Basel SBB/Bâle CFF (Basel / Bâle)

There are two different rail services available when taking a journey by train from Basel to Bellinzona.
No matter which train you take, you will be travelling on a lovely route, which will take you by four lakes; the Zurichsee, the Zugersee, the Lauerzersee and the Luzernsee.

Though south of Fluelen, on the shore of the Luzernsee, these two train services take different routes:

(1) The 'Traverso' (IR) trains still take the older 'classic' and much more spectacular route via Goschenen.
If you are new to Swiss rail travel, have the time available and the weather is behaving itself, taking these trains is the way to go.

(2) The express services, the IC and EC trains are faster, because they make use of the world's longest rail tunnel, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, which by-passes the most beautiful section of that 'classic' route.
So these trains will get to Bellinzona quicker, but the journey won't be as wonderful!

Taking the journey by train between these two cities is very straightforward with up to four departures per hour available.
What makes it unusual is the variety of different trains used on this route.
You could find yourself on German ICE train, on a double-deck Swiss train, or one of the four other types of train used on this route.

Domodossola is in Italy, but because it is at one end of the popular Centovali Railway which crosses back over the border to Switzerland, it is included on the map of Swiss rail routes.

To enable easy access to the Centovali Railway for those who want to explore Switzerland with a rail pass, the Swiss national operator now provides a direct morning train to Domodossola from Basel.
If you will be using a Swiss Travel Pass, a Saver Day Pass or valid Eurail and InterRail passes, you can take this IC train and not pay the rail pass reservation fees, which are usually applied to international trains between Switzerland and Italy.

If you will be heading to Grindelwald on a combination of plane + train, the fact you will need to make the transfer by bus from Basel/Mulhouse airport to Basel SBB station, is offset in terms of convenience, by the fact that Basel is the only key entry point into Switzerland, which has direct trains to Interlaken.
The train on to Grindelwald will depart from Interlaken Ost station, so this is a route with only one transfer between trains.

A quirk of the Swiss rail timetable is that Interlaken has direct trains from Basel, but not from Geneve or Zurich.

Accessing the fabulous Bernese-Oberland by train is easily done from Basel, thanks to direct trains to the gateway station of Interlaken Ost.

Kleine Scheidegg is where connections are available into the trains which travel up to Europe's highest station at Jungfraujoch.

It's also where connections can be made between the trains operated by WAB, which connect Grindelwald with Lauterbrunnen.
So if you want to take the gorgeous round trip from Basel, with or without the particularly expensive ascent to Jungfraujoch, is is Kleine Scheidegg that you'll be heading to.

There is a choice of two travel options when taking the train across Switzerland from Basel to Locarno.

1. The service of direct trains has been restored, though they are also the slowest option as they take, the older, but much more beautiful route.

2. The quicker option is to take an express train to Bellinzona and make a simple connection there into a local train on to Locarno.

Connections are available at Basel SBB when travelling from a swathe of other Swiss destinations including Bern, Biel, Luzern and Interlaken.

Thanks to railway engineering wonders, the Gotthard Base Tunnel and the Ceneri Base tunnel, it has never been so easy and fast, to make the journey by train across Switzerland from Basel to Lugano.

These direct international trains from Basel to northern Italy take two glorious routes across Switzerland.
The trains which travel via Brig and Domodossola are faster and more frequent, but the slower route via Luzern can be cheaper.

The only direct trains between Switzerland and the French capital are these high speed Lyria services.

Connect in Basel when travelling from locations in Switzerland without direct trains to Paris including; Biel, Bern, Luzern and Interlaken

Yes the journey from Basel to Wengen requires taking three different trains, but the two connections are as simple as can be, and the second half of the end-to-end trip is astonishingly beautiful.

If you will be heading to Wengen on a combination of plane + train, the fact you will need to make the transfer by bus from Basel/Mulhouse airport to Basel SBB station, is offset in terms of convenience by the fact that Basel is the only key entry point into Switzerland, which has direct trains to Interlaken.
The next stage of the ride to Wengen involves taking a train on from Interlaken Ost station.

