Basel hotels and the best 14 activities in Basel, flights, tours
Basel hotels and the best 14
activities, flights, tours
We will continue our story of our experience in Switzerland with the city of Basel in this post. The views of the lake, the city, and the other attractions were all quite pleasing to us. We had a pleasant time discovering such a lovely city on a sunny April day.
Stay with us to learn how much you should budget, where to stay in Basel depending on your spending limit, restaurants and shopping options, and transportation options (auto, bus, or train). We also provide you with some insightful tips on how to save a lot of money. We are aware! Although Switzerland is a pricey country, genuine adventurers who enjoy saving money can always discover ways to do so!
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Table of Contents
Our itinerary from Switzerland written in separate articles from this one: Zurich; Lucerne-Lungern;Interlaken-Lauterbrunnen-Grindelwald; Iseltwald-Spiez-Sarnen; Geneva; Lausanne; Bern; Basel. Discover more of Switzerland with us!
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Informations
With 173,863 residents, Basel is the third-biggest city in Switzerland, behind Zurich and Geneva. Switzerland’s cultural capital is regarded as Basel. Basel is renowned for its many top-notch art and cultural institutions, which also make the city too vast for its size and population. There are around forty museums spread throughout the canton, along with a wide spectrum of cultural offers. The public art collection in Switzerland is displayed in the municipal art museum and is often considered to be noteworthy.
Quick Tips
When to travel: Peak tourist months are from May to July, but one can take a trip to Switzerland in any season, depending on their interests.
Language: The official languages are German, Italian, French.
Currency: Swiss Franc (CHF) 1$ =0,9 CHF 1€=1,1 CHF
Food Prices: Meal in a cheap restaurant=23 EUR, Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant=92 EUR
You can find more information about the visa here.
Notice: Several of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you click over and make a purchase, I will get a commission at no extra cost to you. Here is a link to our complete affiliate disclosure.
Things to do
Art Museum Basel
The Swiss city of Basel is home to the globally recognized Kunstmuseum Basel, a museum dedicated to fine art. Operating under the official name Public Art Collection Basel, it is regarded as the world’s oldest publicly accessible art museum, having been given the “Amerbach Cabinet” by the city in 1661. It is home to Switzerland’s largest collection of public art. It also houses the world’s largest collection of Holbein family artwork. The Basel Contemporary Art Museum, the extension building, and the main building are the three locations of the museum.
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Museum Tinguely
The life and creations of artist Jean Tinguely are featured in a permanent exhibition at the Museum Tinguely in Basel. On October 3, 1996, it opened. The museum, a gift from F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG to the city and region of Basel in honor of the company’s 100th anniversary, is situated in Solitude Park on the right bank of the Rhine. Apart from the ongoing display, there are also occasionally rotating guest exhibitions including well-known artists or associates of Tinguely.
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Zoo Basel
A zoological garden in Basel is called Basel Zoo. It is situated on the Birsig River in the Basel-Bachletten district. It is the oldest zoo in Switzerland, having established in 1874. It is also the largest animal population, with 7017 creatures in 628 species. Owing to breeding achievements with animals like the western lowland gorilla, pygmy hippopotamus, and Indian rhinoceros, the city zoo gained recognition well beyond its limits and is today, despite its modest size of approximately 11 hectares, one of the most significant zoos in Europe.
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Basel Minster
One of Basel, Switzerland’s top attractions and a famous landmark, is the Basel Cathedral. The Minster’s two thin church towers, its red sandstone pattern, its colorful roof tiles, and the way the major roofs cross each other define the cityscape. Constructed in the Gothic and Romanesque styles between 1019 and 1500, the church of the former bishop is today Protestant-Reformed. The Münsterplatz, named for him, stands in front of the Basel Minster and is bordered by the homes of numerous former canons.
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Spalentor
The former Spalenschwibbogen on the inner Basel city wall corresponds to the Spalentor, an ancient city gate of Basel. It is a listed building and one of the three city gates that are in use today. The Spalentor, regarded as one of Switzerland’s most exquisite city gates, was Basel’s most ornate.
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Town Hall Basel
A notable structure in Basel, Switzerland, is the town hall. Situated right on Basel’s market square, the building’s unique tower and red sandstone make it stand out. The Basel political center, which it continues to represent in its institutional form, was founded in the same location in 1290.
