Guidebook for Basel

Maximilien
Maximilien
Guidebook for Basel

Shopping

One of Europe's best Christmas markets!
Weihnachtsmarkt Barfüsserplatz
Barfüsserplatz
One of Europe's best Christmas markets!

Sightseeing

Beautiful and iconic medieval cathedral perched atop the cliffs above the Rhine. It is free to visit, the cloisters on the side offer a nice oasis of peace and quiet, and the esplanade at the back offer beautiful views of the Rhine and Kleinbasel below.
130 locals recommend
Basel Minster
9 Münsterpl.
130 locals recommend
Beautiful and iconic medieval cathedral perched atop the cliffs above the Rhine. It is free to visit, the cloisters on the side offer a nice oasis of peace and quiet, and the esplanade at the back offer beautiful views of the Rhine and Kleinbasel below.
One of Europe's best preserved medieval towns, the Altstadt is full of charming small streets and alleys (some of which are actually stairways!) to get lost in. The houses date from the 14th-16th century, mostly, with a few even predating the devastating 1356 earthquake and dating from the 13th century. Many beautiful old churches and fortification towers. The Altstadt is particularly beautiful during Advent, when it is all decorated with Christmas trees and illuminated, and during Fastnacht, where it is the main scene of all the parades and celebration. You will find both busy touristy spots and secret alleys and quiet squares and parks.
34 locals recommend
Altstadt Grossbasel
34 locals recommend
One of Europe's best preserved medieval towns, the Altstadt is full of charming small streets and alleys (some of which are actually stairways!) to get lost in. The houses date from the 14th-16th century, mostly, with a few even predating the devastating 1356 earthquake and dating from the 13th century. Many beautiful old churches and fortification towers. The Altstadt is particularly beautiful during Advent, when it is all decorated with Christmas trees and illuminated, and during Fastnacht, where it is the main scene of all the parades and celebration. You will find both busy touristy spots and secret alleys and quiet squares and parks.
Beautiful old castle ruins just North of Basel. Biking there is a great day trip - I recommend taking the slightly longer path of biking on the trails along the Wiese. And stopping for shopping (or window shopping) in Lörrach, a popular destination. There is a short and easy hike to climb up to the old castle. The outer fortification and town ruins are free to visit, and the castle itself very cheap and fun visit. From the top of the tallest tower, one can get a great view of the Black Forest, the valley towards Basel, and on clear days, one can see all the way to the snowy peaks of the Alps.
37 locals recommend
Rötteln Castle
37 locals recommend
Beautiful old castle ruins just North of Basel. Biking there is a great day trip - I recommend taking the slightly longer path of biking on the trails along the Wiese. And stopping for shopping (or window shopping) in Lörrach, a popular destination. There is a short and easy hike to climb up to the old castle. The outer fortification and town ruins are free to visit, and the castle itself very cheap and fun visit. From the top of the tallest tower, one can get a great view of the Black Forest, the valley towards Basel, and on clear days, one can see all the way to the snowy peaks of the Alps.
Take the tram (or even better, a bike ride through the fields) to Flüh and hike up to the beautiful baroque abbey of Mariastein, surrounded by elevated farmland criss-crossed with footpaths
Mariastein
Take the tram (or even better, a bike ride through the fields) to Flüh and hike up to the beautiful baroque abbey of Mariastein, surrounded by elevated farmland criss-crossed with footpaths

Drinks & Nightlife

The Altstadt on the Kleinbasel side is smaller, and generally busier at night, and is where most of the bars are and where nightlife happens. Kleinbasel generally attracts younger residents and visitors. As with the rest of the city center, it is full of old houses and churches from the 14th-16th century. The shores of the Rhine on the Kleinbasel side (particularly between Mittlerebrücke and Dreirosenbrücke are the most popular space to sit down, hang out and enjoy the evening with a bottle of beer or wine among friends, and the views of sunset or of the illuminated Münster and other landmarks at night is always breathtaking.
7 locals recommend
Altstadt Kleinbasel
7 locals recommend
The Altstadt on the Kleinbasel side is smaller, and generally busier at night, and is where most of the bars are and where nightlife happens. Kleinbasel generally attracts younger residents and visitors. As with the rest of the city center, it is full of old houses and churches from the 14th-16th century. The shores of the Rhine on the Kleinbasel side (particularly between Mittlerebrücke and Dreirosenbrücke are the most popular space to sit down, hang out and enjoy the evening with a bottle of beer or wine among friends, and the views of sunset or of the illuminated Münster and other landmarks at night is always breathtaking.

