21 Best Places to Shop in Basel, Switzerland

Background Illustration for Shopping

The major downtown shopping district stretches along Freie Strasse, Spalenberg, and Gerbergasse, where you can find many one-of-a-kind boutiques. More reasonably priced shops along Steinenvorstadt cater to a younger crowd.

Glausi's

Altstadt Fodor's choice

This fine selection of more than 250 types of cheeses comes from the Swiss Alps, the neighboring Jura and Vosges mountains, and beyond.

Naked

Altstadt Fodor's choice

This cozy store specializes in clothes, shoes, bags, and cosmetics from young and often sustainably minded designers, both local and international.

SET&SEKT

Altstadt Fodor's choice

This trendsetting concept store stocks clothes for women, men, and kids from both small and more established designers, as well as shoes, bags, and jewelry.

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Bercher & Sternlicht

Altstadt

For the young (or young at heart), Bercher & Sternlicht is one of the top stores in all of Europe for model trains and accessories.

Bider & Tanner

Altstadt

Bider & Tanner is Basel's largest international bookstore, with a large selection of English books. You can also book tickets to arts events here.

Classic Herrenmode

Altstadt

This shop carries everything for the well-dressed man: formal and casual shirts, cashmere pullovers, and underwear.

Confiserie Bachmann

Altstadt

This shop carries a Basel specialty called Läckerli, a chewy cookie made of almonds, honey, dried fruit, and kirsch. There are also branches of Confiserie Bachmann on Blumenrain and Centralbahnplatz.

Coop City

Altstadt

This store carries a wide selection of clothing and household goods, as well as groceries on the lower level.

Erasmushaus

Altstadt

Erasmushaus has one of the city's largest collections of fine antique manuscripts, books, and autographs, mostly in German but including a large selection of multilingual publications. If they cannot help you in the search for a particular tome, they will be happy to supply the names of the other specialist shops in the Basel area.

Globus

Altstadt

This upscale department store on four floors stocks everything from gourmet edibles to chic clothing.

Heimatwerk

Altstadt

This large shop sells a selection of exquisite Swiss crafts. It's the perfect stop for anyone looking to bring unique gifts home.

Johann Wanner Christmas House

Altstadt

Highly specialized handiwork comes from Johann Wanner, which sells handblown, hand-painted, and hand-molded Christmas ornaments, Victorian miniatures, tartan ribbons, cards, and calendars.

Kleinbasel by Tanja Klein

Altstadt

Local designer Tanja Klein creates elegant, well-tailored basics for women and men along with leather bags and accessories.

Läckerli Huus

Altstadt

The famous Läckerli-Huus sells a variety of sweets, including wonderful läckerli, and also has a café. A large selection of gift canisters and a shipping service make getting gifts home a cinch. There are also branches of Läckerli Huus on Greifengasse and Centralbahnplatz.

Manor

Kleinbasel

Whether you're in need of socks, toothpaste, or chocolate, head to Manor—the best midpriced department store in town. There's a second location in the St. Jakob Park shopping center.

Orell Füssli Basel

Altstadt

This shop on one of the city's main shopping strips sells music, movies, toys, and books. There's a decent English section.

Rive Gauche Chaussures & Accessoires

Altstadt

High-end designer shoes are on offer at Rive Gauche. This is the place to satisfy that Balenciaga, Jill Sander, or Chloé craving.

Riviera

Kleinbasel
Clothes and accessories from exciting new designers (for women and men) are the focus at this well-curated boutique.

Spielegge

Altstadt

With an emphasis on wooden toys, Spielegge stocks chisel-carved puppets and whimsical watercolor puzzles of fairy-tale scenes.

Sturzenegger

Altstadt

This shop specializes in household items, including table decorations edged with St. Gallen lace. It also carries a selection of women's clothing with labels such as Hanro.

Trois Pommes

Altstadt

This boutique dominates the high end of fashion, with Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Gucci, and Saint Laurent. There's also a men's shop at the same location.