Despite the distance Zermatt is one of the ski resorts which can be most easily accessed from Basel by train

Taking the train from Basel to Zurich is straightforward as it's a journey which doesn't have to be planned with care.
There are typically 4 or 5 x trains per hour travelling between the two cities, two or three express trains and two slightly slower InterRegio (IR) trains, which will be cheaper when booking tickets last minute at the station.

What does make this route unusual is the variety of trains used for the express (IC) services.
Because in addition to Swiss trains, TGV trains which have travelled to Switzerland from Paris and ICE trains heading to Zurich and beyond from Germany are also slotted into the timetable.

In effect they replace one of the Swiss trains in the hours in which they operate, so the national rail operator SBB applies the same conditions of travel to them, as it does to its IC trains.
Meaning that reservations are available, but optional and the type of train being used for a departure has no impact on the ticket price(s).

A Nightjet train now provides the only direct rail link between Basel and Dresden

A new train service provides a direct link between Basel and Czechia.

For daytime travel there is a daily direct train from Amsterdam to Basel, but if its timings or ticket prices don't suit it can be worth considering a journey which involves a connection in Paris.
Though if you will be travelling with Eurail or InterRail passes taking the direct train will save a lot of money.

If you would rather travel through the night, there is now a new overnight train available on this route.

Bern and Basel are comparatively close to each other, so it's no surprise that they are connected by express trains which typically depart twice per hour until laate

What is unusual about this route is that it's also taken by two international services:
(1) the ICE trains and a daily EC which travel beyond Basel to Germany;
(2) EC trains from Italy which are heading to Basel.

These international services are slotted into the timetable, so in effect their departures are substitutes for the SBB IC trains, which comprise most of the services.

However, when booking tickets for these express trains, or using rail passes on this route within Switzerland, it doesn't matter whether you take an Swiss express IC train, or one of these international trains; it is the demand per departure which impacts on the ticket prices and not the type of train being used.

An oddity on the Swiss rail timetable is that the direct trains from Geneve to Basel are no longer available.
But the connections between trains, now required at Biel/Bienne station, are as simple as can be.

There are two options for making a journey by train from London to Basel:

1. The quickest option is to travel via Paris, but this involves having to make a transfer between stations across the city centre.
   Though the trains/connections from Paris arrive at the main station, Basel SBB where connections are available to a swathe of other Swiss destinations including Bern, Biel, Luzern and Interlaken.

2. The easier, but slower option is to travel via the main stations in Bruxelles and Frankfurt (Main).
   You won't have to leave the stations in order to make the connections, but they are tightly timed (though tickets/reservations can be transferred to subsequent departures in the event of train delays, if you are NOT relying on the final connections of the day).
   These trains will arrive at Basel Bad bf, the trains will continue on to Basel SBB station, but that ups the price when travelling on this route.

Travelling between Milan and north-west Switzerland by train is not only straightforward thanks to the direct rail services, it's also a lovely journey.

Connect in Basel for trains to destinations without direct services from Milan including Cologne/Koln, Mainz, Koblenz and Strasbourg.

The only direct trains between the French capital and Switzerland are these high speed Lyria services.

Connect in Basel for locations in Switzerland without direct trains from France including; Biel, Bern, Luzern and Interlaken

Zurich and Basel are comparatively close to each other, so it's no surprise that they are connected by express trains which depart at least once, but often twice per hour.

What is unusual about this route is that it's also taken by three international services, which travel beyond Basel:
(1) the ICE trains on the Zurich - Basel - Frankfurt - Hamburg route.
(2) EC trains from Zurich to north-west Germany
(3) TGV Lyria trains on the Zurich - Basel - Paris route.

However, when booking tickets for these express trains, or using rail passes on this route within Switzerland, it doesn't matter whether you take an Swiss express IC train, or one of these international trains; ; it is the demand per departure which impacts on the ticket prices and not the type of train being used.

Though if you will be booking tickets last minute at the station, you'll likely save money by taking one of the alternative IR services, they're cheaper, but slower; though by around only 20 minutes.