While I was working for a Swiss company for a couple of years, I would travel to Basel about twice per month. Therefore, I was able to try a lot of different hotels and restaurants. One thing I remember is that landing on a Sunday evening was the worst, because most restaurants were closed and I could not find any food! Summer is a nice time of year to visit, because one of the activity highlights is floating down the river with a fish bag to keep your personal items dry. In fact, some people even use this for commuting!
If you travel to Basel, a couple of days is probably enough to see the highlights. Many people fly into Basel for work, or to travel to other locations in Switzerland, France or Germany, both border countries. Its known as a cultural centre and has two excellent art museums.
Highlights
- Tinguely Museum
- Kunstmuseum
- Weinmesse wine fair and tasting
- Summer festivals for cinema and music including Floss
- Einstieg Rhyschwimme starting point to float down the river
- Zoo Basel
- Musical Theater Basel
- Anatomical Museum of the University of Basel
- St. Johanns-Tor
- cargobar basel music nights
- Museum of Natural History Basel
- Basel Minster
- Spalentor gate
- Jewish Museum of Switzerland
- Basel Town Hall
- Museum of Cultures Basel
- Stadtcasino Basel concert hall
- Tinguely Fountain
- aquabasilea water park
- Fondation Beyeler art museum
- Basel Paper Mill and museum
- St. Alban City Gate
- St. Jakob Monument
- Kaserne Basel
- Clarakirche Basel
Before you go
- The airport is partially in France and Switzerland, so ensure to exit to the correct country
- Mobile reception can sometimes switch between countries since Basel borders France and Germany
- If you run or walk along the river path north of the city, at some point you will reach a place where the three countries intersect. Technically, you should have your passport with you
- Some people speak English, but a translation app can be useful for German/Swiss-German
- On Sundays, many shops are closed except the ones in the rail station
- Restaurants stop serving food earlier than in many other European cities. Also fewer places are open on Sunday evenings
- In my opinion, the best cuisine to choose is Italian
- Summertime is very lively in the city with festivals, and the popular pastime of floating down the river
- Prices are expensive in general. For hotels and trains, it is usually better to book in advance.
Transport
- EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg is located to the northwest of the city centre. Bus 50 runs between the airport and the main station, and it takes about 20 minutes and costs about euros each way
- Taxis are available but can be very expensive. Uber is a cheaper alternative
- The main rail station is SBB and there is a smaller station in the north, Gare du Nord
- Buses and trams serve the city run by BVB and some cross the border into Germany
Accommodation
- As usual I recommend checking reviews on Booking.com or using AirBnB
- In order of preference, these are the hotels I stayed at during my trips to Basel:
- Basel Marriott 4-star previously Swissotel
- Hotel Les Trois Rois 5-star hotel
- Pullman Basel Europe 4-star
- Hotel Novotel Basel City 4-star
- Der Teufelhof Basel 3-star
- Hotel Victoria 4-star
- Hotel Wettstein Basel 3-star
Food
Bakeries and Snacks
Confiserie Sprüngli for chocolates and pastries
Läderach fine Swiss chocolates
Union Diner has multiple locations for burgers
Zum Kuss cafe and bar is great for a drink and snack
Läckerli Huus AG Swiss spiced cookies
Gelateria di Berna for traditional and unique gelato flavours
Finkmüller – Coffee & Fine Goods is a nice cafe
Bubeck Zuggerbegg bakery for breads, pastries
Sutter Begg bakery for traditional baked goods
Restaurants
Italian food
When I travel to Basel, I tend to eat a lot of Italian food because there are many good option. Also, the dishes tend to be lighter than traditional Swiss food.
Gatto Nero for fresh pasta and delicious gourmet options is one of my favourites, recommended by a local friend
Four of my favourite pizzerias in the city are: Pizzeria Vito, Margherita, Pizzeria Ristorante Molino and Artigiano Café Pizzeria Napoletana
Trattoria aroma, Restaurant Fiorentina and Acqua are more for fine dining
And then the rest of the options are casual and reliably tasty
Swiss German food
Warteck Brewery is one of my favourite, casual places for food and beer.
Restaurant Stucki – Tanja Grandits has a tasting menu for fine dining and Roter Bären is for reasonably-priced fine dining
The other options all have Swiss food and sometimes a mix of other European dishes
Restaurant Atelier (im Teufelhof)
Ufer7 Basel casual riverside restaurant
Hotel Krafft restaurant
French food
Although Basel is on the border with France, there are not too many specifically French restaurants. These are the few I would recommend:
Thai food
There are many Thai restaurants in Basel, and these were some of my go-to restaurants during business trips.
Restaurant Boo Klybeck and other locations
Thai Express Basel near the north station
Japanese food
Surprisingly, there are also quite a few Japanese restaurants. However, some of these are Japanese and other Asian food. I really liked Wasabi which is just for takeaway. It is located behind the rail station and so mostly frequented by locals.
Wasabi mostly for takeaway and surprisingly good quality and value
Negishi Sushi Bar Steinen
NOOHN Japanese and other Asian foods with rooftop dining
namamen for ramen noodles
Other
Don Pincho tapas bar
Don Camillo with a mix of cuisines fused with Swiss
Cartell, surprisingly good Mexican food
Nomad Eatery & Bar casual and with lots of different cuisines
Tibits vegetarian and vegan cafe that charges by weight of the food
Vegitat vegetarian restaurant
Dragon Girl Kitchen Chinese Cantonese food
Mum’s Kitchen Vietnamese food
Knock on Wood Vietnamese
Lily’s Maxim Asian restaurant
Food markets
Klara with many different food stalls and bars. Open later than many other places
Markthalle for a wide variety of food stalls, wine bars, and beer
Bars
Sääli bar and live music
FAQs
Q: Do I need a tour guide?
A: No, it is easy to find the places of interest in Basel
Q: Do people speak English?
A: Some people to do but it is useful to have a translation app for German or Swiss-German
Q: Is it a walkable city?
A: Yes it is walkable, although there are also buses and trams to get around
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