One Day in Basel: Top Things to See and Do

Basel is the farthest upriver that any of the Rhine River cruise ships can navigate, and we may never have visited if our Rhine cruise hadn't started there.

I'll admit, the one thing that worries me the most when we travel is the possibility of missing a departure because of an unexpected strike or canceled flight. We planned one day in Basel beforehand to ensure we wouldn't miss the boat—but it also made for an excellent excuse to explore a new city!

Here's our take on the best things to do in Basel when you only have one day.

One day in Basel, sightseeing the highlights

🏆 Don't have time to read the whole article? No worries! The best value for money is this walking tour through Basel Old Town. Always book tours in advance—the best ones fill up quickly.

It only takes an hour to travel from Zurich to Basel by train, and there's a large city map in front of Basel's train station. Still smarting from having paid 17 Swiss francs for two small coffees and croissants in Zurich, we decided to walk there, wheeling our carry-ons behind us. We figured there was no point in risking another dent in our wallet just to have a taxi take us a few blocks.

If you're looking for a hotel in Basel, I can recommend the Radisson Blu. It's an upscale, contemporary hotel in a good location. The friendly desk clerk held our bags until check-in time so we could explore and handed us a city map that had some walking routes around Basel's old town.

The map is easy to follow but has no details about the attractions. I instantly wished I had booked a guided walking tour or bought a guidebook like this one. For such a small investment, there are a lot of interesting things that simply aren't on the map.

Marktplatz – Basel's town square

Do you like history and architecture? We do. Medieval towns always have fascinating architecture and quaint buildings that are fun to photograph. It's fun to walk through winding narrow streets, discover interesting shops and elegant boutiques, and there's always a unique square or two to explore.

Basel's medieval old town center is fascinating. The most fascinating town square has to be Marktplatz. This square dates back to 1260 as a grain market and shifted to a full market by the 15^th century.

It's impossible to miss the Rathaus, a beautifully renovated Renaissance palace that has been the town hall for over five centuries. It is also the seat of the cantonal government for Basel-Stadt.

Stadtmarkt

Just as it has been since the 1500s, Marktplatz was chock-full of stalls when we were there. You can't miss it if you're anywhere near the Rathaus.

Known as Stadtmarkt, you can find almost anything you might need for your weekly shopping. Judging from the (obviously local) shoppers who were chatting with the vendors, it's probably the favorite place in town to pick up the freshest local produce.

Stalls had flowers, cheeses, jams, olives, meats, eggs, vegetables, fruits, and street food on offer. We stopped at one of the stalls for lunch, where I had a small quiche and Dan enjoyed a meat-stuffed, croissant-like pastry.

We also bought a bottle of a tasty, fizzy apple drink called Apfelschorle. It's like a 50/50 blend of apple juice and carbonated water. Verdict: America's missing a treat.

ⓘ TIP: Basel's Stadtmarkt is open from Tuesday to Saturday, beginning at 7 am. It closes at 2 pm on Tues.-Thurs. and at 6 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Elizabeth Church

Elizabeth Church—Elisabethkirche in German—is the best-known neo-Gothic building in Switzerland. Almost 50,000 people a year visit this beautiful structure. It was built around 1857–1864 by a wealthy businessman named Christoph Merian.

This site was the first church built after the Reformation and is now home of the first Swiss “OpenChurch.”

Tinguely Fountain

When the city tore down the old city theater in the late 1970s, a famous Swiss kinetic artist decided to use the vacant space to design a fountain that would commemorate it.

Tinguely had black asphalt poured into a shallow basin, then populated it with a series of water-spouting sculptures. These nine figures, crafted from the very metal and plastic parts of the theater stage that once stood there, were no ordinary statues.

Powered by low-voltage current, they appeared to be romping in the water, performing for passersby just like the mimes and other performers who once graced the stage that formerly stood in this spot.

Basel's Rhine River waterfront

The winding streets eventually took us downhill to the lower part of Old Town, where we got our first glimpse of the Rhine River. The clean water and warm weather invited plenty of swimmers and pleasure craft. We even saw a water skier or two.

We strolled across the bridge to the other side, where the vibrant riverfront was full of nice restaurants and shops. It was quite a festive atmosphere, what with all the street performers and people buying food and beers from vendors or sitting and chatting along the waterfront. It must be one of the locals' favorite things to do in town.

We stopped to check out some of the menus as we passed. They were all multilingual with an incredible variety of options. I guess that's no surprise, considering that three countries converge here.

ⓘ TIP: Detours with Daisey has written a useful guide to Where to eat (and drink!) in Basel.

Tour Basel by tram

One of the perks of staying in Basel is that all hotel guests get a free pass for local trams and buses. This worked out well, because wandering through all those hilly streets gave us a workout.

So, when our feet got tired, we took the desk clerk’s suggestion to see the city from the tram and hopped on the suggested 15/16 tram line. No matter where it took us, we saw crowds of people enjoying the museums, shopping, and restaurants.

There's no lack of things to do in Basel, that's for sure.

Nightlife in Basel, Switzerland

Our tram returned to our starting point just as night set in. After a wonderful dinner and with the moon in full glow, we decided to explore the riverfront further.

It seems there's no end to Basel's nightlife scene. Crowds lined the riverfront area, where a band played on a platform that was anchored to the river.

Seeing Basel lit up at night is a memorable and colorful experience.

6 fun things to know about Basel, Switzerland

1. Fun fact: English speakers often pronounce Basel's name incorrectly. Say BAA-zl, like the noise a sheep makes. Don't call it BAY-zil (like the herb) or Ba-ZEL.
2. Basel's history dates back 2000 years, to Celtic and Roman times. No doubt they found its location perfect, tucked securely between the Swiss Jura, Germany's Black Forest, and the Vosges in Alsace.
3. Basel really came into its own in 1460, when a university was founded there. It thus became a center of learning and book printing, and many of Europe's greatest minds came to Basel, including Paracelsus and Erasmus. (Actually, Erasmus is still there, honorably buried in the town's münster.)
4. The city's oldest annual trade fair has been held every year since 1471. Coincidentally, for you history buffs, that's only a few years before Erasmus moved there from Rotterdam.
5. It’s also quite the cultural hub. Not only does it have world class museums to visit, it's also renowned throughout Europe for its music and jazz festivals and small music clubs.
6. Basel is also a hub for the world's pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

Things to do in Basel as we saw it

Picturesque Basel is really underrated as a tourist destination. It’s a multicultural city with a good atmosphere, quaint buildings, and a good economy. Plus, it’s a good jumping-off point for visiting France and Germany, because both countries are only a few kilometers away.

Truth be told, we preferred it to Zurich.

I hope you have more than one day to spend here. There are so many more things to do in Basel than anyone could fit into such a short time. This video will help you find more highlights.

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