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Switzerland has no seaport. It has a cargo port, and it is here on the Rhine.
Switzerland is landlocked, and for almost every Swiss address the whole journey ends overland. Basel is the exception worth understanding: the country does have a working cargo port, it sits on the Rhine here, and freight reaches it by water.
The German and French borders both run against the built up area, and people cross them for ordinary reasons every day. A household here may work in one country and live in another without thinking about it, so a collection or delivery address on the German or French side is a different customs position from a Swiss one, and it is not a detail that can be settled on moving day. State the country of both addresses explicitly. Sea freight to Switzerland does not arrive by sea. It is discharged at a North Sea port and comes on from there, and for commercial cargo a good deal of it travels up the Rhine by barge to Basel. That is what makes this the country's port despite being several hundred kilometres from open water.
For a household move the practical answer is still road, because a lorry from your door to your Swiss address handles the whole job without transhipment. But it explains why a container quote to Switzerland routes the way it does, and why Basel appears on freight paperwork that has nothing else to do with the city.
The other thing to know is the border. Three countries meet at the edge of the built up area, so a collection or delivery address here may not be in Switzerland at all.
Basel also appears as Bâle and Basilea. Whichever version you searched for, this is the same city and the same page. Give the mover the address exactly as it appears on your Swiss lease.
The German and French borders both run against the built up area, and people cross them for ordinary reasons every day. A household here may work in one country and live in another without thinking about it.
For a removal that has to be stated. A collection or delivery on the German or French side is a different customs position from a Swiss one, and it changes what has to be prepared and when.
For an arrival into Switzerland from outside the EU and EFTA the requirements are as everywhere else in the country: form 18.44, the six month rule, and evidence of transfer of domicile.
Of everything a mover can take on, these three matter most for Basel.
Form 18.44 and evidencing your position.
The UK route and the frontier.
What the shortest inland leg is worth.
These are the neighbours, each with its own road leg and access.
Riehen · Muttenz · Allschwil · Pratteln · Rheinfelden · Aarau · · Cham · Delémont · Dübendorf all Swiss towns
The Rhine divides Basel and the old town climbs from the water on the larger side, with steep approaches, narrow lanes, protected buildings and vehicle restrictions. It is worked out address by address with the commune.
The other bank is flatter and more ordinary. Beyond the city, Riehen is in the same canton while Allschwil, Muttenz and Pratteln are in the neighbouring one.
Away from the historic core the city behaves like any dense European one: parked streets, older blocks with smaller lifts, and a reserved bay worth arranging in advance.
Basel holds a carnival each spring that runs for three days and takes over the inner city almost entirely. Streets close, parking disappears, and the centre is not a place to be attempting a delivery.
It is a fixed point in the calendar and every mover working the region knows when it falls. If your dates have any flexibility at all, ask before committing to one, because those three days are the worst of the year here by a wide margin.
Outside that, the city has no seasonal problem worth planning around. There is no pass, no altitude, and winter changes nothing on the approach.
A river port. Sea freight to Switzerland is discharged at a North Sea port and travels on, and for commercial cargo much of it comes up the Rhine by barge to Basel. That makes this the country cargo port despite being several hundred kilometres from open water.
Almost certainly not. For a household the practical answer is road, because a lorry runs from your door to the Swiss address without transhipment. The port explains why container freight to Switzerland routes the way it does, not how your furniture will travel.
Yes, one. The city holds a spring carnival lasting three days which takes over the inner city almost entirely, closing streets and removing parking. Every mover working the region knows when it falls, so ask before committing to a date.
Considerably. Three countries meet at the edge of the built up area and people cross daily without thinking about it, but a collection or delivery outside Switzerland is a different customs position and changes what has to be prepared.
The shortest in the country. The frontier is at the city edge, so once a vehicle is through the Swiss border it has effectively arrived. There is no pass, no altitude and nothing about winter that affects the approach.
Yes, by Swiss standards. It climbs from the Rhine on the larger bank with steep approaches, narrow lanes, protected buildings and vehicle restrictions, and deliveries are worked out address by address with a standing point arranged in advance.
No, and they are not even in the same canton as each other. Riehen is in Basel-Stadt with the city. Allschwil, Muttenz and Pratteln are in Basel-Landschaft, a separate canton with its own registration procedures.
Collection address, the Basel delivery address, a room by room list and the window you can work with. One vetted moving company from our network checks the route and the access, then comes back to you.
Send your move detailsOperated by DATACONTEXT (UK) LTD, company number 07425576, ICO registration ZB022743, registered at Norman House, Saint Saviours Estate, Abbey Street, London SE1 3DH. Running since 2010. We work with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network.
Written by Darren Benjamin, founder of International Removals Companies, who has run the business since 2010. Last checked 5 August 2026.