Boat trips on the Rhine from Basel

The boat trips

There are three types of boat trips. Apart from the little ferries, they all depart from the dock in the center of town, called 'Schifflände'. These are the trips:

• A quick Rhine crossing with one of the four little pedestrian ferries in Basel.
• 'Stadt- und Hafenrundfahrten': round trips to the city and the harbour. A lunch boat is available too on this route. Expect a mixture of pretty old town sights and the harbour with its industrial buildings and terminals. The trip takes 75 to 90 minutes. Availability: from mid May to mid October. Check the timetable for details.
• 'Schleusenfahrten': trips from Basel to Rheinfelden. During this trip, the ship needs to pass through a lock ('Schleuse') twice. You will see the pretty old town center of Basel, but also industrial activity, farmland and a few towns. A single trip takes 2.5 to 3.5 hours. Availability: from February to mid October. Check the timetable for details.
   

  Combine boat and train

  If you want to make the trip from Basel to Rheinfelden (or vice versa), you can do a round trip or a single trip. In case of a single trip from Basel, we recommend to get off the boat in either Kaiseraugst or Rheinfelden. In Kaiseraugst, it's a 7 minute walk to the train station, where you can take a train back to Basel (15 minute ride). In Rheinfelden it takes 8 minutes to reach the station on foot. Train rides back to Basel take about 15 minutes. Be sure to visit the small historical town center of Rheinfelden before taking a train back. It's just a minute on foot from the boat dock.
   

  About the river Rhine

  Basel is split into two parts by the Rhine: 'Kleinbasel' (Lesser Basel) in the North and 'Grossbasel' (Greater Basel) in the South. There are five bridges connecting both parts of town. The middle one ('Mittlere Rheinbrücke') is the picturesque one, dating back to 1226, but replaced in 1905. All boats departs from the 'Schifflände' (dock), right next to this bridge. Outside of the city, the river marks the border of Switzerland and Germany.

  Preparation

  Although sunshine is great for a boat trip, it's still worth it if it's cloudy or drizzling. Take along sun glasses and sunscreen. Check the timetable as the number of boat services is limited.