Two Days in Basel, Switzerland
By Saul Schwartz
On our third trip to Switzerland, my wife Fern and I spent two days in Basel, during October 2025. Basel is Switzerland’s third largest city, with a population of around 180,000 residents, and it is called the cultural capital of Switzerland.
We took a four-hour train ride from Paris Gare Du Nord station to Basel. By booking the train in advance on the SNCF connect (Trainline) platform, we were able to go on a route that had no transfers along the way. Our assigned seats were very comfortable. The train made a brief stop in Mulhouse, France, where Fern and I were able to stretch our legs along the platform. Fern and I spent some time in the café car, where we ate our lunch.
When we reached the expansive Basel SBB train station, Fern and I chose to walk to our hotel, which seemed to be roughly a ten-minute stroll away. With our luggage and due to construction on the sidewalks and roads, the walk was difficult.
Lodging at Raddison Blu:
The hotel has a central location at Steinentorstrasse 25, with most attractions within a ten-to-fifteen-minute walk. Amenities included a large fitness center with weights and cardio equipment, a free public transportation card, and luggage storage for the day when we checked out. The contemporary “superior” room was generous in size by European standards, with a comfortable bed. Hotel staff provided helpful information for our questions. As typical in our two prior trips to Switzerland, hotel prices were high, but we received a small discount as Raddison hotel group members.
Dining and food options:
Basel has a little bit of everything in terms of restaurants and markets. Based on our prior favorable dining experiences in Switzerland, we ate one dinner at Tibits. Tibits has two locations in Basel, both offering fresh buffets with approximately forty different vegetarian offerings, such as salads, soups, hot dishes, and desserts. Prices are based on weight and add up to be equivalent to a mid-priced restaurant. The buffet items change daily. The Gurtengasse 3 location was close to our hotel and had plenty of indoor seats.
Being in the mood for pasta, Fern and I also had a good dinner experience at Margherita, which was recommended by the Raddison. This homey restaurant, located at Steinenvorstadt 60, was withing a short walk from our hotel and seemed to be frequented by locals, as well as tourists. Our pasta and bread were tasty, and the portions were generous. The wood fired pizza was popular with other diners. The server was friendly and prompt. Prices were reasonable.
So that we did not have to eat all our meals in restaurants, Fern and I purchased Budda bowls for our lunches at the Coop. We had prior superior experiences at the Coop Supermarket in other Switzerland cities. There are approximately twenty Coop locations in Basel, featuring a large variety of food options. Although food prices are high in Switzerland, the Coop is a good alternative to a restaurant meal. I was able to purchase granola cereal for breakfast.
Tours and attractions:
Old town walking tour (Alstadt) – We booked a private customized tour in advance through Viator. Our guide met us at the Raddison for the two-hour experience. Highlights included two major buildings:
The Rathaus, the 16th century town hall, is a 500-year-old building which dominates the Market Plaza within the old town. We briefly watched a session of the Canton government, with presentations in German. This splendid building has outstanding architectural features, including its vivid red painted sandstone exterior, a multi-colored roof, a prominent clock tower, a golden spire, and brightly colored murals within the inner courtyard. The town hall is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is an eye-catching structure. The interior has lovely paintings and frescoes, as well.
The fabulous Cathedral (Munster) was constructed in the 11th century and is a landmark in the old town. With its red sandstone walls, colorful roof tiles, and twin towers, the church, which was built between the years 1019 and 1500 in the Romantic and Gothic styles, is very beautiful. The church is situated high above the Rhine River, with its two distinct thin towers. Currently the Cathedral is a reformed Protestant church. The exterior features a mechanical clock and sundial, as well as many carvings. The interior includes a cloister with Gothic arches, the tomb of renowned humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam, and numerous vibrant stained-glass windows. There is a nice viewing terrace behind the Cathedral with views of the Rhine River and several bridges to “little Basel” across the river.
For most of the tour we walked outside on a windy and rainy morning. The tour guide pointed out a series of fountains including the mechanical Jean Tinguely Fountain with its ten kinetic figures arranged like actors and dancers moving on a stage. We also stopped briefly by other quirky drinking fountains throughout the old town, including one with a monkey eating grapes and several with tridents and mythical creatures.
We passed through many quaint narrow alleys. Across from the Rhine River, the tour guide pointed Fern and I to the former lodgings and businesses of spice merchants. She also showed us some of the famous murals (with one called the little goose girl) and the iconic bronze statue of a king sticking out his tongue and rolling his eyes. The tour ended at the location of a series of small eateries. We purchased excellent apple strudel at the Gilgen pastry shop. We stopped in at Beschel which sells chocolates and Jacobs Leckerly that manufactures unique biscuits.
