Basel - A complete Guide (and stuff the tourist information won't tell you!) (Basel (Basle))

Member Name: Redhead23

Product:	Basel (Basle)
Date:	17/03/01 (2671 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Liberal, international, many new places to go; a lot of *culture*; lovely parks

Disadvantages: It's too far away to go *home* regularly, Switzerland is too *narrow-minded* a country for such an international city

Okay, so this isn't exactly going to be a 'travel' Op, as I actually was born in this place and never saw it through the eyes of a 'tourist'. None the less, before I write an Op on Huddersfield, my chosen new home town, I decided to write about Basel, Switzerland - a place that I know a tad better than Huddersfield, as I have spent 21 years of my life in and around the city.

Some information has been taken from my College project (Multimedia class) about Basel, to which I will include a link further down...

.:. Basel - Some Facts and History (stop YAWNING!) .:.

Basel is the second-largest city in Switzerland, with over 200'000 people living within the city boundaries and approximately 350'000 in total living in the surrounding agglomerations. Keep in mind that Switzerland is a tiny country with roughly 7 million inhabitants so it's rather easy for a place to be called 'big'!

The city is situated in the North-West corner of Switzerland (I seem to be doomed to live in the 'North West' of countries!) and shares borders with Germany and France which makes it a very international place, especially as the river Rhine (Rhein in German) has always been an important backbone for transport and tourism. Even here, in humble Huddersfield, I recently discovered a brilliant model (at a model kit fair) of the 'Britannia', a tourist cruiser that serves the line between Basel and Rotterdam and is usually stationed in Basel!

In Switzerland, we have 'Kantons' which are similar to counties but of course smaller (as the country is a lot smaller than the UK), and Basel has been separated into two 'Halbkantone' (Half-Kantons), one of which is Basel-Stadt (the city and a few surrounding villages), the other is Basel-Landschaft (the countryside surrounding the city on the Swiss side).

The first settlements in the area were built around the first century b.c. and Bas
el got its first mention in writing in 374 a.d. in a publication called the 'Basilea'. Between this time and 1501, when Basel joined the Swiss Federation (IMHO they shouldn't have, but that's another story...), the city belonged to various nations and forces, such as Burgundy, the Franks and the Alemans.

The plague epidemic in the 14th century struck the city badly, and to top it off the great earthquake in 1356 devastated the buildings and killed thousands of people. It was also during this time that Basel distanced itself from the Bishop's powers (the city still kept the bishop's emblem, the 'Baslerstab', on its flag) and later hosted the Pope's Council, which brought the city many riches and paid for the beautiful 'Münster' (Basel's cathedral) and the opening of Basel's renouned University, the oldest in Switzerland.

Many historic buildings are still preserved, most of them have become tourist attractions (see below) and are featured on many a holiday snapshot or postcard. The city itself is divided into the 'Grossbasel' and the 'Kleinbasel', of which the Grossbasel is the larger part of the city, separated from the 'Kleinbasel' by the river Rhein.

A chemical spillage in 1986 (Sandoz was responsible for that) killed thousands of fish and dyed the Rhein red for a few days, but other than that the event turned out to be harmless - we did get the day off school though so that's okay ;-)

.:. Commerce and Industry .:.

The river Rhein has always been an important route for shipping heavy goods through Europe, and Basel has therefore attracted industry and commerce alike (hey, this is like 'Sim City'!). The prevailing industry in and around Basel is still of a Chemical nature, and many of the Pharmaceutical 'Giants' (such as Ciba - now Ciba Specialties -, Sandoz/Hoffman La Roche, now Novartis) have their headquarters there.
<
br>Should you be familiar with the history of LSD you might have heard of Basel before, as it was one of Basel's Rhein bridges that Albert Hoffman (working for Sandoz at the time) cycled over on that fateful day in 1943, after accidentally (yeah right ;-) ) ingesting the substance LSD, which he had discovered in 1938.

If you stand on the 'Mittlere Brücke', the central bridge that connects the Gross- and Kleinbasel, you get a wonderful view on Basel's Pharmaceutical industry, which surprisingly enough makes for a nice scenery!

Much of the commerce and industry is also connected with the Pharmaceutical giants (Covance have bought the pharmaceutical packaging company I used to work for as a student), and the University has recently opened the new 'Pharma-Centre', a high-tech complex for students of Pharmacy and Biology.
The city funds a lot of research projects (not only Pharmaceutical) and works very closely with German and French (they're very close neighbours after all!) Universities, companies and organisations.

