• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Before Header

  • About
    • Who is LL?
    • What to Pack & Stuff
    • Where I’ve Been
    • LL’s Fav Quotations
  • Work With Me
    • Video Consulting
    • My Writing
    • Photography Portfolio
    • My Books
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

LL World Tour

Slow Travel. Eat Local.

  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Shop
    • My Books
    • Learn Video Production
  • Destinations
  • Food
  • Travel Tips
  • Search

Mobile Menu

  • Blog
  • Destinations
  • Food
  • Resources
    • My Gear
    • My Books
  • About
  • Work With Me
    • Published Writing & Media Coverage
    • Video Consulting + Production
  • Privacy + Disclosure
  • Contact
Basel City Hall

Basel: Switzerland’s Most Unique City

You are here: Home / Europe / Switzerland / Basel: Switzerland’s Most Unique City

//  by Lisa 21 Comments

 

LessIS (2)

For a great finale to the journey, our train ride ends in beautiful Basel. Literally on the corner of France, Germany and Switzerland, this cosmopolitan, Swiss city (and the hometown of Roger Federer) is a great base as both France and Germany are just 10 minutes away and it’s only three hours by train to Paris. Wondering what to do in Basel? Read on.

Basel Mobility Ticket

Table of Contents

Toggle
    • *Budget Tip*
  • Basel Overview
  • What to do in Basel
  • Rhine Swimming
  • Basel Carnival

*Budget Tip*

While Switzerland is notoriously expensive, forward-thinking Basel helps you out with transport with their Mobility Ticket. With any stay in a hotel (or even a hostel) you receive a free ticket to ride on the public transport system during your entire stay. Love that.

Basel Overview

 

basel Old Town

The heart of Basel is one of the best-preserved old towns in Europe with charming medieval houses and squares. At the same time, the city is a showcase for modern design with several Pritzker-Prize winning architects such as Herzog & de Meuron and Renzo Piano.

Basel Marketplace

What to do in Basel

Don’t miss the daily food market at the Marktplatz overlooked by colorful City Hall. Just up the street, duck into Café Confiserie Schiesser to sample some decadent Swiss chocolates and then head upstairs for a coffee break and old-world café atmosphere.

Basel Gilgen

Drool over all the gourmet food at Globus, Switzerland’s famous upscale department store. Later on indulge in a meal in the garden at Kunstshalle Restaurant just beneath the art museum.

For more food ideas check out my post on where to eat in Basel.

 

For a great view of the city, head uphill to the Cathedral. After admiring the Gothic church, head behind it to the Pfalz, the terrace with one of the best vistas over of the Rhine and just take it all in.

Basel Cathedral

My friend Maurits (who I’d met at a hostel in Berlin years ago and then got to see again more recently in Zurich) had raved to me about Basel. This city has a couple very unique attributes, neither of which I would get to experience here in October, but would love to come back for.

Rhine Swimming

Rhine-swim-day

During the summer months, you will see heaps of locals swimming in the river. But not just swimming, many are drifting downstream from work to home or a bar and carry a “fish” bag with them—a waterproof satchel for their work stuff and clothes. I LOVE this and so want to go back for a dip. Each summer there is one official Rhine swim day as well. Whether young or old or somewhere in between, thousands brave the waves and join the big swim.

Basel Carnival

Basel Carnival
Courtesy: Switzerland Tourism

Basel’s famous carnival, Fasnacht, is the largest in Switzerland, lasting exactly three days, from 4:00a.m. Monday morning to 4:00 a.m. on Thursday.

Basel Carnival Parade
Courtesy: Switzerland Tourism

At 4:00am on the first day, the city turns of all street lights in the Old Town and only the lanterns of the marchers are seen. Thousands of participants dress up in elaborate, colorful costumes and masks and remain incognito the entire time. There are two huge parades in which the participants throw candy and confetti bombs (all solid colors so if you get doused with mixed, you know it was on the ground!) while marching around playing the drums and the piccolo.

Some restaurants and bars in the old town stay open the entire time, all day and all night for the three days. It sounds like quite the spectacle with a mixture of haunting mystique, fascinating medieval tradition and jovial celebration. Another reason to go back! 

Convention center in Basel by Herzog & De Meuron
Basel City Hall
Old Town
Old Town in the Fall
Cobblestones of Old Town

Don’t miss Where to Eat in Basel!

