driver (take it off the cruise website if necessary). A rough idea is that a 15-minute, 10 mile journey from the Zurich airport to my house in old town Zurich would cost about US $60.