Most larger Swiss banks, insurance companies and consultancy businesses have branches here, and the frequent trade shows make Basel one of Switzerland's most important cities for trade and commerce.

The 'Euro-Airport Basel-Mulhouse' is situated on French ground and serves Basel as well as the French town Mulhouse and the German town Freiburg. This is the reason why many people abroad believe that the city is called 'Bâle' (after the French name for it). It's a common mistake, so don't beat yourself up if you are one of those people ;-)

[By the way, the English spelling has been changed to 'Basel' (formerly known as 'Basle') two years ago.]

Basel has its own airline, called 'Crossair', with headquarters at the Euro-Airport. They now offer flights to destinations all over the world (mainly Europe though) and I usually book
my flights with them - ~£130 for a return flight to Manchester (London is usually cheaper).

.:. Shopping .:.

As with most cities in Switzerland, Basel has all of the usual Swiss chain stores, such as ABM, EPA, Manor, Globus and Pfauen (department stores), supermarkets such as Migros and Co-op as well as German chain stores.

I am not sure why, but unlike most other European countries Switzerland doesn't have any branches of Marks&Spencer and other British 'giants', and even though McDonald's branches are found everywhere, other chain eateries like Pizza Hut or Burger King (Basel is yet to get one of those) are rarer.

The most famous shopping alley is the 'Freie Strasse', where expensive shops like 'Bally' are set next to jewellery shops as well as relatively cheap (Switzerland may be a tad expensive but it's not that bad, the wages are higher as well though) shoe-, stationary- and bookshops.

In my opinion, what makes Basel such a great place to go shopping are the countless small, trendy and often quirky shops that can be found near the 'Spalenberg' and off the 'Freie Strasse', such as Roxy Music (record shop), Cachet (clothes, gadgets, toys), Box (clothes and accessories) or Freitag (they sell clothes as well as the famous bags made out of recycled material from trucks, such as seatbelts and plastic/rubber truck covers), as well as various small shops that sell kitchen accessories, books, gadgets, second-hand clothes (Retro-Style) and much more.

Another part of Basel that attracts more and more shoppers is the 'Steinenvorstadt', where most of the city's cinemas are located. You can find trendy clothes shops there as well as record shops, gaming arcades and a shop for the film-lovers among you (they sell cinema posters, merchandise and scripts).

The usual opening times for most shops are 8/9am-6:30 pm, with Thursdays having longer opening ti
mes throughout the city centre.

.:. Basel - the Amsterdam of the 21st Century? .:.

The most surprising shops in Basel though (well not if you have read my Op on 'Legalisation of Cannabis') are the 'Hemp Stores' that started popping up a few years ago. In spite of the fact that cannabis is still *illegal* in Switzerland, the country (at least in some parts) has a rather liberal mindset towards it, and these shops (of which there are over 20 in Basel) sell, alongside hemp clothing, books and accessories, the best weed outside of Amsterdam!
The latest addition is 'Red Peppermint' (Steinenvorstadt), which is open until 10pm and also offers a delivery service!
This doesn't mean you can go shopping while you are smoking a spliff, but generally you don't get hassled (or even arrested) for smoking a spliff in one of the parks or next to the Rhein.

I know the thought is tempting but do NOT try to smuggle any of the stuff outside the country - especially the French and German passport control are very much aware of the existence of these shops and are particularly strict with their checks.
No weed is sold to (mostly French-speaking) drug tourists who just come across the border to buy the stuff, and if you get approached by them in front of a 'Hemp Store' then don't let yourself in for some dodgy deal - although CONSUMPTION is nigh-on decriminalised in Switzerland, reselling the stuff to French drug tourists would make you a 'dealer'!

.:. Dining, Drinking and Clubbing .:.

There are countless restaurants, bars, clubs and fast-food places in Basel, so I am only going to mention a few here...

.Kaffi Sandwich

This place sells gorgeous sandwiches as well as pizzas, pasta and salads and is situated near the 'Aeschenplatz' (one of the main knots in the traffic net) a bit outside the centre. This means that it doesn't get overly crowded and makes
it a great place for a chat with your friends as well as for business lunches. They also sell beer, wines and cocktails.

.Fumare / Non Fumare

I really love this place! It was built into an old bank and consists of two halves - one of them is strictly non-smoking!
It is very central and can get a little crowded at times, but they offer seating outside (you sit right next to the 'Gerbergasse', another small but popular shopping place) and their coffees are simply gorgeous!
You can also eat little snacks (mainly Mediterranean, like feta/olive salad) as well as drink naturally brewed beer, cider or lemonade.