Synagogue and Jewish Life Tour – In advance, we signed up for a Jewish Life in Basel tour through the Jewish Museum. The tour took place at Synagogue IGB on Leimenstrasse 24. Although the volunteer tour guide was to provide us with only a one-hour tour, he spoke to us (and one other couple) for almost two hours about the Synagogue and Jewish life in Basel. The tour was booked on a donation basis.
Our guide explained that the current Jewish community emerged as Jews migrated to Basel from across the border Alsace in France. The beautiful neoclassical synagogue on Leimenstrasse was built in 1869 and a dome was added in 1892. Since then, it has been renovated several times. Since the end of 2020, it has officially borne the name Beit Yosef Synagogue and it is also known as the Great Synagogue. With its two shimmering golden domes, the building has a striking exterior with Moorish and Byzantine elements.
During the tour, Fern and I were able to view the congregation’s many torahs, decorated with covers inside the ark. There are beautiful stained-glass windows, as well as decorative cloth coverings at both the central torah podium and on the ark. Since this is an Orthodox-style congregation, the women sit in galleries on the second floor above the main floor. We learned that around 2000 Jews currently reside in Basel.
Border Triangle – Fern and I thought it would be interesting to go to the point where three countries meet in Basel. At the border triangle, Switzerland meets with France and German. We took a tram and then walked to the monument on the Swiss bank of the Rhine where a vertical sculpture called the Dreilaendereck marks the borders with flags from each country. The walk from the tram through an industrial area was not particularly scenic, but we saw many other tourists and locals joining us in this venture. Upon reaching the border, Fern and I were underwhelmed with this experience, as none of the surrounding restaurants were open.
Resources – Before our trip I listened to the podcast from Amateur Traveler entitled Travel to Basel, Switzerland. The MySwitzerland.com and This is Basel websites also have loads of good, current information. I also recommend looking at the Visit a City app.
Final thoughts – Two days was sufficient for us to see some of the major attractions in Basel. Due to our short stay in Switzerland, we used the Visa credit card and Euros for payment, rather than convert U.S. dollars to Swiss francs. The weather in October was quite variable, with periods of rain and some wind. The days were cloudy with highs around 60 degrees and lows around 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
By Saul Schwartz
On our third trip to Switzerland, my wife Fern and I spent two days in Basel, during October 2025. Basel is Switzerland’s third largest city, with a population of around 180,000 residents, and it is called the cultural capital of Switzerland.
We took a four-hour train ride from Paris Gare Du Nord station to Basel. By booking the train in advance on the SNCF connect (Trainline) platform, we were able to go on a route that had no transfers along the way. Our assigned seats were very comfortable. The train made a brief stop in Mulhouse, France, where Fern and I were able to stretch our legs along the platform. Fern and I spent some time in the café car, where we ate our lunch.
When we reached the expansive Basel SBB train station, Fern and I chose to walk to our hotel, which seemed to be roughly a ten-minute stroll away. With our luggage and due to construction on the sidewalks and roads, the walk was difficult.
Lodging at Raddison Blu:
The hotel has a central location at Steinentorstrasse 25, with most attractions within a ten-to-fifteen-minute walk. Amenities included a large fitness center with weights and cardio equipment, a free public transportation card, and luggage storage for the day when we checked out. The contemporary “superior” room was generous in size by European standards, with a comfortable bed. Hotel staff provided helpful information for our questions. As typical in our two prior trips to Switzerland, hotel prices were high, but we received a small discount as Raddison hotel group members.
Dining and food options:
Basel has a little bit of everything in terms of restaurants and markets. Based on our prior favorable dining experiences in Switzerland, we ate one dinner at Tibits. Tibits has two locations in Basel, both offering fresh buffets with approximately forty different vegetarian offerings, such as salads, soups, hot dishes, and desserts. Prices are based on weight and add up to be equivalent to a mid-priced restaurant. The buffet items change daily. The Gurtengasse 3 location was close to our hotel and had plenty of indoor seats.
Being in the mood for pasta, Fern and I also had a good dinner experience at Margherita, which was recommended by the Raddison. This homey restaurant, located at Steinenvorstadt 60, was withing a short walk from our hotel and seemed to be frequented by locals, as well as tourists. Our pasta and bread were tasty, and the portions were generous. The wood fired pizza was popular with other diners. The server was friendly and prompt. Prices were reasonable.
So that we did not have to eat all our meals in restaurants, Fern and I purchased Budda bowls for our lunches at the Coop. We had prior superior experiences at the Coop Supermarket in other Switzerland cities. There are approximately twenty Coop locations in Basel, featuring a large variety of food options. Although food prices are high in Switzerland, the Coop is a good alternative to a restaurant meal. I was able to purchase granola cereal for breakfast.