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Tinguely Fountain
The Fasnachts-Brunnen is a fountain located on Basel’s Theaterplatz in Switzerland, designed by artist Jean Tinguely. It was constructed between 1975 and 1977 as a gift to the city of Basel from 50-year-old Migros on the location of the stage of the former, demolished municipal theater. The water feature with ten mechanized sculptures within a spacious pool
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Natural History
Museum Basel
A natural history museum located in Basel is called the “Archive of Life” Natural History Museum. It was established in 1821 and has been housed in the Augustinergasse museum since 1849. The majority of science is covered. Its goals are to document, research, conserve, share, and grow the collections of natural science materials. From 1959 till 1979, director Hans Walter Schaub updated the presentation.
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The Middle Bridge
Basel’s oldest Rhine crossing is the middle bridge. It is thought to mark the boundary between the Upper and High Rhines, and it is situated at Rhine kilometer 166.6. Built in the first part of the 13th century, the original bridge at this location stood until 1903, when the new bridge took its place, albeit with some alterations. The Middle Bridge was Basel’s only Rhine bridge until the Wettstein Bridge opened in 1879.
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Basel market hall
A structure known as the Basel market hall was constructed in 1929 and housed market activities until 2004. Many years of empty space were followed by a conversion and the opening of several specialty stores. These days, the market hall serves mostly as a venue for cultural events and as a catering space with international street food vendors.
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Dreiländereck
Wilhelm Münger, a Basel architect and sculptor, created the iron sculpture known as Pylon. The elevation and floor drawings, as well as the computations, were provided by the mathematician Istvan Csontos, who fled Hungary in 1956 and settled in Basel. The sculpture resembles a pylon or stele.
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Fondation Beyeler
Hildy and Ernst Beyeler’s collection of modern and traditional art is owned and managed by the Beyeler Foundation, also known as the Fondation Beyeler, which has its museum located in Riehen, close to Basel, Switzerland. Special exhibitions are held at the museum space of the Beyeler Foundation in order to enhance the permanent collection. About 340,000 people visited the museum in 2006. There were 332,000 visitors in 2016. Switzerland’s most visited art museum is the Beyeler Foundation.The commune of Riehen, the cantons of Basel County and City, and the canton of Basel City provide yearly donations to the museum, which has adequate funding.The Swiss bank UBS, Novartis, and Bayer AG are important partners of the Foundation.
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Elisabeth Church
In Basel’s city center, directly close to the Theater Basel, stands the Elisabethenkirche. With its historicist furnishings and architecture, it is regarded as Switzerland’s most significant neo-Gothic church.On what is now Elisabethenstrasse, a church was constructed towards the end of the 13th century. At that time, Basel’s municipal hospital provided supervised housing for the underprivileged, the aged, and those in need of medical attention. It’s likely that the hospital took the initiative to build the chapel and the cemetery that it borders. The oldest mention of a hermitage chapel at St. Elisabeth dates back to 1301. The complex is maintained by two nuns, and a priest was assigned in 1315 to officiate blessings, burial masses, and masses. It is unknown what the buildings looked like. On March 3, 1515, the council decided to demolish the church and hermitage.
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Pauluskirche
The Pauluskirche in Basel is a former Protestant-Reformed church in the neo-Romanesque style. It is located in the Ring neighborhood close to the Schützenmatte on a triangular, free-standing block of land that is slightly elevated. The church has been known as Kulturkirche Paulus since July 2021, and the same-named sponsoring association runs it as a cultural institution.
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Book your perfect vacation!
Vacations: We are happy that we have the opportunity to work with the most famous companies in the world, we always order our vacations from these companies and we have never been disappointed: Check 24, Trivago, Trafalgar, TravelUp, Insight Vacations, Explorer Fernreisen.
Where to stay
Hotels, bed & breakfasts, and guesthouses, regardless of location—in the center of town, close to a lake, or amid natural surroundings. We were able to identify the top companies providing the best hotels: Booking.com, Trip.com, TravelUp, esky, Hoteltopia, Millennium Hotels and Explorer Fernreisen.
