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Münster Cathedral
Basel's cathedral, the impressive Münster, dominates the Old Town with its combination of gothic and romanesque features, red sandstone walls, colourful roof tiles and twin towers. It was built in the 13th century and rebuilt following an earthquake in the next century. Inside the cathedral is the tomb of the greatest of the European Renaissance humanists, Erasmus of Rotterdam. There are two cloisters just south of the cathedral, and behind the cathedral choir is the Pfalz, a bastion overlooking the Rhine and with views to the mountain range of the Vosges, the Black Forest and the Jura.
Münsterplatz
Tel: (061) 271 2182.
Free admission.
Museum Tinguely and Tinguely Fountain
A member of the Parisian avant-garde in the 1950s and 60s and widely known for his kinetic art, Jean Tinguely (1925-1991) grew up in Basel and has had an appreciative audience there ever since. The museum dedicated to him is as unusual as his art, full of objects that move, rattle, crash and jump. It is a fun and exciting place to be, conveying perfectly the joy of artistic discovery characteristic of the artist himself. One of his artworks, the Tinguelybrunnen (Tinguely Fountain), a fountain with moving sculptures and water-pipes, can be seen in the city centre, in front of the Stadttheater (Steinenberg / Theaterstrasse).
Paul Sacher-Anlage 1 (Museum)
Tel: (061) 681 9320.
Website: www.tinguely.ch
Admission charge.
Zoo Basel
Basel's zoo, fondly referred to as the Zolli by locals, was established as long ago as 1874, and it is one of Switzerland's most popular attractions, with around a million visitors each year. More than 6,000 animals from 600 species live in the zoo, which covers an area of 11 hectares. Species represented include animals, giraffes, ostriches and kangaroos.
Binningerstrasse 40
Tel: (061) 295 3535.
Website: www.zoobasel.ch
Admission charge.
Kunstmuseum Basel
The oldest art museum in Switzerland, Basel's Kunstmuseum possesses the largest collection of works by Hans Holbein (and the Holbein family) in the world as well as many works by other Swiss Renaissance artists. The museum also has an impressive collection of modern art, from Impressionism to Cubism (Picasso, Braque, Léger), German Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism.
St Alban-Graben 16
Tel: (061) 206 6262.
Website: www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch
Admission charge.
Spalentor and Botanical Garden
The Spalentor was erected in the 14th century and is an impressive fortified gateway to the Old Town with an amazing oak portcullis. Next door to this gate is Basel's Botanical Garden, the oldest in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. It is a charming park with many interesting sections, among them a Mediterranean garden, an Alpinum and several green houses, including one for tropical plants and another for succulent plants.
Schönbeinstrasse 6 (Botanic Garden)
Tel: (061) 267 35 19/05.
Website: www.unibas.ch/botgarten
Free admission.
Basel Paper Museum
This museum is housed in an original paper mill from the late Middle Ages. For nearly 500 years paper was made in the museum's buildings, and commercial production only stopped in 1924. The museum traces the technical and cultural development of paper, writing, printing and bookbinding, and paper is still made here using the old devices and machines on display. Visitors are encouraged to make their own paper.
St Alban-Tal 35-37
Tel: (061) 272 9652.
Website: www.papiermuseum.ch
Admission charge.
Basel's cathedral, the impressive Münster, dominates the Old Town with its combination of gothic and romanesque features, red sandstone walls, colourful roof tiles and twin towers. It was built in the 13th century and rebuilt following an earthquake in the next century. Inside the cathedral is the tomb of the greatest of the European Renaissance humanists, Erasmus of Rotterdam. There are two cloisters just south of the cathedral, and behind the cathedral choir is the Pfalz, a bastion overlooking the Rhine and with views to the mountain range of the Vosges, the Black Forest and the Jura.
Münsterplatz
Tel: (061) 271 2182.
Free admission.
Museum Tinguely and Tinguely Fountain
A member of the Parisian avant-garde in the 1950s and 60s and widely known for his kinetic art, Jean Tinguely (1925-1991) grew up in Basel and has had an appreciative audience there ever since. The museum dedicated to him is as unusual as his art, full of objects that move, rattle, crash and jump. It is a fun and exciting place to be, conveying perfectly the joy of artistic discovery characteristic of the artist himself. One of his artworks, the Tinguelybrunnen (Tinguely Fountain), a fountain with moving sculptures and water-pipes, can be seen in the city centre, in front of the Stadttheater (Steinenberg / Theaterstrasse).
Paul Sacher-Anlage 1 (Museum)
Tel: (061) 681 9320.
Website: www.tinguely.ch
Admission charge.
Zoo Basel
Basel's zoo, fondly referred to as the Zolli by locals, was established as long ago as 1874, and it is one of Switzerland's most popular attractions, with around a million visitors each year. More than 6,000 animals from 600 species live in the zoo, which covers an area of 11 hectares. Species represented include animals, giraffes, ostriches and kangaroos.
Binningerstrasse 40
Tel: (061) 295 3535.
Website: www.zoobasel.ch
Admission charge.
Kunstmuseum Basel
The oldest art museum in Switzerland, Basel's Kunstmuseum possesses the largest collection of works by Hans Holbein (and the Holbein family) in the world as well as many works by other Swiss Renaissance artists. The museum also has an impressive collection of modern art, from Impressionism to Cubism (Picasso, Braque, Léger), German Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism.
St Alban-Graben 16
Tel: (061) 206 6262.
Website: www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch
Admission charge.
Spalentor and Botanical Garden
The Spalentor was erected in the 14th century and is an impressive fortified gateway to the Old Town with an amazing oak portcullis. Next door to this gate is Basel's Botanical Garden, the oldest in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. It is a charming park with many interesting sections, among them a Mediterranean garden, an Alpinum and several green houses, including one for tropical plants and another for succulent plants.
Schönbeinstrasse 6 (Botanic Garden)
Tel: (061) 267 35 19/05.
Website: www.unibas.ch/botgarten
Free admission.
Basel Paper Museum
This museum is housed in an original paper mill from the late Middle Ages. For nearly 500 years paper was made in the museum's buildings, and commercial production only stopped in 1924. The museum traces the technical and cultural development of paper, writing, printing and bookbinding, and paper is still made here using the old devices and machines on display. Visitors are encouraged to make their own paper.
St Alban-Tal 35-37
Tel: (061) 272 9652.
Website: www.papiermuseum.ch
Admission charge.
View Our Airport Guides for Basel:
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
