Help with Basel, please
 

My niece and I are planning a two week trip in the fall, ending with one week in Paris. I’m 76 and she’s 45. We like walking, museums, eating, taking in the sights, enjoying the nature and the outdoors (not hiking high mountains, but long walks are no problem).

My original plan was to fly from Los Angeles to EuroAirport Basel and spend three nights each in Colmar (see wine villages nearby, maybe war memorials) followed by three nights in Strasbourg (see city, see northern Black Forest, etc). But when I was looking at train connections, it seemed easier to stay in Basel.

If we stay four nights in Basel, we can spend a day there (arrival day is afternoon only); take a short train to Freiburg/ a bit of the Black Forest; and a day trip to Lucerne. From there we can train to Colmar for three nights - afternoon in Colmar, next day walking vineyards/wine tasting/whatever, then a day in Strasbourg. Then train to Paris, where she’s never been.

sound good? My question is primarily - where to stay in Basel? I found a great looking hotel, Hotel Volkshaus, across the river from the train station (well, one of them anyway). But I saw a few posts online that caution the Kleinbasel area, which give me pause.

I’d sincerely appreciate your help! Thanks so much!

I live and work in Basel (nearly 17 years). The volkshaus hotel is nice and has a popular bar and brasserie. It’s also very conveniently located next to several tram and bus stops. You can catch trams from there to the SBB (Swiss) train station or to the Basel Bad station serving Germany. Or to elsewhere in Basel. Dont worry about the hotel location; Claraplatz is usually busy with people and you are highly unlikely to be bothered.

My other hotel rec would be the Maerthof on Marktplatz, which also has a popular bar and restaurant (Bohemia). We just had dinner there Thursday night.

A third choice would be Nomad up near Aeschenplatz. You would be one stop from the Basel SBB train station and a short walk from at least four excellent world class museums. Another popular hotel bar choice, however the onsite dining is more snacks and bar food oriented

..and as you seem to be interested in museums:
https://www.basel.com/en/art/museums

We stayed at the Maerthof in December following the recommendation from WeisserTee and were pleased with the hotel and the location. Excellent service, generous buffet breakfast, and well-appointed spacious rooms. Open air market right outside the door (bratwurst for lunch!), many tram lines with frequent service, a charming area for pedestrians.

If you are staying at a hotel/b and b/apartment in Basel, you will receive the BaselCard entitling you to free public transportation within a designated area and discounts at many of the excellent museums there.

https://www.basel.com/en/baselcard

Thank you all so much for your replies! They’re very helpful. All the hotels you mentioned are beautiful (the design of the room and hotel matter a lot to me). Hotel Marthof looks especially lovely - I like the location, but some reviews say there is some construction of a mall? Going on next to the hotel, and to ask for a room away from the tram lines.

As someone who has recently stayed, k-marie, what was your experience? And would you kindly describe the included breakfast, if you have a moment? It would help to determine if I should include that.

Last question. Thank you so much, Weisser, for your opinion that “we would not be bothered” if staying in the area around Hotel Volkshaus. I am unable to “see” the streets nearby there on Google maps because they’re pedestrian streets. If my niece and I were out at dinner til 9:00, would we be fine walking back?

And generally speaking, would you all recommend staying on the Altstadt side of the river versus Kleinbasel? If it’s a better or safer area, closer to the places we are going/restaurants/train stations, then that would help make the decision.

again, thank you all SO much!

I am going to start a new, related thread to explore the other option I had - landing at the same airport, spending time in Colmar/ nearby and then in Strasbourg. :)

Our room at Hotel Maerthof faced the construction across the street. Not a pleasant view, of course, but with the windows closed, noise was not an issue. Our younger relatives who concluded their river cruise in Basel, were delighted to be upgraded to one of the suites with a great view of Marktplatz—

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...45ee661f5.jpeg

We liked our room—

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...348b14ab6.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e401ff17d.jpeg


Breakfast was self-serve buffet with cereals and fruits, juices, vegetables, cold meats, fish (smoked salmon, maybe) cheeses, bacon, eggs cooked to order, beverages (press the spot on the machine for tea, hot chocolate, coffee choices), and, of course, a variety of breads, croissants, and other goodies. Oh, and there wereLindt chocolates in the lobby.

Thank you so much, k-marie, for taking the time to elaborate! The breakfast sounds amazing. I’ll share with my niece and decide which hotel to book.

FWIW, construction work on the Globus store has stopped. So now we have a big unfinished lump right on the main city square while the owners try to sort the financing to finish. I would rather have the noise.

WT, will Globus be a presence in the new space?

We went to Manor (department store) with the relatives who were surprised to find a full grocery store on the lower level. They found a few (chocolate) items to take home to the grandkids. And we got some snacks and wine for the room.

Unfortunately, nobody knows what the final outcome will be. It's not just Basel. The Jelmoli department store in Zurich (located about a block off Bahnhofstrasse) will cease operations on Feb 28.