Best things to do in Basel

Basel's Absolute Essentials

Basel sits on the Rhine and features a blend of medieval architecture and world-class art. The red-sandstone Basel Münster and the 500-year-old Rathaus dominate the historic center, while the Spalentor and St. Alban Gate represent the city’s surviving medieval fortifications. Art enthusiasts can explore the Kunstmuseum, housing the world's oldest public collection, or view Jean Tinguely’s kinetic sculptures at his dedicated museum and the playful Fasnachts-Brunnen. Historical landmarks like the Mittlere Brücke and the Barfüsserkirche offer deep insights into Swiss heritage and the city's strategic riverside location.

Basel's Absolute Essentials — Map

Martin Kucera / CC-BY-SA

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Basel Münster

Basel Minster is a religious building in the Swiss city of Basel, originally a Catholic cathedral and today a Reformed Protestant church.

Wladyslaw / CC-BY-SA-3.0

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City Hall

The Basel Town Hall is a 500-year-old building dominating the Marktplatz in Basel, Switzerland.

Martin Kucera / CC-BY-SA

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Rhine promenade

This is the best place to start your visit of Basel. Come here on a sunny morning and admire amazing panorama.

Taxiarchos228 / FAL

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Gate of Spalen

The Basel city walls are a complex of walls surrounding the central part of the Swiss city of Basel, only partially preserved today.

Roland zh / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Central Bridge

The oldest bridge crossing the Rhine was standing there until it was replaced in the 20th century.

AlMare / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Kunstmuseum Basel

The Kunstmuseum Basel houses the oldest public art collection in the world and is generally considered to be the most important museum of…

Taxiarchos228 / FAL

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Tinguely Museum

The Museum Tinguely is an art museum in Basel, Switzerland that contains a permanent exhibition of the works of Swiss painter and sculptor…

Kurt Riedberger / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Tinguely Brunnen

A masterpiece built by the renowned Swiss painter and sculptor. Note that the iron figures are moving and interacting with each other.

Basmus / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Basel Historical Museum – Barfüsserkirche

The Basel Historical Museum is one of the largest and most important museums of its kind in Switzerland and a heritage site of national…

Martin Kucera / CC-BY-SA

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Museum of Cultures

The Museum of Cultures in Basel is a Swiss museum of ethnography with large and important collections of artifacts, especially from Europe,…

Taxiarchos228 / FAL

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St. Alban Gate

The Basel city walls are a complex of walls surrounding the central part of the Swiss city of Basel, only partially preserved today.

Dr. Nachtigaller / CC BY-SA 4.0

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Middle Bridge, Basel

The Middle Bridge is a historic bridge in the Swiss city of Basel. It is situated on the oldest existing bridge site across the Rhine,…

Other Lists

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