lngo365

Hello Everyone,

I will be traveling from Malaga and flying into Basel. As of now, I'm thinking I will stay in Basel for 4 days with a day trip to Colmar one day and another day trip to Strasbourg another day. Is that a good idea? Do I need more than one day in each Colmar and Strasbourg?

Also, is staying in Basel Marktplace a good and central location?

Thank you everyone!

Michael

One day in Strasbourg will make it a crowded day. It appears that there are no direct trains and morning trains seem to take 2hr41m to 3hr34m, and if the return takes as long, 6 hours of your day will be spent on trains. Google Basel to Strasbourg train.

bilboburgler

r2r suggests https://www.rome2rio.com/map/Basel/S...rg#r/Train/s/0

J62

Without knowing what you want to get out of your trip, it's impossible to say whether you NEED more than one day in each town. With all of the Rhine river cruises that visit those towns, I would say that a large % of the visitors are there for a day or less.

Since it takes about an hour or less by direct train, staying in Basel rather than moving hotel each day sounds like a good idea to me.

jinz

Basel is one of our favourite bases in Europe and we stay near Marktplace - trams to the train station right there and we love the stalls. We are early risers so often do day trips. We buy breakfast at the station and get an early morning train and enjoy our pastries and coffee while beautiful countryside rolls by. Seeing the scenery on the way is part of the experience.

From Basel among other places we have done day trips to Lucerne, Colmar and Strasbourgh. (Noting that we have gone back and stayed longer in Lucerne and Colmar). As said by the previous poster we found Strasbourgh very rushed so I wouldn't suggest this if you only have 4 nights.

While we love Basel my personal opinion is Lucerne with the lake trip and stunning mountains is a lovely contrast to Colmar with the walkable villages nearby.

Happy planning.

WeisserTee

We live in Basel. Yes, staying on Marktplatz (not "place") is fine. The only hotel directly on the square is the fairly new Maerthof. It's quite attractive and its Bohemia bar/restaurant is highly popular with visitors and locals alike. Be advised that close by the Globus department store has been closed for major renovations (which has locals worried, as the owners of Globus are having financial difficulties; we hope we won't be stuck with a giant unfinished construction project). If the Maerthof is too expensive, you could consider the Motel One just one tram stop up at Barfusserplatz. Sadly, the well-regarded Hotel Basel, a block off Marktplatz in a charming pedestrian area, has closed along with its two brasseries that were longstanding local favorites for drinks and dining. OTOH, if you want to go more upscale and prefer traditional luxury, Les Trois Rois is just a short walk away and offers rooms with views of the Rhine. FWIW, Basel has lots to do and see to keep visitors busy for a few days. It has beautiful historic neighborhoods like St. Alban as well as notable modern architecture, a full range of museums, and more.

Daytrip options are numerous for France, Germany and Switzerland. Buying train tix online is easy from Sbb.ch or, if you prefer to buy them in person, go to the SBB travel desk upstairs at Bider & Tanner bookstore (Bankverein tram stop) instead of the train station. The lines are usually much shorter (I've never had more than three people in front of me) and their English-speaking staff are knowledgeable and patient.

Happy to help if you have specific questions about Basel (and nearby) sights, restaurants, museums, etc.

jinz

Apologies for the typo, auto correct is a pest. Thank you, Weisser Tee for posting an update on the hotels. So sad to hear about Hotel Basel. We have many happy memories. Sad too to hear about the Globus Dept Store. Really hope there is a positive outcome.

Is Au Violon still open? We stayed there for our first visits to Basel and although it is quite some time ago we had fantastic meals there too.

We will be returning to Basel in March next year and can't wait.

rouelan

Strasbourg and Colmar are not very different. If you plan 2 day trips, I would suggest you visit one of them and you visit Freiburg, also easily reached from Basel.

rouelan

It makes much more sense !!!

For the anecdote, there is a Strasburg in Germany. When I tried to buy a ticket for Strasbourg at an automated machine near Offenburg (20 kms from Strasbourg), the machine would only display 20 hours journeys, ignoring the frequent direct trains taking 20 minutes...

WeisserTee

Yes, Au Violon is still up and running. We have dined there a few times recently -- terrific appetizers and desserts, but a bit mehhh on the main courses. The Brasserie Steiger at the Hotel Basel was our default dining out spot, along with Prima and Latini for Italian. The Hotel Basel has now been sold and is apparently going to be turned into one of those self-serve hotels, where everything from check-in to check-out is done via app and tablet; minimal human staff. Who knows what they will do with the restaurant space, esp the beautifully traditional Sperber brasserie dining room. We need to try the Teufelhof again, it's been a while since we ate there. Schlüsselzunft and Goldenen Sternen are also good choices, but aren't really casual. The pan-Asian restaurant scene is growing rapidly.

bvlenci

I can highly recommend the Beyeler Foundation museum in Basel. A beautiful building designed by Renzo Piano, and a noteworthy collection. We visited Basel on a day trip specifically to see a Gauguin exhibit, and what we were able to see of Basel in the afternoon made us wish we had planned to spend more time there.

WeisserTee

The Beyeler is a great museum in a beautiful setting, but the collection is not that large, so you should check to see what the exhibitions are before going (tickets are 25 francs per person for adults). For example, we didn't go to the Georgia O'Keeffe exhibition because we had already seen her work in New Mexico. If the weather is nice, it's a very pretty walk along the footpaths behind the Fondation, they go for quite a long way. Riehen has some nice cafes, in addition to the restaurant/cafe at the Beyeler (which is often full).