Parks & Nature

One of Basel's largest parks, Kannenfelpark is a great place to run a few laps or just sit down and enjoy the day
67 locals recommend
Kannenfeldpark
Burgfelderstrasse
67 locals recommend
One of Basel's largest parks, Kannenfelpark is a great place to run a few laps or just sit down and enjoy the day
This is one of my favorite spots in Basel on spring or summer days. It is a great place to go to escape the city. You can walk or bike far along the wooded shores of the Wiese, all the way to Stetten, Germany.
52 locals recommend
Lange Erlen station
52 locals recommend
This is one of my favorite spots in Basel on spring or summer days. It is a great place to go to escape the city. You can walk or bike far along the wooded shores of the Wiese, all the way to Stetten, Germany.
I love to go biking around Hégenheim and Hésingue just accross the border, using the small streets and roads among the fields in the countryside. It's a great way to escape the city and get a different vibe. You occasionally get great views of the surrounding hills and mountains, or the charm of approaching small old-fashioned villages.
Hégenheim
I love to go biking around Hégenheim and Hésingue just accross the border, using the small streets and roads among the fields in the countryside. It's a great way to escape the city and get a different vibe. You occasionally get great views of the surrounding hills and mountains, or the charm of approaching small old-fashioned villages.
Gorgeous trail up a narrow pass between cliffs. Fairly easy hike. There's a very nice grilling/picnic spot (bring your coals) with a big round table, not far up the trail. It's the best setting for a grilling party you'll ever find. Also a popular spot for rock climbers. There's parking at the trailhead which can also be reached easily on foot from Hofstetten. I like to make it into a longer, day trip by starting the hike at the Flüh station (which can be reached from Basel directly by tram or via a rather nice 45-60 minute bike ride partly through fields/farmland; the trailhead is accross the road from the tram station), following the main – yellow diamond – path up and over the Flühberg (make sure to take the little detour at the top to the view point by the cross, which offers a beautiful panorama of Mariastein and Landskron castle accross the valley, where your hike might bring you a few hours later) and down into Hofstetten, then accross that town to the Chälengraben trail proper and have a grilling picnic at the big table there. Continuing further, there's a big playground a the top of that trail with more picnic spots. You can keep hiking up all the way to the top of the ridge at the Blauepass. From there, head right and follow the ridge trail (you'll get a stunning panorama of Basel along the way) to the Mätzerlechrüz, where you can hook right again and start going downhill, circling back towards Mariastein, and visit the beautiful baroque church there, from were you can then take the path down through the town of Flüh, back to your starting point . Hikers with lots of endurance might instead, from Mariastein, decide to stay on the plateau, go to the Sankt Anna Kapelle and from there, take the path to the Landskron castle ruins. From there one can hike down to Leymen and have a nice dinner at one of the good restaurants in the French town, before taking the tram from there back to retrieve the bicycles at the next stop, or all the way back to Basel. From central Basel: [-Bike ride to Flüh = 45-60 minutes. 130m net elevation gain (very gradual, quasi-imperceptible slope)] -Path from Flüh to Hofstetten, up 170m (it's the hardest/steepest climb of the whole hike), down 100. = around 45-60 minutes -From Hosftetten to Chälengraben (via streets), up 75 metters = 15 minutes -Chälengraben+trail up to Blauepass (lots of stairs), 300m gain = 75-90 minutes -Ridge trail, more or less level, rocky terrain = 30 minutes -Trail down from the Mätzerlechrüz, to Mariastein (part of it on road/street) = 45-60 minutes. -Down from Mariastein to starting point (dirt road then street) = 30 minutes [-Bike ride back to Basel = 35-50 minutes, slightly downhill almost the whole time] Total time : 4h to 4h45 [plus 1h20 to 1h50 bicycle rides to and from hike], not including time spent grilling and eating lunch.
Chälengraben
Gorgeous trail up a narrow pass between cliffs. Fairly easy hike. There's a very nice grilling/picnic spot (bring your coals) with a big round table, not far up the trail. It's the best setting for a grilling party you'll ever find. Also a popular spot for rock climbers. There's parking at the trailhead which can also be reached easily on foot from Hofstetten. I like to make it into a longer, day trip by starting the hike at the Flüh station (which can be reached from Basel directly by tram or via a rather nice 45-60 minute bike ride partly through fields/farmland; the trailhead is accross the road from the tram station), following the main – yellow diamond – path up and over the Flühberg (make sure to take the little detour at the top to the view point by the cross, which offers a beautiful panorama of Mariastein and Landskron castle accross the valley, where your hike might bring you a few hours later) and down into Hofstetten, then accross that town to the Chälengraben trail proper and have a grilling picnic at the big table there. Continuing further, there's a big playground a the top of that trail with more picnic spots. You can keep hiking up all the way to the top of the ridge at the Blauepass. From there, head right and follow the ridge trail (you'll get a stunning panorama of Basel along the way) to the Mätzerlechrüz, where you can hook right again and start going downhill, circling back towards Mariastein, and visit the beautiful baroque church there, from were you can then take the path down through the town of Flüh, back to your starting point . Hikers with lots of endurance might instead, from Mariastein, decide to stay on the plateau, go to the Sankt Anna Kapelle and from there, take the path to the Landskron castle ruins. From there one can hike down to Leymen and have a nice dinner at one of the good restaurants in the French town, before taking the tram from there back to retrieve the bicycles at the next stop, or all the way back to Basel. From central Basel: [-Bike ride to Flüh = 45-60 minutes. 130m net elevation gain (very gradual, quasi-imperceptible slope)] -Path from Flüh to Hofstetten, up 170m (it's the hardest/steepest climb of the whole hike), down 100. = around 45-60 minutes -From Hosftetten to Chälengraben (via streets), up 75 metters = 15 minutes -Chälengraben+trail up to Blauepass (lots of stairs), 300m gain = 75-90 minutes -Ridge trail, more or less level, rocky terrain = 30 minutes -Trail down from the Mätzerlechrüz, to Mariastein (part of it on road/street) = 45-60 minutes. -Down from Mariastein to starting point (dirt road then street) = 30 minutes [-Bike ride back to Basel = 35-50 minutes, slightly downhill almost the whole time] Total time : 4h to 4h45 [plus 1h20 to 1h50 bicycle rides to and from hike], not including time spent grilling and eating lunch.