Switzerland · DAY TRIPS FROM BASEL
Good day trips from basel fill up weeks ahead; the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Small-group Basel tour to Mount Pilatus by glass dragon cable car, then Lake Lucerne cruise and cogwheel fun, with guide help.
“Michael was an excellent guide. He gave us information beyond just highlights. He answered a wide variety of questions. The scenery was breathtaking between city, lake and Mountain View’s.”
Basel to Lucerne in one guided rail day, including Chur and a reserved Glacier Express ride, plus Lucerne’s Old Town bridges and Lion Monument.
“There was very poor communication about the pickup point. So we missed the first train, which pretty much ruined the rest of the day. We had a good guide. He was new, but tried his very best. The glacier express was disappointing. But we were only able to do half of it, due the delay in the 1st train.”
Basel to Zermatt and the Gornergrat, a full-day small group train trip with Matterhorn views and Europe’s second highest railway included.
“While it was a long day, it was well worth it and made you feel like you were in Switzerland. Our guide was amazing and the views of Matterhorn and then surrounding area was gorgeous.”
Basel to Mount Pilatus in a small group, using train, lake boat, cogwheel train, and gondola, with guided time on the mountain.
“Our guide, Mike, couldn’t have been any better. He was so knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. I’d give him 10 stars if I could! The city of Luzern is beautiful. Like walking into a fairytale land. I could imagine Heidi calling “Grandfather, Grandfather”. The waters of the Rhone River and Lake Luzern were crystal clear and beautiful. The ride up the 48 degree cog railway to the top of Mount Pilatus was a nice experience. Unfortunately it was an overcast day so our view from the mountain wasn’t fantastic, but we did get wonderful views from the cable car. Do expect a lot of walking and a long day but it…”
Small-group Lucerne walk plus one-hour Lake Lucerne cruise from Basel, with round-trip train transfers included.
“Interesting and pretty town. Boat ride was not much but we had bad weather with clouds so that did make a negatve difference. Guide was nice guy but spoke softly.”
Sky-high Mt. Pilatus and glowing Lake Lucerne from Basel, with Golden Route access, a guided cogwheel climb, and the dragon cable car.
“Onze excursie begon helaas niet zo goed. Wij zouden opgehaald worden door een gids op het station in Bazel. Maar daar kwam niemand. Gebeld en toen bleek dat we met de trein naar Luzern moesten en daar zouden we onze gids dan ontmoeten. Gelukkig hebben we op tijd gebeld en konden we de trein nog halen anders hadden we de hele excursie gemist. Er werd gezegd dat we daar een bericht over hadden gehad maar dat was niet het geval. We hadden dan ook treinkaartjes moeten ontvangen en dat was ook niet zo. Dus de dag begon met erg veel stress. Verder was het een fantastische dag met een hele…”
Premium train day from Basel to Lucerne and Interlaken with reserved panoramic seats, guided tours, and big mountain views in one pass.
“We had a fantastic day out exploring Lucerne and Interlaken. The scenery from the trains are beautiful (not just the panoramic train but the return journey too). The day was long, but felt effortless, all planned and ran smoothly by our warm and welcoming guide, John. We learnt a lot about the Swiss towns, had some scrumptious chocolate, and enough free time to wander. We really enjoyed our day and would highly recommend Viva tours and John. Note that if you have suitcases/luggage that you don't want to take with you, there is luggage storage in Basel train station. Very easy to use and cost us 8 chf for the…”
Private Mercedes transfer from EuroAirport Basel to your hotel, meet and greet, English-speaking chauffeur, and bottled water.
“Great customer service. The driver was very courteous and polite . I would recommend using this company 👍🏼”
Private Mt. Pilatus Golden Roundtrip from Basel with guided train, Lake Lucerne cruise, cogwheel railway, and gondola, plus Lucerne old town.
“What a great way to spend a day, and with a great guide - Oskar. It starts with a nice train ride from Basel to Lucerne when Oskar gave us lots of information about Switzerland, it's history etc. We then had two gondola rides to get to the top of Pilatus: the first was a small four person gondola, and then the second was a 50 passenger gondola! When then enjoyed the sites from the top of the mountain and a light lunch. Then it was down the mountain on the cogwheel train - what a thrill - before our one hour boat ride on the lake. after a brief…”
Private Swiss Alps day trip from Basel: Lake Lucerne, Tell history, Klausen Pass waterfalls, picnic lunch, and Laderach chocolate.
“A lovely way to experience a beautiful country! Roland was very kind and tailored the tour to our interests. He made a delightful Swiss lunch for us. We had a fabulous experience & highly recommend this tour and company!”
Ride the Glacier Express route from Basel, enjoy a Lucerne guided walk, and take in Lake Lucerne views, Chapel Bridge, and the Lion Monument.
“I cannot tell you how disappointed this experience has been. This tour was not at all what was advertised and what I booked on September 2025. A tour advertised at the time of booking as an 8 hour day that promised to be a “luxury tour” with food available turned into a 12 hour marathon on 6 different trains. NO food provided or even available for purchase. Not to mention the text message we received the night before the tour after 8 pm (less than 13 hours before we were to meet our guide at 9:15) telling me the Glacier Express was overbooked and we were cancelled! After exchanging many…”
Guided Basel to Zermatt village and the Gornergrat Railway, with priority access and mountain views in about 10 hours.
“Our guide Jonas made the day. While we were initially upset that we were not going to be able to take the trip that we had anticipated, he discussed our options with us and came up with something much better! We are public transport neophytes; Jonas handled all logistics that got us from Basal to Grindewald with no issues. Grindewald was more than I expected, a perfect day in the mountains, a perfect last day in Switzerland.”
A small-group rail day from Basel to Zermatt, with a Matterhorn village walk and a cogwheel ride up to Gornergrat.
“Having a guide to keep us on train schedules and connections for a quick day trip to Zermatt was key to a successful trip. was very knowledgeable with the surroundings and history of groups in Switzerland. Never a dull moment with the stories and awesome scenery along the way. Was very fortunate to have blue skies in January and provided wonderful pictures and memories to last a lifetime.”
Private Glacier Express day trip from Basel with guide, reserved 2nd-class seats, Oberalp Pass climb, included lunch, and return by train.
“What a surprise! We had our own guide. We would have missed so much, including the train, without our friendly and knowledgeable guide. This was a marvelous journey. We will never forget the beauty of the Alps and the background of Switzerland.”
Private driving tour from Basel to the Bernese Oberland: Aare Gorge, Giessbach Falls, Brienz, Lauterbrunnen, Trummelbach, and Isenfluh views.
“Chris was wonderful in every way. On a day that began gloomy, he found wonderful sights for us to see. Thx Chris”
Every kind of Swiss day out, and the best of each.