Where to eat
Basel is most known for its sour liver strips, suuri Lääberli, and sweet Basler Leckerli, which are little, somewhat firm gingerbread biscuits with a delectable sugar icing. Basler flour soup is often served during the carnival (Fasnacht) with cheese and onion tart. Mässmogge are vibrant candies the size of a thumb that are packed with a brown hazelnut mixture. A regional and seasonal specialty of Basel are Mässmögge. But they’re also available at other fairs and fetes in Switzerland. The Basel Autumn Fair (Basler Herbstmesse), held at the end of October, is the culmination of the Mässmogge season.
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Fastenwähe: Made with a dough including milk and butter, these little yeasted breads resemble pretzels and are topped with caraway seeds. Hefegugelhopf is a fluted cake that has been yeasted and has a hole in the center. Bakers frequently use a thick layer of powdered sugar and whole or sliced almonds to garnish them. Schoggiweggli: These little buns, filled with bits of chocolate, are found all around Switzerland, but they have a special bond with Basel. Small cutout biscuits called basler brunsli are made with chocolate and ground almond or hazelnuts.
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Zum Onkel The menu is tiny and the cuisine is Mediterranean, yet each dish is made fresh. Brunch is available on Saturdays and Sundays until 3:00 p.m. Rote Bären The kitchen’s offerings include homemade pasta, zander with mint, and fruit-and-vegetable-based sweets.
Saving Tips
With the Swiss Travel Pass, you can travel freely by public transportation (train, bus, and boat) to see over 41 cities, climb the top of numerous mountains, and cruise around stunning lakes throughout Switzerland. If you choose not to rent a car or do not bring a car with you to Switzerland, this is, in our opinion, the greatest method to save costs on transportation. Simply look up the costs of train and bus tickets to see that purchasing them separately for each new location would be more costly than using the Swiss Travel Pass.
Cheap or Free Sights The collection of works by Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Warhol is available for free to anyone under 25 at Fondation Beyeler, and students under 30 can view it for 12 CHF (instead of 28 CHF) with the proper ID. Kunstmuseum: every Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 6 p.m. is free during “happy hour,” and the first Sunday of the month is free from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Minister of Basel There’s usually a free tour around the city’s cathedral, Basler Münster, with its recognizable red sandstone spires.
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City Hall: Basel’s 500-year-old City Hall structure, the Rathaus, offers free access to its courtyard’s frescoes for visitors to view.BaselCard – Available for free! The BaselCard is one last choice for those who wish to cut costs. With this tourist card, you can enjoy free public transportation, 50% reduced entrance to almost all of the worthwhile museums in the city, the zoo, theater, walking tours, and even a free ferry journey across the Rhine. What would the BaselCard set you back, then? Nothing! Upon check-in, each hotel guest is given this card at no cost.
Book your tours!
Tours: If you do not go by car and need to know more information about the tours, and things to see, we recommend these companies that are offering tours for any kind of activity you want to do and where you can buy trips much cheaper than if you buy them when you arrive at your destination. It is always good to be able to save some money!
Viator, Get Your Guide, Tiqets, City Sightseeing, Sesame, Sightseeing Pass, Contiki, Riviera Travel, CityPass: the best activities in town!
Shopping
Stroll around Stadthausgasse in quest of mementos. The majority of the upscale gift shops are located here. Café Spitz, one of Basel’s most popular stores, is known for its liqueur-covered chocolate cherries. Many establishments carry these candies, but seasoned travelers say Cafe Spitz has the best selection. The best address in Basel is the Freie Strasse, which is renowned for its wide selection of stores even outside of the city limits. International labels that line up here and give the street its characteristic shine are Apple, Lacoste, Cos, H&M, Zara, Zara Home, Massimo Dutti, and others.
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There are a lot of stores in the vicinity of the Spalenberg. Take a stroll around the Spalenberg and you’ll be astonished by the variety of options available if you’re searching for small, genuine, and distinctive stores away from the busier shopping districts. Kleinbasel: You simply cannot avoid Kleinbasel if you wish to say that you have taken advantage of everything Basel has to offer in terms of shopping. There’s fantastic shopping as well in that area of Basel, which is just brimming with originality and inventiveness. As an illustration, consider Riviera, Claudia Güdel, Ahoi Ahoi, and Aisso X.
