Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
Basel Attractions
As a city, Basel is visited primarily for its urban attractions such as museums and shopping. However, if you'd like to escape the congestion and get out and see some countryside, you're at the right place. On the outskirts of the city are 1,198km (744 miles) of Wanderweg, which are marked trails crisscrossing the scenic highlights of the area. To get you going on your journey, catch bus no. 70 to Reigoldswil. Here you can board the Gondelbahn cable to take you to the mountain peak of Wasserfallen at 922m (3,024 ft.). Once here, you can set off on hikes in many directions. Call tel. 061/927-65-35 for information about the best hikes in the Reigoldswil and Wasserfallen region.
More Attractions
The Rathaus (town hall) on Marktplatz dominates the market square of Basel. It was built in 1504 in the late Burgundian style, but additions have been made since. The sandstone building is decorated with shields of the ancient city guildhall and adorned with frescoes.
You may also want to visit the University of Basel, on the south side of Petersplatz. Founded in 1460, it's one of the oldest academic institutions in Switzerland (the school's charter was signed by Pope Pius II). Its library contains a collection of rare manuscripts, as well as works by Martin Luther, Erasmus, and Zwingli.
Spalentor (Spalen Gate), west of the university, marks the end of the medieval sector. It's one of the most beautiful gates in the country. Built in the 1400s, it was heavily restored in the 19th century, and has a pointed roof and two towers with battlements.
Finally, Dreiländereck (Three Countries' Corner), which juts out into the Rhine, is one of Basel's more unusual sites. If you walk around a pylon marking the spot, in just a few steps you can cross from Switzerland into Germany and then into France -- and you don't even need a passport.
8 Results
- Museum
Beyeler Foundation
A giant among modern and contemporary art museums, the Beyeler Foundation was created by Hildy and Ernest Bayeler, the two visionary art dealers who created the Art Basel fair. Their superb collection is housed in a light-filled structure, created by "starchitect" Renzo Piano on the… - Museum
Fondation Beyeler
Some half a century ago, Ernest and Hildy Beyeler set out to acquire some modern paintings to decorate their home. By the turn of the millennium, they had collected one of the greatest private art collections of Switzerland, which they now share with the public in the suburb of… - Museum
Historisches Museum Barfüsserplatz
This former 14th-century Franciscan church on Barefoot Square (named for the unshod friars) contains many relics of medieval Basel, including rare 15th-century tapestries and specimens of ecclesiastical art. One of the best-known sculptures is in the late Gothic style, depicting a… Kunsthalle
A 5-minute walk from the Kunstmuseum, this gallery offers experimental works by contemporary artists. Banners displayed throughout the town announce current exhibitions. Since 1872, its changing program of exhibitions has featured many of the leading artists of classical modern and…- Museum
Kunstmuseum
This is the oldest museum in Switzerland, offering one of Europe's most remarkable collections -- everything from the old masters to 20th-century paintings. You approach the massive main building through a courtyard graced with sculptures by Rodin, Calder, and others. The collections… - Museum
Museum Jean Tinguely
The museum is dedicated to the work of Jean Tinguely, one of Switzerland's greatest sculptors, who died in 1991. The 70 mechanical sculptures in the collection span 4 decades of artistic evolution, beginning with reliefs and printing machines from the 1950s and progressing to later… - Religious Site
Münster
This red sandstone building towering over the Old Town was consecrated way back in 1019. Destroyed by an earthquake in 1356, it was rebuilt along Romanesque and Gothic lines with a green-and-yellow-tile roof. The cathedral has functioned as an Evangelical Reformed church since 1529.… - Zoo/Aquarium
Zoologischer Garten Basel
Established in 1874, the Zoologischer Garten is one of the greatest zoos in the world, famous for breeding endangered species in captivity. Covering 11 hectares (26 acres) in an urban setting within a 7-minute walk of the railway station, it has some 4,500 animals of 600 different…
Basel Shopping
Cosmopolitan, sophisticated, and prosperous, Basel shelters a medley of shops whose merchandise rivals that found in much larger cities. The finest antiques shop in the region is Antiquités M. & G. Ségal, Aeschengraben 14 (tel. 061/272-39-08). Founded in 1862, it's run by the articulate and knowledgeable fourth-generation owner, Georges Ségal, and his North Carolina-born wife, Margaret. Their specialties include 18th-century Continental paintings, silver, furniture, ceramics (including antique Meissen porcelain), and art objects, all of which are displayed over four floors of a building bulging with treasures. You'll also find two impressive art galleries in town. The immensely prestigious Ernest Beyeler Gallery, Baunleingasse 9 (tel. 061/206-97-00), is a cultural focal point that's famous throughout Europe for its roster of Impressionist, modern, and contemporary paintings. Also, a more avant-garde gallery with more emphasis on minimalist, hypercontemporary art, is the well-respected Galerie Gisele Linder, Elisabethenstrasse 54 (tel. 061/272-83-77; www.galerielinder.ch).
