10 Best Places to Visit in Basel Switzerland for an Unforgettable Swiss Trip

Located at the juncture of Germany, France and Switzerland, Basel’s art and culture place the city on par with any other city in the world. The Kunstmuseum showcases Baroque, modern, and Renaissance art. Altstadt has many things to offer from making your own paper at a water-powered 15th-century mull or step into Erasmus’s 500-year-old house. You will also find striking monuments like the 15th-century city hall and the Bael Minster (Cathedral). Read on to know about the best places to visit in Basel. 

10 Top Places to Visit in Basel Switzerland

Let’s go ahead and explore some of the best places to visit in Basel.

• Kunstmuseum Basel
• Altstadt
• Basel Minster
• Museum Tinguely
• Basel Paper Mill
• The Basel City Hall
• Basel Historical Museum
• Spalentor
• The Rhine River
• Basel Zoo

1. Kunstmuseum Basel

This is truly one of the best places to visit in Basel for art lovers. You get to enjoy Switzerland’s richest and largest collection of art. There, you will find an interesting assortment of names during roll-call like Lucas Cranach the Elder, Konrad Witz and Hans Holbein from the Renaissance period and Brueghel the Elder, Rubens and Rembrandt are some of the famous Dutch masters whose works you will find here. You can enjoy the works of Manet, Van Gogh, Monet, Gauguin and Cézanne from 19th-century. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to discover that the Kunstmuseum dedicates an entire room to Picasso’s work. From the 20th-century period, you will find collections of Klee, Braque, Chagall, Giacometti and Franz Marc to enjoy.

2. Altstadt

You will find many National heritage sites in Switzerland here in Basel. Locals recommend that tourists join the themed walks around Grossbasel and Kleinbasel along the Rhine banks, considered one of the best places to visit in Basel. Erasmus, the 16th-century humanist and theologian have roots in Basel. You will find numerous building from the 14th-century here.

Some of the places to visit in Altstadt

• The irregular townhouses on Petersgasse
• Münsterplatz plaza
• Andreasplatz Monkey Fountain.
• Holbein Fountain – A Renaissance gem by Hand Holbein from the 16th-century

3. Basel Minster

One of the best places to visit in Basel and definitely a not miss is the Basel Minster and its towers namely Martinsturm and Georgsturm. The structure boasts a beautiful smooth-patterned roof and reddish sandstone walls. The 1356 earthquake destroyed most of it, and builders reconstructed it in the 14th and 15th centuries. You can climb the narrow stairway that spirals upwards to witness the beautiful skyline of Basel and Rhine.

4. Museum Tinguely

They built the museum in memory of Jean Tinguely, the 20th-century kinetic sculptor. Located on Rhine’s right bank the museum talks about his career between 1950 and 1980.
His inventions are wacky, fun, complicated and interactive making it one of the best places to visit in Basel. A very interesting museum that will keep the kids engaged. You can even pull the levers and push some button to get the machines to work. One of the last machines he was on was the Grosse Méta Maxi-Maxi Utopia which consists of an array of pulleys, electric motors and wooden wheels. Built-in 1987, this masterpiece even has steps that allow you to climb.

5. Basel Paper Mill

The Gewerbekanal mill started its business in the early 1450s. Around 1980, they converted this mill into a working museum where you can experience traditional methods of dipping paper, printing, and bookbinding. You can try your hand in making a page of your own in this museum, a rather interesting thing to do, hence making it one of the best places to visit in Basel. Watching how a waterwheel-powered machine turns pulp into paper will amuse you. In the first floor, you can use the quills to attempt calligraphy. The top floor is alive with demonstrations of bookbinding and paper marbling.

6. Basel City Hall

You will find the interjection for Basel’s tram network, Marktplatz in front of the Basel City Hall. Tourists and locals alike gather at the square for the daily market. Builders constructed the huge red sandstone castle in the 16th century, investing significant amounts of money into its construction. You will find many interesting artworks like the 12 coats of arms of the Old Swiss Confederacy. Inside the courtyard, you will also find a statue of Basel’s founder Lucius Munatius Plancus and a 17th-century fresco by Hans Bock making it one of the best places to visit in Basel. The An artist sculpted the statue of Lucius Munatius Plancus in 1580.

7. Basel Historical Museum

Popularly called HMB, the museum has 4 locations. One museum, the Coach and Carriage Museum, is in Münchenstein while the other 3 are inside the city. The most popular attraction is the Barfüsserkirche, it also is one of the best places to visit in Basel as this represents the early modern age and the late medieval period. You will find many artefacts inside the museum-like stained glass, tapestries, altars, collection of coins, works from the Cathedral treasury and even possessions belonging to Erasmus. Many agree that the most intriguing piece is the Danse Macabre fresco painted by Konrad Witz

8. Spalentor

In the early days, builders surrounded Basel with two layers of walls. They constructed the inner wall in 1230 and the outer wall around 1356. In the 19th century, the city tore down these walls to allow for growth and to provide a healthier living environment. Out of the three gates that still stand, the most spectacular one is Spalentor. Part of the outer wall, this stood as a defence from the city of France. You will find Basel’s coat of arms framed by two lions ornamented onto the front of the building, which is one of the best places to visit in Basel.

9. The Rhine River

You’ll be amazed to see that most of the time, the strong currents of the river power the ferries instead of any propulsion device. It’s a very interesting sight, the vessels zipping through the water, making it one of the best places to visit in Basel. There are multiple sections along the river. Some call them Badhysli, which serve as bathing areas for experienced swimmers. You will also find people resting in shallow water. This gives a resort vibe in the summers, where crowd flocks to laze in the sun and have coffees in the cafe terraces. You’ll discover many beaches that locals enjoy for barbecues, sunbathing, and water sports in the summer.

10. Basel Zoo

The largest and the oldest zoo in the country is home to the first western lowland gorilla born in Europe. Named Goma, this famous inhabitant passed away in 2018 at the age of 59. You will find a diverse range of species in the zoo. From over 500 species of fishes to even king Penguins, Basel Zoo has more than 640 species.

Excited much to explore Basel and discover all these best places to visit in Basel? Let’s get planning your Switzerland tour package or Switzerland honeymoon package with Pickyourtrail.