Basel
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Although it lacks the gilt and glitter of Zürich and the Latin grace of Geneva, in many ways Basel (Bâle in French) is more sophisticated than either. The hub of Switzerland's vibrant pharma industry, wedged between France and Germany, this city on the Rhine has nearly 40 museums, including the world-class Kunstmuseum, the Museum Tinguely, and the Fondation Beyeler. Baselworld in spring and Art Basel in summer—the world's premier fairs for watches and contemporary art respectively—as well as Switzerland's most famous carnival, or Fasnacht, gives midsized Basel an outsized role as an international destination.
Its imagination has been fed by centuries of intellectual input: Basel is host to Switzerland's oldest university (1460) and patron to some of the country's—and the world's—finest minds. As a northern center of humanist thought and art, it nurtured the painters Konrad Witz and Hans Holbein the Younger, as well as the great Dutch scholar Erasmus. And it was Basel's visionary lord mayor Johann Rudolf Wettstein who, at the end of the Thirty Years' War, negotiated Switzerland's groundbreaking—and lasting—neutrality.
As high culture breeds good taste, Basel has some of the most varied, even quirky, shopping in Switzerland, all within walking distance. But you can still get a beer and a bratwurst here: natives primarily speak German or their own local version of Schwyzerdütsch, called Baseldytsch.
Each day more than 70,000 French and German commuters cross into Basel, working at leading banks and pharmaceutical firms. Yet Basel's population remains modest, hovering just above 175,000; its urban center lies gracefully along the Rhine, though now two skyscrapers, the 32-floor Trade Fair Tower and Switzerland's highest building, pharma giant Roche's headquarters, dominate views across the Rhine. Two blocks from the heart of the thriving shopping district you can walk along medieval residential streets cloaked in perfect, otherworldly silence to Münsterhügel (cathedral mount), where the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral offers superb views over the wonderfully preserved Altstadt.
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Altstadt
If you stand in the middle of the Marktplatz, or even just watch river traffic from the Mittlere Rheinbrücke, it's easy to envision the Basel of centuries ago. On a bend of the Rhine, Basel's historic center is full of half-timber houses that appear, from the outside, largely unchanged since the 1600s. Still, woven through its delicately preserved architecture are impressive state-of-the-art museums and miles of shop-lined pedestrian zones.
To reach the center of the Altstadt from the SBB, head north (left) on Heuwaage-Viadukt, turn right on Steinenvorstadt, and continue until you reach the central square, Barfüsserplatz.
Basel Environs
A trip outside Basel is worth it, whether you visit the spectacular grounds of the Fondation Beyeler or cross the border to visit Germany’s famous Vitra Design Museum, where private foundations enhance the area's reputation as a center for art.
Basel's Roman history can seen in nearby Augst. Founded in 44–43 BC, Augst is the oldest Roman settlement on the Rhine, and today has been largely reconstructed as a noted museum of ancient Roman antiquities. The site is reachable by car from Basel in 15 minutes or in summer via a leisurely boat trip up the river. From the Bahnhof SBB take train S1 to Kaiseraugst, or Bus 81 from Basel-Aeschenplatz to Augst; thereafter it takes approximately 10 minutes from either of these stops to walk uphill to the Roman Museum. To view the restoration areas scattered around the almost suburban neighborhood, be prepared for a fair bit of walking.
Kleinbasel
More down-to-earth than its "big brother" across the river, Kleinbasel is where you'll see people living rather than visiting. Immigrants from India, Turkey, the Balkans, and beyond mix well with young people on a budget in the narrow streets, which are lined with small shops, corner bars, and eateries. Warm weather attracts a crowd along the banks of the Rhine and the green riverside promenade, and in June the neighborhood is completely transformed into hipster central as the rich and famous flock to Art Basel.
