Bike, Bus or Boat: the Best Way to See Basel
The short answer. Take the bike if you ride and want both banks of the Rhine in one go. Take the bus if you want to sit, hear the stories in your own language and reach the edges of the city. Take the boat if you want the river, the harbour and the point where three countries meet, at the lowest fare of the three.
There are many Basel Switzerland guided tours, but only three that move you round the city on wheels or water in under three hours. Here is how they compare, and what each one never shows you.
The three, side by side
| Bike | Bus | Boat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fare (per person) | $51 | $36 | $24 |
| Time | 2.5 to 3 hours | 2 hours | 75 minutes |
| Starts | St. Johanns-Tor | Steinenberg 6, by the Stadtcasino | Schifflände, by the Mittlere Brücke |
| Commentary | A live guide, English or German | iPad audio in eight languages | Phone audio in German, French or English |
| In the fare | Bike, helmet on request, two tastings | Audio guide, Wi-Fi, a Läckerli | The cruise ticket and a seat |
| Age | 12 and over | Any | Any |
| Rating | 5.0 from 377 | 4.2 from 505 | 4.3 from 167 |
The bike: both banks, six riders
The bike tour starts at St. Johanns-Tor, an old city gate, and rides about 12 km, mostly on the flat. You cross to the Kleinbasel bank and ride upstream, cross back at the power plant, and come through St. Alban to the Minster. There you get a drink and two Basel specialities, before Marktplatz and the ride home along the river.
It has the highest rating of the three, and the smallest group: six riders at most. Elizabeth T, from Spain, rode upstream on one bank and back down the other and found nothing rushed. The bike tour costs $51.
- Best for: confident riders who want the whole city in one afternoon.
- Leaves out: anyone under 12, and anyone who does not ride.
- Watch for: the saddle. A few riders asked for a better fit, so have it set first.
The bus: sit down and listen
The panorama bus leaves from Steinenberg 6, opposite the Tinguely Fountain, in front of the Stadtcasino. For two hours it drives round the centre and out to the edges: the Rathaus, the Mittlere Brücke, the Spalentor, the Novartis Campus and the Roche Tower among them. You listen on an iPad, in one of eight languages, with maps and pictures.
You get off twice for photos: seven minutes at St. Johanns-Park and ten at the Dreiländereck, where Switzerland, France and Germany meet. The bus also calls at a Läckerli maker for a tasting, and you get a Läckerli, the city's hard spice biscuit, on board. The audio-guide bus costs $36.
- Best for: a first look at the whole city, in your own language, sitting down.
- Leaves out: time on foot. Most sights pass by the window.
- Watch for: the sound. Vilma, from the United States, found the recording hard to follow at times.
The boat: the river and the harbour
The cruise leaves from the Schifflände, just before the Mittlere Brücke; turn left and go down the steps. For 75 minutes it runs along the Old Town, past the Roche Towers, the Tinguely Museum and the Birsfelden power plant, then into the Rhine port among the cranes and cargo ships. It turns towards the three-country point, where you can see Switzerland, Germany and France at once.
It runs in all weather, with indoor and outdoor decks and a bar on board. You follow the stories on your own phone, at 14 stops, in German, French or English. The 75-minute Rhine cruise costs $24, the lowest fare of the three.
- Best for: families, anyone who cannot walk far, and a rainy afternoon.
- Leaves out: the Old Town lanes, which you only see from the water.
- Watch for: changes. The route can be adjusted for shipping or official reasons.
Getting to each start
The three start points sit in different parts of the city, so plan the tram before you book. Hotel guests ride the trams free with the BaselCard, which makes all three easy.
- The bike: tram 11 towards Saint-Louis Grenze, from Basel SBB, Barfüsserplatz or Marktplatz, to the St. Johanns-Tor stop. The guide waits opposite, at the park entrance, in a white T-shirt.
- The bus: the bus stop at Steinenberg 6, opposite the Tinguely Fountain, in the bus parking zone in front of the Stadtcasino. Barfüsserplatz is a short walk away.
- The boat: the Schifflände landing. Walk towards the Mittlere Brücke, turn left just before it, and go down the steps.
All three are marked on the Basel map, with the tram stops beside them.
What to bring
- For the bike: clothes you can ride in, and a layer for the river wind.
- For the bus: a charged phone, which the bus asks you to bring.
- For the boat: a charged phone and headphones for the audio guide, and cash or a card for the bar.
- For all three: water in summer, and a rain jacket for the bike on a grey day.
What each one never shows you
Each way of seeing Basel has a blind spot, and knowing it helps you pick. The bike never stops long, so you see a lot and go inside nothing. The bus reaches the edges of the city, but you step off only twice. The boat shows the river and the harbour, and nothing of the lanes. Colum, from the United Kingdom, had hoped to see more of the sights the boat's description names.
None of the three climbs the Old Town hill on foot, which is where the Minster and the Pfalz are. That is the job of a walk, and the walks are on Basel walking tours.
Doing two in one day
They fit together well, because none takes more than three hours. Ride the bike in the morning from St. Johanns-Tor, and take the cruise in the afternoon from the Schifflände. Tram 11 links the two ends of the day, and hotel guests ride it free with the BaselCard.
- Morning: the bike, about three hours with the tasting.
- Lunch: Marktplatz or Barfüsserplatz.
- Afternoon: the 75-minute cruise from below the bridge.
- Evening: the Pfalz terrace on foot, for the view the cruise showed you from below.
The cost for one person is about US$76. For the stops in walking order, see our Old Town walk post.
Which one for you
- Active couples and friends: the bike.
- Families with children under 12: the boat, or the bus.
- Travellers who cannot walk far: the boat, with a seat from start to finish.
- Anyone happier in a language other than English or German: the bus.
- A rainy day: the boat, which runs in all weather under cover.
Summer suits two in a day, but pack water for the bike: July averages 17.9 days above 25°C. The rest of the year is on the Basel weather page, and every meeting point is on the Basel map. All three, with the walks, are compared on Basel city tours.
The three ways round the city
Best of Basel: Guided Bike Tour
About 12 km on both banks of the Rhine, mostly flat, from the old gate at St. Johanns-Tor. Six riders at most, a bike in the fare, a helmet on request, and two Basel specialities to taste. Riders must be 12 or over.
From $51 per person
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Basel: Sightseeing Bus Tour with Audio Guide
Two hours round the city on a panorama bus from the Stadtcasino, with an iPad audio guide in eight languages, Wi-Fi and a Läckerli on board. Short photo stops at a park and at the point where three countries meet.
From $36 per person
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Basel: Panorama Sightseeing Cruise on the Rhine (75 min.)
Seventy-five minutes on the Rhine from the landing below the Mittlere Brücke, past the Old Town, the power plant and the harbour. It runs in all weather, with indoor and outdoor decks and a phone audio guide.
From $24 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Taste the city next: chocolate in Basel, walk by walk. Every fare sits side by side on Basel Switzerland Tours.