Old Town or the view
Basel is small enough that the bank matters more than the street. Two of these five hotels stand on the Rhine. The other three trade the water for the Old Town, the station or an architect-designed interior.
How we chose
We started where the ships are. St. Johann, the landing Celebrity uses, is on the Grossbasel bank; Klybeck and Dreiländereck are downstream on the Kleinbasel side. So the list covers both banks, and each card says which one it's on.
Every rating had to be checkable — MICHELIN Keys, the Swiss star classification, a Swiss Historic Hotels listing. Airport access and the bank came next.
Price played no part. The order is a reading order, not a league table.
The hotels
On the Rhine in the Old Town, on the same bank as the St. Johann landing
'Has stood by the banks of the Rhine since the year 1026' — 82 rooms right on the river in the heart of the Old Town.
Basel's grand hotel in the literal sense, on the river since 1026. The river rooms face the water on the St. Johann bank, so boarding day is a short ride, not an expedition.
See rates on Booking.comDirectly on the Rhine in Kleinbasel, facing the Old Town and the cathedral
'Simplicity, authenticity and quality' are the guiding principles — 48 rooms at Rheingasse 12.
The Münster across the water from your window, without the Trois Rois bill. It's on the Kleinbasel bank, the same side as Klybeck and Dreiländereck.
See rates on Booking.comBuilt in 1867, with 66 air-conditioned rooms, 'situated right in front of the main railway station in the city center of Basel'.
Bus 50 from the airport ends outside, and Bus 30 or Tram 11 run on to St. Johann. Book it for a late landing or a rail connection from Zurich.
See rates on Booking.comDesigned by the architects Herzog & de Meuron — 45 rooms and suites at Rebgasse 12–14.
Architect-designed rooms in Kleinbasel, a few streets back from the Rheingasse. The pick for anyone who'd rather sleep in a building worth discussing than face the river.
See rates on Booking.com'Located in the heart of Basel's Old Town' — 68 rooms at Marktgasse 19, with a roof terrace and a wellness area (fitness room, steam bath, sauna) open to all guests.
Quiet and central on the Grossbasel side, the same bank as St. Johann. No river view is promised; the roof terrace is the consolation.
See rates on Booking.comHotel links go to Booking.com; Seabound Journeys may earn a commission at no cost to you, and the rate you see is Booking.com’s. Affiliate disclosure. Ratings are Michelin Guide listings as of October 21, 2026, or the hotel’s own classification where no guide rates it.
Embarkation day
Uniworld's Basel all-aboard is 9:00 pm, and check-out comes hours before it. Ask the hotel to hold your bags and spend the day in town.
For Klybeck or Dreiländereck, Celebrity's advice is a taxi — transit means several changes and long walks. From Krafft or Volkshaus you're already on the right bank.
Uniworld moves ships between St. Johann and Klybeck from date to date. If you know yours, pick the hotel on that bank; if you don't, the Old Town is the safer bet.
Have us plan it
We book the night before with the sailing, so the transfer, the all-aboard time and the flight all line up. Tell us the dates and which of these you liked.
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Quick answers
None publishes a walking time to a landing. Les Trois Rois and Märthof are on the Grossbasel bank with St. Johann; Krafft and Volkshaus are on the Kleinbasel bank with Klybeck and Dreiländereck. Euler, at the station, is on the Bus 30 and Tram 11 route to St. Johann.
Les Trois Rois and Krafft both stand on the river, one on each bank. The other three don't promise a view.
Euler. It faces Basel SBB, where Bus 50 from the airport ends, and the bus runs every 7–10 minutes until midnight.
Cheval Blanc at Les Trois Rois, if you can get a table — it holds three Michelin stars. Otherwise, walk the Rheingasse on the Kleinbasel side and pick a terrace by the water.
Every fact above comes from a source listed here, checked on October 21, 2026: port and city authorities, the lines’ own pages, the hotels and the rating guides. Where nothing official is published, the page says so rather than filling the gap.
