Basel

Basel, Switzerland

Discover Basel!

The “pocket-sized metropolis” has a great deal to offer, combining a lively city centre with narrow streets in the romantic old town, world-class museums, historical buildings and highlights of modern architecture. All of which can be explored on foot and in a single day thanks to the short distances, with a surprise around every corner.

Discover Basel’s most picturesque streets to stroll along, culinary hot spots and locations with a history spanning over 2000 years.

Population:

171,000

Currency:

1 CHF (Swiss Franc) = 100 Rappen

Emergency Numbers:

Police: 117
Fire brigade: 118
Ambulance: 144

Opening Hours:

Monday to Wednesday 09.00-18.30
Thursday and Friday 09.00-20.00
Saturday from 9.00-18.00
Sunday closed.
The major shopping centres keep open until 20.00.
Only a very few stores are open on Sundays.

Newspapers:

17 Reasons to Love Basel

There are many reasons to love Basel and its people.

Discover History

Take a stroll through the streets and alleys of Basel, and you will soon find yourself immersed in history. The city’s venerable buildings bear witness to its long history, which stretches back over 2000 years.

The city of Basel was first mentioned in writing in the year 374, when the Roman historian Ammianus Marcellinus described how Emperor Valentinian I had set up camp in “Basilia” with his troops. At this time, the city was already several hundred years old. Its attractive location on the Rhine and the strategically important Münsterhügel (Cathedral Hill) first attracted the Celts to the bend in the Rhine in the Bronze Age, before the Romans subsequently made Basel an important trading centre. The next milestone in Basel’s history is 1226, with the construction of the Mittlere Brücke (the Middle Bridge), which soon became
a major hub for long-distance trade.

From the 16th century, Basel’s economic prosperity was associated
first with silk weaving and subsequently with dyeing. These two economic
mainstays later went on to evolve into the chemical and pharmaceutical
industry.

To this day, Basel functions as one of the most important logistics hubs for the economy of the country as a whole: thanks to the Schweizerische Rheinhäfen (Port of Switzerland), Basel connects Switzerland with the sea, the EuroAirport is vital for the region’s import and export trade, and the SBB, Badischer Bahnhof and Basel SNCF railway stations are major European hubs for both freight and
passenger trains.

Tradition & Events

Never a dull moment in Basel
Whatever time of year you visit Basel, there’s always plenty going on! Unforgettable moments are guaranteed with a whole host of events both large and small – from sporting through musical to traditional customs.

Basel Carnival (Fasnacht), the largest in Switzerland, starts at 4 a.m. in the morning on the Monday after Ash Wednesday, and lasts for three days. The event is known by the locals as “die drey scheenschte Dääg”, i.e. the three best days of the year. The uniqueness of Basel Carnival was recognised in 2017 when it was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Where sport and strong emotions combine
FC Basel 1893, the successful football club with its traditional red and blue strip and passionate fans, is the pride of the city and has also established an international reputation thanks to its appearances in the Champions League. The team’s home stadium St. Jakob-Park was designed by none other than the architects Herzog & de Meuron.

Basel has much more to offer than just football when it comes to sport, however. Every year, the city attracts world-famous stars from the sporting scene for major international events such as the CSI Basel equestrian event and the ATP Swiss Indoors tennis tournament. Naturally, the city is particularly proud to host its local hero Roger Federer.

Appealing to young and old
Basel’s main attractions are not only its sporting events, but also its traditional city fairs and markets. Around a million visitors come to experience the autumn fair (Herbstmesse), the biggest amusement fair in Switzerland. During Advent, the city is transformed by the extensive and atmospheric Christmas markets on Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz and the highly decorated “Adväntsgass” (Advent alley) in Rheingasse.

Do & See

Basel can look back on more than 2,000 years of history. A history that is still very much present today – surviving as it does in all the nooks and crannies of the city and forming an exciting contrast to the modern face of Basel. The heart of the city beats in Basel’s well-preserved, romantic Old Town: its narrow streets and hidden squares with more than 180 fountains are just as charming as its many centuries-old buildings and eye-catching sights, such as City Hall or Basel Cathedral.