Seeking a suitcase to pack the loot you've already acquired in Basel? Head for Droeser, Martinskirchplatz 15 (tel. 061/261-42-53), where wallets, valises, purses, handbags, shaving kits, even gym bags, offer leather making at its best. If you have a yen for fine tobaccos, check out Oettinger Cigares, Aeschenvorstadt 4 (tel. 061/272-47-70), where brierwood and meerschaum pipes, along with cigarettes and cigars from around the world (including Cuba), are sold along with their appropriate accessories. And finally, dozens of emporiums in Basel are ready, willing, and able to sell you a wristwatch. One of the city's most upscale shops is Gübelin, Freie Strasse 27 (tel. 061/307-56-20; www.guebelin.ch).
The premier chocolatier in town is Confiserie Schiesser, 19 Marktplatz (tel. 061/261-60-77; www.confiserie-schiesser.ch), which sells expensive but delectable confections in its downstairs shop. Upstairs is a Viennese tearoom founded in 1870, where you can order delicate pastries and tasty little sandwiches while enjoying views of the bustling market square and the Gothic City Hall.
The best place to shop for handicrafts and gifts is Heimatwerk, Schneidergasse 2 (tel. 061/261-91-78; www.heimatwerk.ch), which carries an array of tasteful merchandise from all parts of the country. You'll find everything from ceramics to wooden toys here.
If you're just seeking general merchandise, head for the leading department store in Basel, Globus, Marktplatz 2 (tel. 058/578-45-45; www.globus.ch).
Basel Nightlife
Regardless of which language you speak, you'll find lots of options for nightlife, whether you're looking for a sophisticated cocktail lounge or a funky alternative club. A worthwhile cluster of them are in the Stadtcasino, Steinberg 14 (tel. 061/226-36-00; www.casinobasel.ch), a venue that contains a stage (Musik Halle) for live musical acts, plus at least three other bars and restaurants. On site, look for the American-inspired Papa Joe's (tel. 061/225-93-94; www.papajoes.ch), a restaurant containing vague references to Hemingway and a commodious bar area. A few steps away, at Steinenberg 7, directly opposite the whimsical fountain designed by mega-artist Jean Tinguely, is the Campari Bar (tel. 061/272-83-83), a youthful site for drinking, gossiping, or whatever.
The appealing and discreetly prosperous City Bar is in the previously recommended Hilton Basel, Aeschengraben 31 (tel. 061/275-66-00). Its decor evokes a prestigious men's club in London; you'll get the distinct feeling that everything from billion-dollar bank transfers to romantic assignations has been discreetly and stylishly conducted here. Several notches upscale, with older and more prestigious antecedents, is the Euler Bar, in the Hotel Euler, Centralbahnplatz 14 (tel. 061/275-80-00). Popular with the international business community, it contains a lavishly coffered ceiling, a live pianist, lots of leather upholstery, a noise level that rarely rises above a murmur, and stiff drinks. More raucous and earthy is the popular bar in the oldest hotel in Europe, the Drei Könige, Blumenrain 8 (tel. 061/260-50-50), which is smaller and more bohemian than the previously recommended bars.
The city's most entrenched bastion of electronic music, avant-garde jazz, and rock 'n' roll is the Café Atlantis, Klosterberg 13 (tel. 061/228-96-96; www.atlan-tis.ch). Favored by rock-star hopefuls and college students, it contains a labyrinth of bars and balconies, and views of the medieval cathedral from the second-floor windows. On Friday and Saturday nights, it becomes a disco. During the week it has occasional live music. Admission is free. The quintessential smoke-filled cafe is Zum Roten Engel, Andreasplatz 15 (tel. 061/261-20-08), filled mainly with students and other young people.
You're always likely to strike up an interesting conversation when you drop in at any of Basel's gay bars, which tend to get going relatively late at night, around 11pm. Try Elle et Lui, Rebgasse 39 (tel. 061/692-54-79).
On a more cultural note, the Basel Stadttheater, Theaterstrasse 7 (tel. 061/295-11-33; www.theater-basel.ch), presents an array of opera, operetta, dance concerts, and plays in German. The box office is open Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm and 3:30 to 6:45pm, Saturday 10am to 6:45pm.
