The Europe CruiseFor the American voyager

Your voyage begins in Basel

From the airport to the gangway, every way there and back.

Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The short answer

Basel is the usual start or end of a Rhine cruise. Its airport, EuroAirport, is on French soil and has a Swiss side and a French side. Use the Swiss-side exit for the bus to Basel SBB station.

I · Arrive by airBSLEuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
II · Airport to shipBus 50: about 20 minutes to Basel SBB station
III · Ways to travel4compared below
IV · BoardBaselriver dock
The timetable

Every way from the airport to the ship

Tap any way for step-by-step directions.

The wayFromTimeCost
Bus 50 to Basel SBB, then taxi or tramBSLAbout 20 minutes, buses every 7-10 minutes from 04:30 to midnightNot verified, see bvb.ch
Taxi (Swiss side)BSLNot verifiedApproximate: about CHF 50 (EuroAirport price for city center to airport)
Cruise line transferBSLVariesSet by your line
Train to Basel SBB, then taxiZRHNot verifiedNot verified
On the chart

Where Basel lies

Antique-style chart of River Voyages with ports markedBaselAmsterdamAvignonBarcelonaBudapestRomeDoverGenoaIJmuidenLyonMarseilleNurembergParisPassauPortoRavennaRegensburgRotterdamSavonaSouthamptonTriesteVeniceViennaA CoruñaAjaccioAmalfi and PositanoBariBastiaBilbaoCannesCherbourgCobhDublinDubrovnikFalmouthGuernseyHolyheadHonfleurHvarKoperKorčulaKotorLa SpeziaLe HavreLivornoMonacoNaplesOlbiaPortlandPortoferraioPortofino / Santa Margherita LigurePulaRovinjSaint-MaloSaint-TropezSalernoSèteŠibenikSorrentoSplitTarragonaToulonVigoVillefranche-sur-Mer and NiceWaterfordZadarZeebrugge
Step by step

From EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL)

Bus 50: about 20 minutes to Basel SBB station

Bus 50 to Basel SBB, then taxi or tram

Time About 20 minutes, buses every 7-10 minutes from 04:30 to midnightCost Not verified, see bvb.ch
  1. After baggage claim, follow signs to the Swiss sector exit.
  2. Find bus 50 on the forecourt in the Swiss sector arrivals zone.
  3. Ride to Basel SBB.
  4. Take a taxi to your dock.

If you exit on the French side you will be in France, with French buses.

Taxi (Swiss side)

Time Not verifiedCost Approximate: about CHF 50 (EuroAirport price for city center to airport)
  1. Use the Swiss-sector taxi rank.
  2. Give the dock address.

Swiss-side companies include Airport Taxi and Blitz-Taxi Basel.

Cruise line transfer

Time VariesCost Set by your line
  1. Book with your line.

Easiest.

Step by step

From Zurich Airport (ZRH)

Not verified

Train to Basel SBB, then taxi

Time Not verifiedCost Not verified
  1. Check sbb.ch for Zurich Airport to Basel trains.

Zurich has more long-haul flights.

Already in town

From the city or your hotel

Taxi from Basel SBB or the old town

Time ShortCost Not verified

Docks are in the St. Johann and Klybeck areas along the Rhine.

The night before

Where to stay

Arrive a day or two early. A delayed flight on sailing day is the most common way travelers miss the ship.

Basel old town (Grossbasel) or near Basel SBB

Short taxi to the docks; easy rail links.

All aboard

Sailing day

Terminals & docks

No single terminal. Viking lists Uferstrasse 50 and Westquaistrasse 75 (4057) and St. Johanns-Rheinweg 109 (4056). Uniworld lists Klybeckquai/Uferstrasse and St. Johanns-Rheinweg, varying by ship and date. Your line sends the exact dock.

Check-in

  • River ships usually start boarding in the afternoon. AmaWaterways says boarding usually begins around 3:00 p.m., and you can drop bags earlier.
  • Uniworld says to confirm your boarding address and boarding time 24 hours before you arrive.
  • River docks can change at short notice. Confirm the dock address with your line the day before.

What trips people up

  • Two exits at EuroAirport (Swiss and French). Pick the Swiss side for Basel.
  • Switzerland uses francs (CHF), not euros.
  • Docks vary by ship and date.
  • Low water: in fall 2026 Viking (Sept 30 notice), AmaWaterways (Oct 2026) and Uniworld all reported low water on parts of the Danube, Rhine and Main. Fixes include ship swaps, bus legs, or a different boarding town. Your line will contact you if your cruise changes.

Do this

  • Exit on the Swiss side, then take bus 50. It is frequent and simple.
Homeward bound

Leaving the ship: back to the airport

The same routes run in reverse. On the last morning everyone leaves at once, so lines for taxis and buses are at their longest. Book flights home for the afternoon or later, and arrange your ride in advance if you can.

The wayToTimeCost
Bus 50 to Basel SBB, then taxi or tramBSLAbout 20 minutes, buses every 7-10 minutes from 04:30 to midnightNot verified, see bvb.ch
Taxi (Swiss side)BSLNot verifiedApproximate: about CHF 50 (EuroAirport price for city center to airport)
Cruise line transferBSLVariesSet by your line
Train to Basel SBB, then taxiZRHNot verifiedNot verified

Before you leave

  • Two exits at EuroAirport (Swiss and French). Pick the Swiss side for Basel.
Linger a while

Before or after your cruise

Sources & what we could not confirm · 5 sources · checked 2026-11
Still being confirmed
  • Bus 50 fare
  • Taxi fare airport to docks
  • Zurich Airport to Basel train time
  • US nonstop flights: not verified for this page; check airline sites