Basel, Switzerland

Basel Highlights

A Cultural Capital at the Intersection of Three Countries Explore this cultural city where three nations converge—Switzerland, France and Germany—by foot and by motor coach. Basel’s Old Town is an inviting cluster of medieval buildings spread on a hilly riverbank. During a walking tour, visit the Marktplatz, or Market Square, surrounded by guild halls of late Gothic, Renaissance and baroque styles. Admire the ornate spires of the Rathaus, or Town Hall, and the thin towers of the 13th-century Romanesque Münster, or Cathedral. Its unusually red sandstone was quarried from the nearby Vosges Mountains in neighboring France. Behind the cathedral, a traditional cable ferry uses the river’s current to carry passengers back and forth. The city’s open air market runs daily here, except Sundays, and is stocked with all kinds of vegetables, fruits and flowers from the surrounding countryside. You might find a favored local treat, Basler Läckerli cookies. * Moderate - Walking portions may be long and somewhat challenging with occasional step-ups, stairs and inclines. Total time walking or standing normally ranges from 1.5 to 3 hours.