What to do in Basel · a practical guide
A practical guideto Basel.
The places we recommend to anyone visiting Basel: the Old Town lanes, the river in every season, a handful of museums worth crossing town for and the tables we return to.
Places change: check opening times before you set out.
Choose a topic
Six short guides,
one subject each.
The Old Town lanes
Basel’s Old Town is small enough to learn in a day and layered enough to keep surprising you. Start on foot.
Read the guide: Basel Old Town
The river, in every season
The Rhine divides the city into Grossbasel, the Old Town side, and Kleinbasel across the water. Crossing over is part of the Basel rhythm.
Read the guide: The Rhine
Worth crossing town for
Basel has an outsized museum culture. Pick one or two and give them time; opening days vary, so check before you go.
Read the guide: Museums
Where to eat
From a quick weekday lunch to a special evening, with each restaurant’s address and official links. For the popular places, book ahead.
Read the guide: Food & coffee
The Basel calendar
A few moments in the year transform the city. If your dates are flexible, plan around one; if they’re fixed, book early.
Read the guide: Events
A weekend plan
Two days is a good length for Basel. The first day is for the Old Town and the river, all on foot. The second is for one outing chosen by interest, with time left to wander.
Read the guide: Basel in two days
This season in Basel Christmas market
More things to do
Beyond the main sights
Smaller plans for children, rainy days and winter, and corners of the city that many visitors miss.
Basel Zoo
The city zoo, known locally as the Zolli, is open 365 days a year. The BaselCard gives 25% off entry.
Rhine ferries
Four small ferries, the Fähri, cross the Rhine on a cable, pushed only by the current. They run longer hours in summer than in winter and stop when the river is high.
Sauna am Rhy
A winter sauna by the Rhine, with yurts to rest in. Mondays are women-only; a ticket covers three hours.
Byoga
A yoga studio in the Old Town with several classes a day, all open to drop-ins: handy if you want to keep up your practice while travelling.
Elys Boulderloft
A friendly bouldering gym, open daily, with a bistro and a play area for children aged three and up. No booking is needed to climb (first-timers register online); the children’s area works with booked time slots. A good rainy-day plan.
St. Alban
A quiet quarter by the Rhine, with old houses, a millstream, former mills and the medieval paper mill. The St. Alban-Tor city gate dates from around 1400, and the Wild Maa ferry crosses from here to Kleinbasel.
Tinguely Fountain
Ten machine sculptures by Jean Tinguely, built in 1975–77, splash and turn in a shallow pool where the old city theatre stood. It stops for cleaning on Wednesday mornings.
Dreiländereck
The point at the Rhine port where Switzerland, France and Germany meet. The building has a bar and a terrace looking across the borders, and in summer a sand area with palm trees.
Putting it together
Basel in one day
Suggested combinations rather than a timetable. Leave room for a long lunch.
- MorningCoffee on Spalenberg, then down to Marktplatz and the Rathaus courtyard.
- Late morningMittlere Brücke, then back up the Rheinsprung lane to Münsterplatz and the Pfalz terrace.
- AfternoonOne museum, chosen by mood: the Kunstmuseum for painting, Museum Tinguely for machines, the paper mill for craft.
- EveningA drink on the Kleinbasel riverbank in summer, or a glass at the top of Spalenberg in winter. Dinner in the Old Town.
Where to stay
Choosing
a base?
The Old Town suits a first visit on foot, Kleinbasel is livelier in the evening, and the areas by the station and the Messe are practical for trains and fairs. Compare Basel’s areas