Tours and attractions:
Old town walking tour (Alstadt) – We booked a private customized tour in advance through Viator. Our guide met us at the Raddison for the two-hour experience. Highlights included two major buildings:
The Rathaus, the 16th century town hall, is a 500-year-old building which dominates the Market Plaza within the old town. We briefly watched a session of the Canton government, with presentations in German. This splendid building has outstanding architectural features, including its vivid red painted sandstone exterior, a multi-colored roof, a prominent clock tower, a golden spire, and brightly colored murals within the inner courtyard. The town hall is a mixture of Gothic and Renaissance styles. It is an eye-catching structure. The interior has lovely paintings and frescoes, as well.
The fabulous Cathedral (Munster) was constructed in the 11th century and is a landmark in the old town. With its red sandstone walls, colorful roof tiles, and twin towers, the church, which was built between the years 1019 and 1500 in the Romantic and Gothic styles, is very beautiful. The church is situated high above the Rhine River, with its two distinct thin towers. Currently the Cathedral is a reformed Protestant church. The exterior features a mechanical clock and sundial, as well as many carvings. The interior includes a cloister with Gothic arches, the tomb of renowned humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam, and numerous vibrant stained-glass windows. There is a nice viewing terrace behind the Cathedral with views of the Rhine River and several bridges to “little Basel” across the river.
For most of the tour we walked outside on a windy and rainy morning. The tour guide pointed out a series of fountains including the mechanical Jean Tinguely Fountain with its ten kinetic figures arranged like actors and dancers moving on a stage. We also stopped briefly by other quirky drinking fountains throughout the old town, including one with a monkey eating grapes and several with tridents and mythical creatures.
We passed through many quaint narrow alleys. Across from the Rhine River, the tour guide pointed Fern and I to the former lodgings and businesses of spice merchants. She also showed us some of the famous murals (with one called the little goose girl) and the iconic bronze statue of a king sticking out his tongue and rolling his eyes. The tour ended at the location of a series of small eateries. We purchased excellent apple strudel at the Gilgen pastry shop. We stopped in at Beschel which sells chocolates and Jacobs Leckerly that manufactures unique biscuits.
Synagogue and Jewish Life Tour – In advance, we signed up for a Jewish Life in Basel tour through the Jewish Museum. The tour took place at Synagogue IGB on Leimenstrasse 24. Although the volunteer tour guide was to provide us with only a one-hour tour, he spoke to us (and one other couple) for almost two hours about the Synagogue and Jewish life in Basel. The tour was booked on a donation basis.
Our guide explained that the current Jewish community emerged as Jews migrated to Basel from across the border Alsace in France. The beautiful neoclassical synagogue on Leimenstrasse was built in 1869 and a dome was added in 1892. Since then, it has been renovated several times. Since the end of 2020, it has officially borne the name Beit Yosef Synagogue and it is also known as the Great Synagogue. With its two shimmering golden domes, the building has a striking exterior with Moorish and Byzantine elements.
During the tour, Fern and I were able to view the congregation’s many torahs, decorated with covers inside the ark. There are beautiful stained-glass windows, as well as decorative cloth coverings at both the central torah podium and on the ark. Since this is an Orthodox-style congregation, the women sit in galleries on the second floor above the main floor. We learned that around 2000 Jews currently reside in Basel.
Border Triangle – Fern and I thought it would be interesting to go to the point where three countries meet in Basel. At the border triangle, Switzerland meets with France and German. We took a tram and then walked to the monument on the Swiss bank of the Rhine where a vertical sculpture called the Dreilaendereck marks the borders with flags from each country. The walk from the tram through an industrial area was not particularly scenic, but we saw many other tourists and locals joining us in this venture. Upon reaching the border, Fern and I were underwhelmed with this experience, as none of the surrounding restaurants were open.
Resources – Before our trip I listened to the podcast from Amateur Traveler entitled Travel to Basel, Switzerland. The MySwitzerland.com and This is Basel websites also have loads of good, current information. I also recommend looking at the Visit a City app.
Final thoughts – Two days was sufficient for us to see some of the major attractions in Basel. Due to our short stay in Switzerland, we used the Visa credit card and Euros for payment, rather than convert U.S. dollars to Swiss francs. The weather in October was quite variable, with periods of rain and some wind. The days were cloudy with highs around 60 degrees and lows around 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
Quote:
Just a quick note: the direct TGV Lyria to Basel leaves from Paris Gare de Lyon rather than Gare du Nord. Easy to mix them up!Originally Posted by SaulYS
Yes took train from Paris to Basel
