Basel City Tours
Hours, prices and access verified by the Basel Switzerland Tours team — last checked 2026-09-21.
Basel city tours show you the Old Town and the Rhine in 75 minutes to four hours, by bus, by boat, by bike or on foot. Pick the pace and the price, and you can fit two into a day.
Basel city tours by bus, boat, bike and on foot
★★★★★ 4.7 (1,234 reviews · 2 hours)
Old Town walkGuide only in the fareStarts at the Tinguely Fountain
Two hours on foot with a tourist-office guide for about the price of the bus: up to the Minster, down to the Rathaus and through the lanes the bus cannot reach. It starts at the Tinguely Fountain.
From $31 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Top rated
★★★★★ 5.0 (377 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes)
Bike tourBike and two tastingsStarts at St. Johanns-TorMax 6 guests
About 12 km on both banks, mostly flat, from the old gate at St. Johanns-Tor. Six riders at most, with the bike and two Basel tastings in the fare. Riders must be 12 or over and able to ride.
From $51 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Best value
★★★★☆ 4.3 (167 reviews · 1 hour 15 minutes)
Rhine cruiseCruise ticket in the fareBoards at the Schifflände
The cheapest way to see the city: 75 minutes on the Rhine from the landing below the Mittlere Brücke, past the Old Town, the Roche Towers and the harbour. It sails in all weather, and the audio guide plays on your phone.
From $24 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★☆ 4.2 (505 reviews · 2 hours)
Audio-guide busA Läckerli on boardStarts on Steinenberg
Two hours on a panorama bus from Steinenberg with an iPad audio guide in eight languages, Wi-Fi and a Läckerli biscuit on board. You step off twice for photos: at a park and at the point where three countries meet.
From $36 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.9 (17 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours)
Old Town walkGuide only in the fareStarts at the Town HallMax 10 guests
A walk for up to ten from the Town Hall at 10am that crosses the Mittlere Brücke and climbs to the terrace behind the Minster for the view up and down the Rhine. Allow 90 minutes to two hours.
From $43 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
★★★★★ 4.7 (21 reviews · 3 to 4 hours)
Old Town walkTram and ferry faresStart agreed with the guide
The one city tour that mixes all three: on foot with a private guide, on the trams and buses, and across the Rhine on a ferry, with every fare paid. Three to four hours, for two people or more.
From $233 per person
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Both banks of the Rhine by bike
About 12 km, mostly flat, for six riders at most, from St. Johanns-Tor, with the bike and two Basel tastings in the fare, for $51.
See this tour
What a city tour of Basel is
A city tour here is a few hours inside Basel, seen one of four ways: by bus, by boat, by
bike or on foot. Each shows you the Old Town, the Minster on its hill and the Rhine, but each
sees them from a different place.
The boat sees the city from the water. The bus sees the most ground but lets you off twice.
The bike covers both banks of the river. A walk climbs the lanes that nothing else can reach.
So the question is not which is best, but which way you want to see it.
Every city tour is short: 75 minutes on the Rhine, two hours on the bus or on foot, about
two and a half on the bike and three to four on the private walk. You can fit two into one
day.
Why choose a city tour
You see the whole city in an afternoon
Basel spreads over both banks and out to the harbour, where Switzerland, France and Germany
meet. A city tour links the parts. The bus stops at the three-country point; the cruise sails
past it; the bike crosses the river twice.
You choose your effort
Sit down on the bus or the boat. Ride on the flat on the bike. Walk up to the Minster on
foot. If you tire easily or travel with someone who does, that choice matters more than the
route.
Most cost under $55
The cruise costs $24, the city's own walk $31, the bus $36 and the
bike $51. Only the private walk, at $233 a person, costs more, and it pays your tram
and ferry fares.
They run when the weather turns
The cruise sails in all weather, with indoor and outdoor decks. The bus keeps you dry. If rain
is forecast, pick one of those and save the bike for a clear day.
