Basel City Guide

Located on the bend of the Rhine on the borders with France and Germany, Basel is a beautiful destination. Whether you are shopping in the romantic Old Town, taking in one of Basel’s many museums and galleries or admiring the variety of architecture, this cultural city will continue to surprise you.

What to do and see in and around Basel

The Old Town
Popular with the people of Basel is the romantic Old Town. Besides being one of the best preserved and most beautiful in Europe, its historical lanes and alleys provide a wealth of shopping opportunities with a wide range of boutiques and specialised shops. Whether you want to punish your credit card or spend your spare change, there is something for everyone.

The Münsterplatz
Built on Cathedral Hill, a settlement since the first century BC, with Celtic and Roman history, the cathedral itself dates from the Carolingian period and has been destroyed and rebuilt many times since. Today the Cathedral is a dominant feature of the city with red sandstone walls, multicoloured roof tiles and twin towers. The surrounding square is a popular meeting place and is used for all kinds of events.

Theatres & Concerts
Whether you are interested in opera, ballet or theatre or indeed all three, the Basel Theatre and the newly built Schaspielhaus have a wide and varied repertoire. There is also a thriving collection of small theatres and folk theatres as well as a very famous music academy with students from all over the world.

The Kuntstmuseum
Art and architecture go hand in hand in Basel with many of the buildings housing the collections, acting as art in themselves. The Kuntstmuseum Basel houses the finest and oldest art collection, including the largest group of works by Holbein as well as leading works from the Classical Modern period such as Picasso and Warhol.

Fondation Beyeler
Also worth a visit is the Fondation Beyeler, set in idyllic park surroundings the collection contains 200 pictures and sculptures of 20th-century art. It also has a worldwide reputation for its astounding temporary special exhibitions.

Augusta Raurica
Just 12 km (7.5 miles) from the city centre, in Augst, is Augusta Raurica. Once home to 20,000 people before being destroyed by Alemannic raiders nearly 1,800 years ago, this Roman town has a wealth of preserved relics from Roman architecture. Marvel at the theatre with its original 50 rows of seats, study Masonry and heating techniques in a house at the original excavation site. You will also have the opportunity to walk along a 100 m long sewer and see the sort of infrastructure that placed Rome at the forefront of the civilized world.

Museum Tinguely
Dedicated to the life and work of the eminent machine sculptor Jean Tinguely this museum certainly appeals to the senses. The artist’s kinetic works make noise and move, and are by no means canvas based.

Vitra Design Museum
One of the world’s leading museums for industrial furniture design and architecture. The museum was designed by Frank O. Gehry, the fire station by Zaha Hadid, and the surrounding buildings by Nicholas Grimshaw, Tadao Ando and Alvaro Siza. The museum's fascinating exterior is worth a visit in itself.