Holiday in Basel

About Basel

Basel is located at the tri-border area of Switzerland, Germany, and France and is the undisputed cultural capital of Switzerland. With over 40 museums in close proximity — including the Fondation Beyeler, the Kunstmuseum Basel (the oldest public museum in the world), and the Vitra Design Museum just across the border — the city has the highest museum density in the country. Art Basel, the most important art fair in the world, transforms the city every June into the epicenter of the international art market. The old town on both sides of the Rhine captivates with its medieval charm: The red Town Hall at the market square, the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral with its colorful roof tiles, and the view from the Pfalz terrace over the Rhine are among the most beautiful city views in Switzerland. Architecture fans will be fully satisfied in Basel — buildings by Herzog & de Meuron, Renzo Piano, Zaha Hadid, and Tadao Ando shape the cityscape and make Basel an open-air museum of contemporary architecture. Swimming in the Rhine is Basel's favorite summer tradition: With the Wickelfisch, a waterproof swimming bag, the people of Basel float downstream through the city from the Tinguely Museum. The ferries — cable-operated boats powered only by the current — have connected Kleinbasel and Grossbasel for centuries. The Basler Fasnacht, the largest in Switzerland, begins on the Monday after Ash Wednesday at exactly four in the morning with the Morgestraich: Lanterns illuminate the dark alleys, drums and piccolo flutes fill the city. Basel is not a loud metropolis, but a cultured Rhine city of international stature.