Discover Basel

Basel lies at the southern end of the Upper Rhine Plain and at the western beginning of the High Rhine Plain, at the tripoint of Switzerland, Germany and France. Within the city, the Rhine changes direction at the Rhine knee: between the Swiss Jura and the foothills of the Black Forest, it flows from south to north rather than from east to west. The geography provides the setting for a city where you can discover historic sites, art and experiences along the river.

Old Town, architecture and history

Basel has a history spanning more than 2,000 years, reflected in the cityscape and its historic sites. Preserved Old Town architecture sits alongside modern architecture and numerous public artworks. Historic places worth seeing include Basel Minster, the Pfalz terrace, the Town Hall on the Market Square, Spalenberg and Spalentor.

Basel Town Hall was built, together with a connecting wing to the rear building, between 1504 and 1514. Three pointed-arch arcades define its oldest section; above them is the richly decorated Council Chamber. The Minster can also be explored from different perspectives: each of its towers, St George’s and St Martin’s, can be climbed via around 250 steps on a narrow staircase. From the top, the view extends across Basel and its surroundings. Guided tours can focus on the architectural and ecclesiastical history of the Minster.

Art and museums in Basel

Basel’s Public Art Collection comprises more than 300,000 works spanning eight centuries, from the late Middle Ages to the present day. This makes Basel home to the world’s oldest public art collection. The Kunstmuseum Basel consists of three buildings close together in the city centre; the main building and the new building are on St Alban-Graben.

The work of Jean Tinguely is at the heart of the Tinguely Museum. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of the artist’s work (1925–1991). The permanent collection display spans four decades, from early delicate reliefs to monumental machine sculptures from the 1980s. An interactive museum experience engages all the senses.

The Museum of Cultures Basel brings together ethnographic collections from around the world and offers a look at different perspectives and ways of life. Its collection comprises more than 340,000 objects from every continent, as well as around 900,000 photographs; the museum is one of Europe’s most significant ethnographic museums. Public guided tours explore themes in current exhibitions and examine exhibits from different perspectives.

The Antikenmuseum Basel takes visitors through more than 5,000 years of cultural history from the early Mediterranean cultures, from Greece, Rome and Etruria to Egypt and the Levant, and as far as Mesopotamia and Iran. Greek vases offer insight into Greek culture from the 8th to the 4th century BC. The Egyptian display features around 600 artefacts relating to the art and cultural history of pharaonic Egypt, from 4000 BC to AD 400.

Other museums focus on different subjects: At the Barfüsserkirche, the Basel Historical Museum documents the city’s history through several hundred historical artefacts and works of art spanning around 2,000 years. Housed in the rooms of a medieval paper mill, the Basel Paper Mill Museum shows the process from handmade paper to a finished book. Across four floors, it combines exhibitions with production workshops where children and adults can try their hand at traditional crafts. The Pharmacy Museum of the University of Basel explores subjects including historic pharmacies, medicines, laboratory equipment and pharmacy ceramics from the 15th to the 19th century.

Explore the city and spend time by the Rhine

Signposted city walks lead through Basel’s Old Town, take 60 to 120 minutes and pass numerous sights. Self-guided tours offer a way to discover places, stories and attractions at your own pace. This lets you tailor your city exploration to the time available without committing to just one way of discovering Basel’s history.

Four Rhine ferries—«Wild Maa», «Leu», «Vogel Gryff» and «Ueli»—connect Grossbasel with Kleinbasel. They are attached to a long cable and are propelled solely by the current of the Rhine. If you plan to cross, it’s worth checking the timetable. Swimming in the Rhine is another river experience: you can start near the Tinguely Museum and swim three kilometres downstream. Seasonal swimming should depend on water conditions; the Rhine is a flowing river and is therefore suitable only for confident swimmers.

At Museum Night, 41 museums and cultural institutions in the Basel region take part; the museums are open from 6 pm to 2 am. Check event dates before making plans. For a closer look at wildlife, Basel Zoo showcases exotic animals and pets in its children’s zoo. Alongside caring for animals, it is committed to species and nature conservation. At the Natural History Museum Basel, the permanent exhibition “Dino & Saurier” explores the life, diet, growth and social behaviour of dinosaurs; highlights include a 7.5-metre-long skeletal reconstruction of an Allosaurus and a life-size model of a Plateosaurus.

Discover more destinations: Riehen, Bettingen.

Go to the overview of the wider region: Basel-Stadt.