Coach Hire Across Switzerland

Coaches for Rhine Cruise Groups in Basel

Basel has no single cruise terminal. Cabin ships tie up at three landing stages on both banks of the Rhine, so the first job is to find out which one your ship uses.

Three stages, two banks

St. Johann is on the Grossbasel side, the left bank. It is a ten-minute walk from the centre and about 1 km from the Marktplatz. The other two, Klybeckquai and Dreiländereck, lie across the river in Kleinbasel's port area. Dreiländereck is in the Kleinhüningen harbour, near the point where three countries meet.

The Rhine ports publish a berth plan that shows which ship uses which stage. Take the stage from your cruise documents, not from last season, and tell us if the cruise line changes it.

Setra high-capacity coach, exterior
Setra high-capacity coach, exterior

Where the coach can wait

No coach rules are published for the landing stages themselves. The canton has coach places around the city. They are free but cannot be reserved. The operator picks the stop and the waiting place before the day.

Give us two numbers when you book: passengers and suitcases. A full-size coach has 45 to 57 seats and luggage holds under the floor. A midi-coach of 25 to 35 seats has less room for cases.

From the boat to the coach

  • Basel has no single cruise terminal: cabin ships use three locations, St. Johann on the Grossbasel bank and Klybeckquai and Dreiländereck on the Kleinbasel bank, so check the landing stage on the cruise documents before planning a transfer.
  • The cabin ships bring around 100,000 guests to Basel each year, according to Basel Tourism.
  • All landing stages that lead to the hotel ships are barrier-free and can be reached by wheelchair; the St. Johann terminal also has a lift and an escalator between the promenade and the lower quay.
  • Information panels at the passenger terminals give a route description for transfers to the city centre.
  • The Port of Switzerland publishes no coach parking or coach set-down rules at the landing stages. The canton of Basel-Stadt says the city has several coach parking places that are free of charge but cannot be reserved; its map distinguishes coach stopping places from coach parking places, with the permitted duration for each.
  • By road, Basel SBB station is about 3 km from St. Johann (about 6 min in light traffic) and about 5.5 km from Dreiländereck and Klybeckquai (about 10 min); the Marktplatz is about 1 km from St. Johann.
  • Routed from the St. Johann terminal: EuroAirport about 9 km (about 15 min), Zürich Airport about 92 km (about 1 h 10 min) and Genève Aéroport about 251 km (about 2 h 50 min) in light traffic. From Dreiländereck, Zürich Airport is about 91 km.
  • EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg lies in France and has a Swiss sector; see the airport facts for the exit groups use for Basel.
  • The regional passenger boats on the Rhine in Basel are run by the Basler Personenschifffahrt (BPG), not by the Port of Switzerland.

Airports for this pier

Airports and stations

EuroAirport is about 9 to 10 km from the stages, around 15 minutes in light traffic. It lies in France. Your group leaves by the Swiss exit, which the coach reaches from Basel on the customs road.

Zürich Airport is about 92 km away, roughly 1 h 10 min. Geneva is about 251 km and close to three hours. For Basel SBB, count roughly 3 km by road if you board at St. Johann and 5.5 km from either Kleinbasel stage.

What organisers ask us

Can a coach from Germany or France take us from the ship to Zürich Airport?

No. Basel to Zürich is a journey between two places in Switzerland, and a coach operator from the EU may not carry passengers on it. Crossing the border is allowed, so a foreign coach may take the group from Basel into Germany or France.

Can wheelchair users get on and off the ship?

Yes. All the landing stages for the hotel ships are barrier-free. At St. Johann a lift and an escalator link the promenade with the lower quay. Tell us about any wheelchair users so the vehicle comes with a lift or ramp.

Can the group walk into the old town from the ship?

From St. Johann, yes: the centre is about ten minutes away, and panels at the passenger terminals describe the route. From Klybeckquai or Dreiländereck it is further, and with luggage the coach is the easier choice.

Destinations

Vehicles, each with a driver