Heimatwerkstrasse is a great place to shop if you’re on a budget. It features standard gift shops with reasonable costs. The best deals are on bags, t-shirts, magnets, and mugs featuring the city’s icons. The biggest and busiest mall in Basel is called Globus. You may discover almost anything in dozens of businesses, such as watches, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, clothing, and shoes in different price ranges. The Manor Shopping Center is undoubtedly a destination for the pickiest shoppers. In addition to boutiques selling apparel and accessories from well-known international brands
Getting Around
The public transportation system in Basel and the surrounding area is well-developed and is distinguished by its contemporary fleet, timely service, and quick wait times. Basel’s green and yellow trams are now an inseparable feature of the cityscape. In conjunction with the buses, they guarantee that both tourists and residents can travel quickly and easily between locations, sometimes even to Germany and France’s bordering nations.
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IN ADDITION, AS A HOTEL GUEST IN THE CITY ON THE RHINE, YOU GET FREE USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT FOR THE WHOLE DURATION OF YOUR STAY WITH OUR BASELCARD. ALL OVERNIGHT STAYS INCLUDE THE BASELCARD. INCLUDED IS THE TRANSPORT TO THE AIRPORT. YOU CAN USE YOUR HOTEL RESERVATION TO TRAVEL FROM THE BASEL SWITZERLAND AIRPORT IF IT IS MARKED “MOBILITY TICKET”. ‘Basel SBB’ is the primary train station. The majority of public transportation is centered here. Numerous locations, such as Germany and Paris, are served by train.
Book your transport!
- when it comes to buses, Busbud is the best choice.
- when I want to travel by train, I choose Omio.
Rent a car!
Here you can find the best offers to rent the right car for you, as well as parking right in the airport: esky, Explorer, Centauro and intui.travel.
Getting here
If you’re flying, you can fly into Zurich Airport, which is close by, or use EuroAirport to get to the city. Making travel plans using the three train stations and the main highways is relatively simple. Every day, cruise ships also sail to Basel along the Rhine. Generally, taking public transportation to/from Basel Airport entails a short bus travel to/from Basel’s center. The majority of train passengers should switch to the bus at Basel Hauptbahnhof, although visitors from Germany and France also have further options.
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Basel SBB Hauptbahnhof and Basel Airport may be reached in approximately fifteen minutes by Basel municipal bus BVB 50. Bus 50 operates from approximately five in the morning until midnight, up to eight times an hour.The current one-way bus cost is CHF6.10 (CHF3.80 for minors under 16), which covers three zones and permits transfers to other lines and trams if needed to reach the final destination. Tickets can be purchased directly from bus drivers or from vending machines. Tageskarte Basel costs CHF9,90 (CHF6,90) each day.
Moreover, Zurich Airport (ZRH) provides comparatively simple access to the city. Most travelers arriving in Zürich will likely find that driving or taking the train is a quicker and more affordable choice than connecting to Basel Airport via plane. Zurich You can also take a plane to Berne or Geneva.
Situated south of the city, it is one of the major transportation centers in Switzerland, with bus and tram connections right outside the gate. Every day, around 2000 trains come and go from the station, many of them heading abroad. Basel is connected to most of northern Europe by high-speed ICE trains, which run daily to Zurich, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Hanover, and even Amsterdam. Zurich is also served by the high-speed operator TGV, which then goes on to French destinations like Dijon, Lyon, and Paris.
Book tour Flights!
If you have not found your desired flight, or you simply want more flight options to find the best and cheapest, we will help you with the best flight plans, where you will definitely find what you are looking for. With just one click you will find the cheapest flights to a wonderful destination!
Book your Cruise!
Here you can find the best offers for luxury cruises, or cheap cruise offers. We went on a cruise in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman and we can only recommend this unforgettable experience, not just here, but around the world!
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is a type of insurance designed to cover the costs and losses associated with traveling. It serves as a safeguard for travelers in case of unexpected events. Here are the main types and key components of travel insurance: Trip Cancellation,Medical Insurance,Baggage Insurance, Travel Delay Insurance, Emergency Evacuation and Repatriation Insurance, Accidental Death , Rental Car Insurance:
Order your Luggage!
Choosing the right travel luggage can make your journey more comfortable and hassle-free. Here are the best offers to help you select the best travel luggage for your needs:
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