There also is a club in the back of the building, which hosts club nights and performances on a regular basis.

.Roter Engel

This is a small but always busy café tucked away in a small yard but still in the city centre.
Seating is available inside or outside and you can eat reasonably-priced (£2 - £4, depending on whether you have salad with it - and they give you a LOT of salad) meals as well as bakery goods. Their assortment of different teas is amazing, their coffees are served in giant mugs and they also offer wine, cider and some of the rarer Swiss and continental beers, such as 'Hanfblüte', a beer brewed with hemp.

.Pee-Wee's (Pickwick's Pub)

Part of a pub chain, this place is usually full of townies but it's the only place in Basel that sells typical UK/Irish Pub beers in PINTS (we don't really have pubs in Switzerland, and beer is usually sold in 250 or 500 ml. glasses).
It's usually too noisy and full of drunk people, but it has the traditional 'Pub feel' so it's ideal for homesick Brits ;-)

.Cargo Bar

This bar is aimed at a clientele of 20-something businesspeople and the absolute favourite among trendy students as well as the numerous (mostly English-speaking) foreign businessmen and -women that work and live in B
asel temporarily.
They have a great selection of beers and cocktails and even though the place is tiny they regularly squeeze in a DJ.
An absolute must-see are the mirrored toilets (unfortunately that's just the men's room!) and the music style is generally 'alternative', which ranges from techno-like tunes to Cuban nights.

.General Fast Food

If you just want a quick bite while you're shopping or after the cinema, you won't have to search long!
The 'Steinenvorstadt' (or 'Cinema Mile' ;-) ) hosts a variety of fast-food restaurants, of which the best is the 'Damas Café' - they sell the yummiest Falafels in Basel! There also is the 'City Liner', which sells burgers, chips and Kebabs until 3 am.

Most bars are open until midnight, restaurants usually close around 10pm.

.:. Culture .:.

Basel has a large amount of culture to offer, ranging from various museums (my personal favourite is the museum of Natural History with all their stuffed animals - I loved that as a kid!) over art- and trade fairs to the 'Theater Basel', a relatively modern theatre complex in the city centre.
The 'Messe Basel', which hosts several different fairs throughout the year as well as the annual 'Herbstmesse' with fun rides, sweets stands etc., also contains the 'Musical Theater', where famous musicals such as 'Cats' are shown.

The zoo, or 'Zolli', is what the 'Basler' are especially proud of - it is a wonderful (albeit small) zoo situated in the centre of Basel that is a great attraction for adults and children alike. Popular favourites are the aquarium and the bird house as well as the public feeding of the sealions.

You can also take part in one of the many guided city tours or walks, which often explain a lot about Basel's history and usually include the historic buildings and other tourist attractions
. Leaflets and brochures are also available for people who want to do the walks on their own, and each walk (they all have different names) is signed out so you can just follow the signposts and read the numerous plaques and information stands throughout the centre.

Every summer there is an 'Open Air Cinema Festival', where the square in front of the 'Münster' serves as an open-air cinema for hundreds of spectators. Although the event is not free, countless students camp behind the barriers every summer - unfortunately, the organisers keep moving the paid seating back ever year, so there isn't much space left for the poor students ;-)

Although most cinemas are in the centre of the 'Grossbasel', there are cinemas in the 'Kleinbasel' that mostly specialise in foreign and alternative films. Apart from afternoon shows, most films are shown in the original language with subtitles.

'Fasnacht' is the annual carnival in Basel and takes place during three days in March - the place goes absolutely crazy with drummers, pipers, masks and costumes as well as 'Schnitzelbängg', traditional comic singsongs presented in various small bars and restaurants. I am not a huge fan of 'Fasnacht', as the noise can get very annoying and even as a passer-by you usually end up finding confetti in all your body's nooks and crannies for weeks after the event!
It's great for kids though, as loads of sweets and toys are given away off the vehicles that parade the traditional route.

Fasnacht really gets annoying if you live in Basel, as many people are extremely passionate about it and keep practising all year long, which can be a real pain if one of your neighbours happens to be a piper or even a drummer!

The 'St Jakobs' ('Joggeli') stadium and sports complex offers a variety of sports, both for players and spectators - the 'Swiss Indoors' (Tennis) are held t
here too.

.:. Places to go .:.