 

Disclosure: I was a guest of Eurail Group, KLM, and Basel Tourism, as always all writing and opinions are my own.

Share
Pin851
851 Shares

About Lisa

Lisa Lubin is an established travel/food writer and photographer, three-time Emmy® award-winning TV producer, video consultant, and travel industry expert. After more than a decade in broadcast television she took a sabbatical, which turned into three years traveling around the world. She created this blog in 2006. Lisa also owns LLmedia, a media & video consulting business. Her writing and photography has been published by American Way, Hemispheres, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, West Jet Magazine, Scandinavian Traveler, Orbitz, and Luxury Las Vegas. Her book, The Ultimate Travel Tips: Essential Advice for Your Adventures, is available on Amazon.

These posts may also interest you!

Chocolate in Switzerland

Chocolates in Switzerland You Must Try

Schiesser

Where to Eat in Basel

Basel City Hall

Basel: Switzerland’s Most Unique City

Photo Essay: Interlaken & The Jungfrau

Old Town Zurich

What to Do in Zurich

Veggie Buffet

Every Gram Counts at Hiltl: The World’s Oldest Vegetarian Restaurant

B2 Hotel Lounge

The Mod & Stunning B2 Boutique Hotel Zurich + Spa

Pre-Blog Travels

Disclosure

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through a link, I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the Disclosure.

Previous Post: «Mulhouse Car Museum Photo Essay and Introduction to the Mulhouse Car Museum
Next Post: Where to Eat in Basel Schiesser»

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. De'Jav

    April 11, 2015 at 8:46 am

    Wow love the city already. Drifting down the river what a great idea and way to have unwind.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      May 23, 2015 at 2:19 pm

      It’s cool there. Have you ever been? I hope to go back to be able to take a dip in the river on a hot day!

      Reply
      • De'Jav

        May 28, 2015 at 3:20 am

        No , I haven’t been yet. Definitely would like to in the warmer months.

        Reply
  2. Chanel | Cultural Xplorer

    April 13, 2015 at 7:02 am

    I definitely want to get to Basel on my next trip to Switzerland! 😀 It looks so lovely.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      May 23, 2015 at 2:20 pm

      You should definitely check out Basel, Chanel. It’s a fun place!

      Reply
  3. Kristy

    April 27, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    The place looks cool! I hope I can go there someday and visit the places you’ve mention here.

    Reply
  4. samali djono

    May 3, 2015 at 5:45 am

    been there many times .. like it very much. Rot Haus, the bridge, walk around clarastrasse (during the week end) and even Kantonspital .. not too good but I ever (must) stayed there for 22 days, sometime in 1991

    ciao ..

    Reply
    • Lisa

      May 23, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      Cool to hear Samali!

      Reply
  5. Leo

    May 3, 2015 at 7:19 am

    Basel has a high density of world class museums and is the host of Art Basel, the word’s biggest art fair (usually in June). If you’re into arts, Basel has to offer you a lot. More information on http://www.museenbasel.ch/en/ and https://www.artbasel.com/en/Basel

    Reply
    • Lisa

      May 23, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      Thanks Leo. I am glad you mentioned Art Basel too!

      Reply
  6. Rod

    May 4, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    Hey

    As a citizen of Basel I have to say this is a great review of my town.

    Cheers from Basel
    Rod

    Reply
    • Lisa

      May 23, 2015 at 2:22 pm

      Grützi Rod! This is so nice to hear coming from a local!

      Reply
  7. Java

    May 6, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    Hmmmmmmmm that’s why my bro’s wife is not leaving this place…..

    Reply
    • Lisa

      May 23, 2015 at 2:22 pm

      What does she like about it?

      Reply
      • Java

        June 4, 2015 at 7:17 am

        Just FUN, FUN and only FUN… even though she is married and her husband is in USA…

        Reply
  8. komal

    December 7, 2015 at 1:39 am

    Switzerland is like a heaven on earth.. Every One is interested to travel switzerland in lifetime. It will always great to visit heritage and Scenic Nature Beauty….

    Reply
  9. NeNe

    April 14, 2016 at 10:25 pm

    I going to basel for the first time next month. I’m so excited. I really glad I ran across your article. It’s very helpful. Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Lisa

      April 26, 2016 at 1:40 pm

      Oh, thanks Nene! Enjoy it! It’s a fun city.

      Reply
  10. Phil

    June 6, 2016 at 10:49 pm

    Cheers Lisa for this profound report on my hometown, a city too often standing behind Lucerne or Zurich when it comes to tourism. Did you know that Basel was once chosen as one of Europe’s secret capitals by world renowned Time Magazine? And frankly I couldn’t name any other town in the world that offers that much related to its relatively small population .

    Reply
    • Lisa

      July 12, 2016 at 10:48 am

      Hi Phil! So glad you liked the post. Basel was great! I loved all the unique stuff going on there. I really want to come back and swim in the river and see the Carnival. That must be amazing.

      Reply
  11. Avery

    October 23, 2018 at 2:12 pm

    I enjoyed my walks in Basel, although very expensive the food was just not quite what I wanted as far as taste for my money. I will return, would love to see the festival as well as drift in the river.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

hi there! i’m lisa.

Lisa LubinI chucked it all – the TV job, the guy, the “normal” life – to travel around the world. I've been to 60+ countries & live a life based more on experiences. I want to inspire you to travel slowly & eat locally! MORE...

Subscribe

Subscribe to get my FREE Travel Tips Guide with all my best tips to help you travel cheaper, safer, and easier today!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Travel Inspiration Video

Get $40 off Your First Airbnb Trip!

airbnb logo

Where I’ve Been

Where Ive Been Placeholder
Where Ive Been
/united-states
/category/north-america/canada/
/category/south-america/argentina
/category/australia/
/category/new-zealand
/category/europe/hungary
/category/europe/switzerland/
/category/mexico
/category/central-america-caribbean/puerto-rico
/category/central-america-caribbean/belize
/category/central-america-caribbean/costa-rica
/category/south-america/ecuador
/category/south-america/chile
/category/south-america/colombia
/category/europe/england
/category/europe/sweden
/category/europe/Norway
/category/europe/portugal
/category/europe/spain
/category/europe/France
/category/europe/Germany
/category/europe/italy
/category/europe/austria
/category/europe/slovenia
/category/europe/denmark
/category/europe/latvia
/category/europe/lithuania
/category/europe/Estonia
/category/europe/Poland
/category/europe/Russia
/category/europe/slovakia
/category/europe/Romania
/category/asia/turkey
/category/central-america-caribbean/dominican-republic
/category/middle-east/israel
/category/middle-east/jordan
/category/middle-east/Egypt
/category/africa/Tanzania
/category/asia/bhutan
/category/middle-east/uae
/category/asia/hong-kong
/category/asia/China
/category/asia/Japan
/category/asia/vietnam
/category/asia/cambodia
/category/asia/Thailand
/category/asia/singapore
/category/europe/amsterdam
/category/asia/india
/category/asia/laos
/georgia

Recent Posts

Best road trips from Chicago

Best Road Trips From Chicago

Ode to Chicago

Possibly My Hardest Break-up Yet: Goodbye Chicago

Chicago's Wicker Park

My Next Chapter: I’m Leaving Chicago

Acadia

10 Michelin Star Restaurants in Chicago + COVID Update

Popular

Best road trips from Chicago

Best Road Trips From Chicago

Best Road Trips From Chicago
Ode to Chicago

Possibly My Hardest Break-up Yet: Goodbye Chicago

Possibly My Hardest Break-up Yet: Goodbye Chicago
Chicago's Wicker Park

My Next Chapter: I’m Leaving Chicago

My Next Chapter: I’m Leaving Chicago
Acadia

10 Michelin Star Restaurants in Chicago + COVID Update

10 Michelin Star Restaurants in Chicago + COVID Update
Divvy bikes

Biking in Chicago

Biking in Chicago
Chicago outdoor activities

Outdoor Activities in Chicago

Outdoor Activities in Chicago

My Gear

Gear Recommendations

As Seen In…

LL World Tour media


LEARN MORE

Booking.com

Footer

Be Inspired

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain

Disclosure

LLworldtour.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. For more info see my privacy policy.

Site Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Destinations
  • Privacy + Disclosure
  • Contact

Made with in Chicago.

Copyright © 2006-2025 LLmedia | All Rights Reserved | Powered by the Genesis Framework with Mai Lifestyle Theme. | Thanks for reading the small print. Now go travel.