Is Basel Worth Visiting? [2024]
Is Switzerland’s third most populated city, Basel, worth visiting? In this short guide, you’ll find out what we thought of Basel during our time there, and if we think you should visit or not.
Is Basel Worth Visiting? Let’s Find Out!
How to see the best out of Basel
Want to get the most out of your visit to Basel? We’ve handpicked a selection of tours to maximise your time there.
Stories of Basel's Old Town - a 2-hour walking tour with a professional English-speaking guide, taking you through all the stories about Basel’s Old Town.
Best of Basel in 60 Minutes with a Local - let a local guide you through Basel’s weaving streets, as they show you all the main attractions and hidden gems.
Basel’s Heritage with a local specialty Private Tour - similar to the above tour but slightly more comprehensive, a local will take you on a private tour - specifically focusing on Basel’s heritage.
Basel somehow flies under the radar with tourists.
Where to stay in Basel
Although Basel isn’t the biggest city, it still packs a punch with great accommodation options. Here are the best places to stay in Basel, hand-picked for you, to suit every kind of budget.
Budget: Becozy Self Check-in Pop-up Hotel Basel
The Becozy Self Check-in Pop-up Hotel Basel is uber-cute and filled with lots of greenery which we love! Only 100m away from the Claraplatz, guests especially love the hotel’s location. This hotel is unique as you get to check-in yourself!
You can take a closer look at Becozy Self Check-in Pop-up Hotel Basel by clicking here.
Mid-Range: Essential by Dorint Basel City
The Essential by Dorint Basel City is a sleek hotel that’s close to the airport, and within reach of Basel city centre. It particularly suits mid-range travelers looking for a slightly elevated option, without breaking the budget.
You can take a closer look at Essential by Dorint Basel City by clicking here.
Luxury: Grand Hotel LES TROIS ROIS
If you’re looking for a classic luxury hotel experience, then look no further than Grand Hotel LES TROIS ROIS. One of Europe’s oldest hotels, as a guest, you’ll join the ranks of Napoleon, Elizabeth II, Pablo Picasso, Thomas Mann and others have stayed here.
You can take a closer Grand Hotel LES TROIS ROIS by clicking here.
Background Information on Basel
Switzerland is jam packed with jaw-dropping destinations, and although Basel is one of Switzerland’s busiest cities, it somehow manages to fly under the radar with tourists.
The Streets of Basel.
Located along the Rhine River, close to France and Germany, Basel is a city that boasts both modern innovation, as well as a beautifully preserved Old Town.
Exterior of Rathaus (Town Hall) in Basel.
Regarded as one of Switzerland’s cultural hubs, Basel is known for being a university city, as well as a city that loves its museums (it has almost 40)! Quaint, safe, peaceful and cosmopolitan, Basel was ranked as the tenth most liveable city in the world in 2019.
Fun Fact: Basel is tennis legend Roger Federer’s hometown, and he frequently plays in the tennis tournament hosted in the city annually.
Basel’s Old Town.
Why Should I Visit Basel?
Basel is great city to start at when traveling to Switzerland. Many people will head directly to the more well-known cities of Zurich or Geneva, but we actually took the train from Luxembourg, then to Colmar, then to Basel, to kick off the Swiss leg of our Europe trip. In fact, Basel was reachable by an extremely comfortable 45-minute train ride from Colmar, in France.
Basel is a great hub for transport if you’re arriving from France or Germany! Pictured here is Basel Train Station.
This makes Basel easy to reach, from any of Switzerland’s neighbouring countries. To the east, Germany is just minutes away. To the west, France is right there.
With its interesting architecture, picturesque location by the water and cultural significance, Basel acts as a nice appetiser to the rest of your Switzerland trip. It’s uniquely Swiss in its quaint character and charming vibe, but it’s also a big enough city that you can still find comfort points from home (e.g. a Starbucks, a McDonald’s, shopping malls).
Of course, if you’re a museum lover, you’ll absolutely fall in love with Basel for its wide range of museums – this includes the Kunstmuseum, Museum Tinguely, Antiken-museum, Spielzeug Weltern Museum, Virta Design Museum and many more. They literally have a museum here for everything and anything!
Basel is a museum lover’s paradise.
My favourite place to visit in Basel was the Rathaus (Town Hall). With its eye-catching bright red colour, I’ve actually never seen a town hall like this! I was truly impressed with how different the architecture was here.
Look at the detail of the Rathaus in Basel!
Also not to be missed, the Basel Minster is a gorgeous cathedral that you should also check out when visiting Basel.
Basel Minster from the outside.
Interior of Basel Minster.
Why Shouldn’t I Visit Basel?
Compared to the other stunning destinations on offer in Switzerland, you might find Basel a little bit underwhelming. At the end of the day, it’s a city. Of course, it’s an extremely pretty and peaceful city, but if you’ve been to other ‘X-Factor’ cities in Europe such as Prague, Vienna and St Petersburg, then you might find that the sights in Basel pale in comparison.
Furthermore, most people don’t really visit Switzerland to visit the cities. While they are nice, breathtaking Alpine destinations such as Zermatt and Grindelwald generally impress visitors a lot easier.
Basel is clearly a mid-sized city.
Basel’s vibe is stuck between a big city and a small town, it gives off strong ‘mid-sized city’ energy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all. However, if you’re looking for something with that extra pizzazz a lot of things to do, you might not find it here.
Closer look at the Rathaus in Basel.
If you find museums boring and you don’t think visiting cultural sights are your thing, then you should probably give Basel a miss. You’d be better of spending your time somewhere else in Switzerland.
Final Verdict – Is Basel Worth Visiting?
Yes. Basel is still worth visiting. While there isn’t an obvious compelling reason to visit Basel, I still really enjoyed my time here, absorbing the calming atmosphere of the city. Basel was the perfect blend of having enough sights to see, without being overwhelmed. I felt like I could get a feel for the city in a short amount of time, which I appreciated (not all cities are like this)!
Basel is definitely worth visiting.
I visited three Swiss cities on my last trip (Zurich, Basel and Bern) – and I think that Basel was my favourite out of the three. Bearing this in mind, you might want to skip Basel if you’re looking for high-excitement destinations with endless things to do. Basel definitely isn’t the place for that.
I loved visiting Basel. The Rathaus was my favourite place to see in Basel.
But if you’re looking for an underrated city with plenty of charm, then Basel is definitely worth visiting.