I am going to Basel, Switzerland for a weekend soon. What is there to see and do?

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suisse shoggi

There is plenty to do to keep you busy in Basel for a weekend. There are loads of museums (my favs are the Tinguely, Foundation Beyeler (in Riehen), Historisches Museum, and the Kunstmuseum. There is also the Basler Papiermuhle (paper museum) in the old St. Albantal (which is one of the old gates to the city. It is a beautiful area along the Rhine, with little shops, etc. If you like churches, visit the Munster at the top of Barfusserplatz. If you climb the tower, there is a wonderful view. From the bottom of the Munster, you can cross the Rhine in a boat that is current pulled along a rope. You might also like to get the bus to Mariastein, a very tiny town, with a historic catholic church. There is a nice zoo in Basel. The University of Basel is up the hill from Barfusserplatz... it is a nice area to explore.

Visit the old castle ruins in Arlesheim (also a quaint village), Dornach and Fluh (all on the #10 tram... both directions).
Basel is the home to many fountains (almost all are ok to drink from). The town hall at Marktplatz is very pretty, and most mornings there is a farmer's market there. You could take a Rhine River cruise (inquire at the tourist office). There is a spot at the Rhine Port (Dreilandereck) where you can stand in 3 countries at once (Switzerland, Germany and France), and also now a pedestrian bridge you can cross.

Half day trips could easily be made by bus, train or car to the ancient roman town of Augusta Raurica; or Rheinfelden, a nice village in Switzerland, from which you can cross over into Rheinfelden, Germany.

Take the #11 to Saint Louis and walk across the border into France (or take the bus from Shifflande)... it is a nice little walk into the town, with some cute shops. You can stop at Salon de The (a great bakery) which is a couple of km down from the border on the left for a croissant and cafe, before you head into the town. (this isn't the prettiest French town, but it is ok).

By train, day trips are possible to Luzern (small lake town, pretty), Zurich (large and worth seeing), or a trip to Interlaken or another area of the Alps.

For lunches, you can grab cheeses, meats, drinks and breads from the local bakeries, or stores (COOP, Migro, Denner), and go down to the Rhine to eat, and save your money for dinner. It is expensive in Switzerland. Some nice places to eat in Basel are Da Roberto and Piccobello Pizzeria (on the Rhine) both Italian; Lilly's has good Asian food in a fun atmosphere; for Indian food, I like Diwali (at Heuwagee); There are a couple of Irish/British Pubs... Paddy Reilly's at Heuwagee, and I forgot the name of the other one, but it is between Barfusserplatz and Heuwagee, in the pedestrian street... you can't miss it on a weekend...

Check with the tourist office about how to buy day passes, and check to see if they are good on the trains, buses, and trams... I am not sure if they are good on the trains.... If you buy a day pass (if you are staying at a hotel, see if they provide one), you can get on the different trams and just hop on and off when you see something worth exploring.

Just a few things to keep you busy!!!! Have fun... there is a lot to do. If you are coming near Christmas, there are lots of Christmas markets you can visit, and this is a good tourist web site.... http://www.baseltourismus.ch
and you can take a virtual tour before you go...http://www.vtour.ch/

nachosmyman

Good advice on taking the train to Zurich. By the way, Basel is the correct way to spell it in American English. You were not incorrect.

Mr Tripod

Nothing. Take a big wad of cash (it's ruinously expensive like everywhere in Switzerland) go to the local Irish bar.....there's at least one in every town and city in the world and get wasted...then come home.