I have booked a river cruise with Viking up the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basal.
Since I expect this to be a rather active itinerary, I would like to chill out some before flying home. Does anyone have any recommendations of a nice place to stay for a few days around Basal? I am thinking more about enjoying local food and culture and daily life rather than active sight seeing. I would also be willing to take a short train ride if necessary.

You mean Basel, of course. I just took the same cruise a few weeks ago. Just FYI, that itinerary is basically only as "active" as you wish to make it.

You are free to participate or not participate in the included excursions, some of which require walking (such as the included tour of Cologne and a visit to the cathedral). Others, such as Strasbourg and Heidelberg include bus segments followed by walking segments. Kinderdijk is walking only and the ship docks near the entrance.

You might consider making a train trip to somewhere such as Luzern instead of staying in Basel. And the dock in Basel is far enough from the main downtown area/main rail station that you'll need a transfer either arranged by the ship or you can easily get a taxi from dockside.

I really enjoyed Basel itself - some wonderful old squares, great museums, public art.... If you do stay there, I highly recommend the restaurant Zum Isaak Gastronomie und Kultur, which is on the square by the cathedral.

On the one day I had in Basel I was lucky enough to go to the Museum Tinguely and there was a special exhibit with his wife's work also. Jean Tinguely was a kinetic artist, married to Nikki de St Phalle.


Don't miss the Beyeler Collection if you like modern art.

The Basel Kunstmuseum has a pretty good collection if I remember correctly but we didn't have time for everything.

A little planning should give you a nice trip to Basel. I was a surprised because it seemed a little messier than I expected it to be but not dirty by any means.