.Getting around

The main medium of transport are the trams ('Trämmli'), which are operated by the 'Basler Verkehrsbetriebe' (BVB, in Basel, green trams) and the 'Baselland Transport' (BLT, outside Basel, yellow trams) and have recently seen the addition of modern carriages.
There also are a few buses operated by the same companies and trains operate throughout the region.
Basel has two main train stations, one is the 'Bahnhof SBB' (SBB = 'Schweizerische Bundesbahnen') which serves Switzerland and also has a partition for French trains departing for, umm, France, the other is the 'Badischer Bahnhof' which is host to the German trains.

The tram network is very dense and they often have one carriage with a lower entrance for disabled/elderly people or prams.
Prices are average (50p to £1-50 for journeys close to the city) and day-cards, which are valid throughout most of the tram and train network in Basel-Landschaft, are available for around £4.

Most of the attractions and shopping areas in the centre can be reached by walking, and the inner city is very pedestrian-friendly.

There are also various ferries ('Fähri') crossing the Rhein, which is always a hit with children, although it is of course cheaper and faster to cross the bridges on foot.

.Sightseeing

The 'Rathaus' (town hall), which is situated next to the 'Marktplatz', is a beautiful building made out of red bricks and you regularly find hordes of tourists taking snap shots there.

Other sightseeing highlights include the 'Spalentor' and the historic buildings in the centre as well as the 'Münster', Basel's famous cathedral. Guided tours (for the historic buildings as well as the zoo, Basel's art galleries and museums) are available via the tourist information, but you can also get leaflets that
explain the many city walks available.

.Parks and Nature

The 'Grün 80' is a park that was built for a gardening show in 1980 (your Queen came to open it!) and it is relatively large and has something for everyone - playgrounds, a giant dinosaur (many a kid has broken a leg trying to climb it!), a green hill for sunbathing and chilling out, a lake with a great fountain (a runner with model-ship fans), a minigolf course, wooded areas as well as the botanical garden of the University.
It is situated in Münchenstein just outside Basel and can be reached by tram in about 20 minutes from the centre.
The park boards onto the 'St Jakobs' sports complex towards the city.

Another great park is the 'Kannenfeldpark' on the outskirts of Basel (towards the French border).
It isn't as big as the 'Grün 80' but very nice none the less. I have spent many a sunny afternoon (and also many a warm summer night, although you'll have to climb over the fence to get out) there and it's a great place to take kids if you don't want to go too far away from the city.

If you enjoy walking, you can also take a short train trip and use one of the many public footpaths in the hills and forests (no mountains or alps near Basel I'm afraid) in the surrounding areas.

In Summer, the Rhein is also a great place to be, you can sit along the river and sunbathe on one of the countless benches but you can also swim in there (after that spillage I am not too sure about that ;-) ).

.:. Verdict .:.

Of course my views might be a little biased, as I have lived there for most of my life.
But all in all, Basel is a great place to visit and also to live - kids will enjoy the zoo, the parks and some of the museums, adults will love the museums, galleries, theatres and historic buildings and people in their twenties and thirties will have loads of fun shopping and discovering the countless
bars, clubs and restaurants that Basel has to offer.

Unlike places like London or Paris, Basel isn't overly expensive or overflowed with tourists, and people are generally very friendly and helpful. The transport system has detailed maps at every station, and trams and buses have both route maps (with indication of every stop) and automated announcement systems on board - something I miss greatly with the buses here!

Most people speak English so you won't have to struggle with your dusted GCSE-Level German!

The official language is German, although a dialect called 'Swiss German' is spoken in the German part of Switzerland, which is tricky to understand even for native German speakers.

.:. Links .:.

http://www.tofuphish.com/basel

This is my college project and it contains facts, links and photos of Basel, including a piccie of the giant dinosaur in the 'Grün 80'.
I know that some of the addresses and phone numbers for the clubs and restaurants aren't right, but I last visited Basel in December and didn't feel like running around collecting information ;-)

http://www.bsonline.ch

This site has all the information you need if you plan to visit the city

http://www.vtour.ch

A great virtual tour of Basel, which lets you 'walk' in a direction and has a stunning amount of photos.

http://www.laeckerli-huus.ch

Among other specialties (toffee, shortbread, jelly), this company sells the famous 'Basler Läckerli', relatively hard biscuits with nuts, dried fruit and a sugar topping.
They also sell online and offer various gift packages.

http://www.museenbasel.ch

The official website of Basel's museums.

http://www.zoobasel.ch

The 'Zolli's official website with information, maps and photos of the animals

http://www.theater-basel.ch

Official website of the t
heatre, featuring schedules and information about their plays and projects

Summary: