Basel's main station:  Click for location & city map...

Basel SBB is the main station in Basel, the third-largest city in Switzerland after Zurich & Geneva.  It's a major hub for Swiss domestic trains and you'll often find yourself changing trains here.  The SBB simply refers to Swiss Federal Railways, to distinguish it from Basel's other mainline station, Basel Bad Bf.

Station overview...

A station first opened on this spot in 1854, but the current station building dates from 1900-1907.  It's a through station (not a terminus) with a historic station building and booking hall on the northeast side of the tracks and a large modern footbridge (the Passerelle)  lined with retail units spanning the tracks, with escalators down to each platform.  See a 3D plan of Basel SBB station at plans.trafimage.ch/basel-sbb (please let me know if this link stops working).

Basel SBB's main station building on the northeast side of the tracks, dating from 1900-1907.  The two main station entrances are directly beneath the clock towers.

Basel SBB booking hall, taken from the top of the escalators up to the footbridge (Passerelle) over the tracks.  The two main station entrances/exits can be seen on either side of the photo.  The escalators in the centre lead down to a lower level, where you'll find the left luggage office & lockers. Since this photo was taken, the ticket office has been moved to a new walk-in SBB travel centre, opening off the side of this hall that's just out of shot to the right.  A Migros supermarket now occupies the space where the ticket office is in the photo.

Which platform for your train?

• Finding your train:  The station departure board shows which platform each train leaves from, but you can find out in advance by running an enquiry at the Swiss Federal Railways website www.sbb.ch.

• Platforms 1 to 3:  These are terminus platforms facing south.  These platforms are mainly used by S-Bahn suburban trains.

• Platforms 4-17:  These are the main through platforms.  Platform 4 is adjacent to the main hall, platforms 5-17 are accessed by going up the escalators from the main hall onto the footbridge, then down the escalator onto the relevant platform.  TGV-Lyria trains between Paris & Zurich use these platforms, as do the ICE trains & the Nightjet sleeper trains to & from Germany.

• Platforms 30-35 (Basel SNCF):  These are terminus platforms facing north and used by trains terminating from France, for example the TER regional trains to & from Mulhouse & Strasbourg.  To reach them, walk into the main station hall and turn right.  These platforms are sometimes known as Basel SNCF, or Bâle SNCF or just Basel SBB Gl. 30-35, but it's all the same place and all part of Basel SBB station.  You access these French Railways (= SNCF) platforms through a passageway with passport & customs offices, but as Switzerland & France are part of the Schengen Area there are normally no border controls, you just walk straight through.  However, border staff can do spot checks if they want to, so it's good to allow a little extra time to reach these platforms, just in case.

A tilting ICN train at platform 14.  In the background you can see the large footbridge (Passarelle) linking all the tracks, lined with retail units.

Left luggage, ticket office, ATMs, WiFi...

• There are plenty of left luggage lockers if you need to leave your bags, go down the escalators in the centre of the main hall, see the luggage lockers page for opening hours & prices.

• The modern SBB Travel Centre is on the southeast side of the main hall for national & international tickets & reservations.

  Basel SBB also has at least one French Railways (SNCF) ticket machine, useful if you need to collect tickets booked on the SNCF system, or want to buy a ticket to France in euros.

• There are ATMs in various locations including the main hall.

• The station has WiFi (select SBB-FREE), the first 60 minutes are free (you can have another free 60 minutes after a 2 hour break) and registration requires a text to be sent to your mobile phone.  This may not work with some foreign mobiles, although I've had one report that it worked with a UK mobile.  Feedback appreciated.

Somewhere to eat & drink...

• There are many & various food outlets & cafes around the station.

• For a sit-down meal with classic Swiss food, try the Restaurant Steinbock (www.restaurantsteinbock.ch), across the road from the station.

  Walk out of the main station exit, turn right, walk 200m along Centralbahnstrasse (the road along the front of the station) and it's on the other side of the road, facing the station.  Feedback appreciated.

• There are a MacDonald's & Burger King across the road from the main station exit.

• The bar in the Hotel Euler across the road has also been suggested as a quiet place for a drink before your train, with free WiFi.

Supermarkets & shops...

• Supermarkets:  There are Migros supermarkets of various sizes in several locations around the station, although Migros doesn't sell alcohol.  There's a small Co-op Pronto on the footbridge.  There's a larger Co-op supermarket across the road from the station.

• Beer & wine:  Drinks of the World (the name is pretty self-explanatory, website www.beerworld.ch) has a shop at Basel SBB, in the main building.  Walk into the main station entrance, turn left down the passageway and it's on your left, forming part of the station facade.

Hotels near Basel SBB...

• If you need somewhere close to the station for an overnight stop, the Hotel Victoria is directly across the road from the station with great reviews.  Also highly-regarded and slightly cheaper, is the Hotel Schweizerhof, next to the Victoria, also try the Hotel Euler opposite.

• If you're on a budget you can book budget private rooms in a one-star hotel or backpacker hostel near the station using www.hostelworld.com.

Local transport:  Walking, taxis, trams...

• Walking:  It's easy to walk from the station to most locations in the city centre.  For example, the old marketplace & town hall are an 18-minute 1.3 km walk from the station.

• Taxis:  For a taxi fare calculator see www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Basel-Switzerland&lang=en.  Taxis are usually plentiful outside the station, although they are not cheap.

• Buses, trams:  See www.bvb.ch.

More information...

• There's a 3D plan of the station at plans.trafimage.ch/basel-sbb

• For more about the station's history see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basel_SBB_railway_station

Basel Badischer Bahnhof...

Basel Badischer Bahnhof (usually abbreviated to Basel Bad Bf.) is a secondary station in the north of the city.  The name refers to the Duchy of Baden State Railways, whose station this once was.  Trains between Germany & Switzerland call here before or after using Basel SBB.  Although located in Switzerland, most of the station is run by Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) although as Germany & Switzerland are now in the Schengen area, the old customs controls are no longer used.  If you're connecting for other destinations in Switzerland, you should use Basel SBB station.