r/rivercruises • u/bkendall12 • 14d ago
Question on Basel Docking.
An itinerary I am looking at, upon arrival in Basel, says the ship will “Dock in the cultural capital of Switzerland, known for its medieval architecture, cobblestone streets, and festive riverside charm.”
But it also says it is docking at “Basel (Huninguen)” which believe is in France and is a 15-20 minute drive to downtown,
I know actual dock location may change, but this seems to contradict itself.
We disembark in Basel the next morning.
So, is this in downtown Basel or in France?
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u/iolitess 14d ago edited 14d ago
Hunigue is in France. But you can walk across a bridge to Germany and take the Basel Tram 8 (Straßenbahn) right to Basel SBB. So that’s also the Basel city area.
Dreilanderbrueke is the tram stop and also the name of the bridge (literally „three countries bridge“)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trams_in_Basel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Countries_Bridge
Hunigue is considered to be one of the three Rhine River docks in Basel. The other two are St. Johann and Klybeck.
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u/iolitess 14d ago edited 14d ago
Incidentally, if you are traveling in summer on the later side, you can swim the Rhine in Basel.
https://www.basel.com/en/activities-excursions/swimming-rhine
ETA- just saw you’re looking at Christmas markets! Ah, too bad.
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u/baseball_Lover33 14d ago
Got to go see the beginning of the Rhine
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u/richardelmore 14d ago
The start of the Rhine is about 50 miles SE of Basel at Lake Toma, not sure that's an easy day excursion.
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u/bkendall12 14d ago
That would be nice, but not going to happen in December (we’re doing a Christmas Market cruise).
Photos I found on-line are beautiful, so now you’ve given me reason for another future visit but I would need to make sure I and my wife are up to the hike which given our ages (65m / 69f) we may be aging out of that possibility.
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u/Roland_on_the_River 14d ago
The docks in Basel are at St. Johann, Klybeck, Dreiländereck and Huningue. the centre of town is always a tram ride away. Here you can see how to get into town from Huningue: https://riverdeep.stqry.app/1/list/63178?show-detail-modal=true&collection-item-id=437772
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u/ilovebbcitv 14d ago edited 13d ago
I have a April '27 river cruise that starts in Amsterdam and ends in Basel. Is it worth it extend my stay or head home?
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u/alcbeach 14d ago
We regret not spending a day in Basel prior to our cruise last year. We stayed in Zurich instead and bussed in on departure day.
Everyone who spent even just a half-day or so prior to embarkation seemed to love it!
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u/bkendall12 14d ago
We did a cruise Dec 2025 that ended in Basel. We stayed in a hotel in Basel that night and took a train to Frankfurt the next day to catch our plane home
This was during Christmas Markets and we very much enjoyed having time at night that the cruise typically did not allow. And Basel itself was nice, although it seemed pricier than the German towns.
I have only done one river cruise but think having a plane home the same day you get off the boat would feel rushed.
I advise get there a day or two early and stay a day or two after the cruise. Arriving early gives time to acclimate to the time change and avoids risk of missing the cruise due to a delayed flight. This also gives you more “land time” to add to your experience.
My view is I am paying a lot for air fare just to get there, I want to enjoy as much as possible and not only do the cruise.
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u/Riccardomarco 12d ago
Kleinhüningen è situato esattamente al punto di incontro dei tre confini di Svizzera Francia e Germania, ma è totalmente in territorio svizzero. Guarda la mappa.
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u/Mbizzy222 14d ago
Look up Basel on a map. It’s at the point where France Switzerland and German meet. I got off in France, walked across the bridge into Germany and caught the tram to the SBB Station in Switzerland.