Bus vs boat vs bike vs on foot
Here are the four ways side by side, from each listing's own terms.
| Bus | Boat | Bike | On foot |
|---|
| Fare | $36 | $24 | $51 | $31 to $233 |
| Time | 2 hours | 75 minutes | 2.5 to 3 hours | 1.5 to 4 hours |
| Guide | iPad audio | Phone audio | A guide | A guide |
| Stops | Two photo stops | None | Several | All the way |
| Effort | None | None | About 12 km, flat | Hills and steps |
| Starts | Steinenberg | Schifflände | St. Johanns-Tor | Several squares |
Check availability from $24
The walks alone are compared on Basel walking tours. The bus and the cruise are the only ones you can
take with an audio guide rather than a person.
What you get, and what you don't
- The bus: a panorama seat, an iPad audio guide in eight languages, Wi-Fi and
a Läckerli. Photo stops at St. Johanns-Park for 7 minutes and the three-country point for 10.
Most sights you pass rather than visit, and one traveller counted only two stops off the
bus.
- The boat: a seat on the 75-minute city and harbour cruise and a phone audio
guide in English, German or French. A bar and kiosk are on board, and dogs are welcome. The
route can change for shipping.
- The bike: a bike, a helmet on request, a guide and two Basel tastings. Riders
must be 12 or over.
- On foot: a guide. The private walk adds tram, bus and ferry fares between
stops.
75 minutes on the Rhine, the lowest fare here
From the Schifflände below the Mittlere Brücke, past the Old Town and out to the harbour, in all weather, for $24.
Check availability
Planning a city tour
- Budget: $24 to $51 for the cruise, the bus, the bike and the
city's own walk; $233 a person for the private walk, with two to book.
- Combine two: a walk in the morning and the cruise after lunch covers the
Old Town and the river without a rush.
- Getting to the bike: tram 11 from Basel SBB, Barfüsserplatz or Marktplatz
to St. Johanns-Tor.
- Booking: the bike takes six, so book it first. Every city tour refunds in
full up to 24 hours before.
How a walk, a museum and the river fit into one day is in our one-day plan for the city.
Who should choose something else
- If you want to go inside. City tours pass the Minster and the museums, and
entry is never in the fare. Buy those tickets yourself.
- If you came to taste. The bus hands you a biscuit and the bike two
tastings, but Basel food tours pay for cheese and chocolate at each stop.
- If you have a free day and a rail pass. Take the tram and the ferries on
your own. Our guide to Basel without a tour shows you how.
- If you want mountains. day tours from Basel reach the Alps and Lucerne.
Frequently asked questions
Which city tour should I take first?
If you have one morning, the tourist office's walk at $31 shows you the Old Town on foot. If walking is hard, the cruise or the bus shows you more for less effort. If you like to ride, the bike tour covers both banks.
Is there a Basel boat tour?
Yes: a 75-minute Rhine cruise from the Schifflände landing below the Mittlere Brücke. It passes the Old Town, the harbour and the three-country point, with an audio guide on your phone, and it runs in all weather.
Is there a Basel bus tour?
Yes: a two-hour audio-guide bus from Steinenberg 6, opposite the Tinguely Fountain. It makes photo stops at St. Johanns-Park and the Dreiländereck, and hands you a Läckerli, the Basel biscuit, on board.
How do I get to the bike tour?
Take tram 11 from Basel SBB, Barfüsserplatz or Marktplatz to the St. Johanns-Tor stop. The guide waits opposite the stop at the park entrance, in a white T-shirt.
Do tours run in the rain?
The Rhine cruise runs in all weather. For the other tours the operator decides on the day, so bring a layer and watch your booking messages.
Which city tour suits children?
The cruise, since it is short and you can move between the decks. The bike tour takes riders from 12. On foot, the two-hour walks include hills, so a pushchair is hard work.
How do the Rhine ferries work?
Each of the four ferries hangs from a cable across the river and is pushed over by the current alone. They link Grossbasel and Kleinbasel all year, and the Münster ferry gives you the best view of the Minster.