Cruising Rhine River in November

[USCAdventurer]

i'll be cruising the rhine river on crystal bach beginning in basel on november 3, 2019.  what should i expect the weather to be like for the cruise to amsterdam this time of year?

thank you in advance for your advice.  i hope i've asked this question in the right forum.

 

another question please.  i'm arriving in basel a couple of days before the cruise starts and i'm booked at the hotel basel in the city center.  what is the best, other than taxi,  transportation alternatives from the airport to the hotel?

 

 

Edited September 20, 2019 by USC Adventurer
One last question.

[mhb1757]

Can’t answer your question about transportation in Basel but I would say weather is not likely to be too cool. I’d plan for light jackets at most....although there could certainly be extremes in either direction. We sailed the Rhine in mid-November a few years ago and had warmer temps than I anticipated. Ended up in shirt sleeves the whole time. Not sure I ever put my jacket on. But your best bet is to check weather predictions shortly before the trip begins. And rain gear is essential. 

[G.M.T.]

5 hours ago, USC Adventurer said:

i'll be cruising the rhine river on crystal bach beginning in basel on november 3, 2019.  what should i expect the weather to be like for the cruise to amsterdam this time of year?

thank you in advance for your advice.  i hope i've asked this question in the right forum.

 

another question please.  i'm arriving in basel a couple of days before the cruise starts and i'm booked at the hotel basel in the city center.  what is the best, other than taxi,  transportation alternatives from the airport to the hotel?

 

 

Best if you ask Rhine questions on the Rhine Thread:

 

 

[AF-1]

I flew into Basel four years ago.  Took taxi from airport to Hilton Hotel downtown.  Ride was around 20 min max

Edited September 22, 2019 by AF-1

[jpalbny]

I looked into transportation from Basel airport once, but never used it.

 

Unlike many other airports in Europe, there is no train. There is only a bus (#50), which goes from the airport to the main train station. From there you'd have to take a tram to your hotel, I assume. Or walk, but the distance from the train station to your hotel is a little over 1km, maybe more than you'd like.

 

It is a slightly shorter walk to the hotel, if you get off the #50 bus at the stop prior to the train station (Brausebad).

 

We eventually gave up trying to use public transport and managed to get the (included) transfer from our river cruise company. That took some work too but that's another story...

[USCAdventurer]

jpalbny

thank you for your advice.  the #50 bus sounds fine to me.  how does one pay for the bus?

Edited September 22, 2019 by USC Adventurer

[jpalbny]

Remember, I never did this, just researched it. So I can't vouch for the #50 bus...

 

Looks like there is a ticket counter at the airport. They should be able to sell you the correct ticket. The same ticket may allow you to change to the tram without buying a new ticket.

 

Failing that, there should be a ticket machine near the bus stop - but last time I bought public transport tickets in Basel, I needed to use the PIN on my credit card in order to do so.

 

More info here: https://www.bvb.ch/en/

[djh1959]

8 hours ago, USC Adventurer said:

jpalbny

thank you for your advice.  the #50 bus sounds fine to me.  how does one pay for the bus?

We haven't been to Basel yet, but I have been researching as our cruise next month ends up there.

 

From what our hotel has said, all public transport is free if you have a hotel reservation, so all you need to do is show your reservation confirmation, either printed out or on your phone.  This will work for both bus and tram.

[jpalbny]

1 hour ago, djh1959 said:

From what our hotel has said, all public transport is free if you have a hotel reservation, so all you need to do is show your reservation confirmation, either printed out or on your phone.  This will work for both bus and tram.

 

I had heard that the hotels give you a ticket for bus/tram, but I didn't know that this covered you transport before you actually check in. Good to know.

 

We drove to Basel via rental car on the day of embarkation so no such arrangement for us.

[ural guy]

We took the train to Basel from Lucerne last November, and from the Basel station to our hotel by bus.  They have workers stationed by the ticket machines to help.  If you have your hotel reservation printed out, and check in is that day, then the bus is free, as the above poster pointed out.  There was a festival going on in town and we had a blast.  Due to low water, Vantage kept us in Basel for the first 5 nights of our cruise.

 

Weather is unpredictable.  We had great weather, to include our extension in Belgium (we stayed overseas until after Thanksgiving).  It was only towards the end that we had bad weather.  BUT, we're about 30 miles from Canada, so our comfortable is others cold.

 

Enjoy.

[USCAdventurer]

thanks for the information about using my hotel confirmation for a free bus ticket!   that should make it very easy!

Edited September 23, 2019 by USC Adventurer

[VT Hokie Cruiser]

To the original poster: as a follow-up, how did you find the foliage and temps to be for your early-November Rhine trip in 2019?