Basel, Switzerland

Basel is located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, in northwest Switzerland on the river Rhine. It is among the most important cultural centres of Switzerland. The city comprises a large number of theatres and many museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the world's oldest art collection accessible to the public.

Basel features a great number of heritage sites of national significance. These include the entire Old Town of Basel as well as churches, monasteries, secular buildings, archaelogical sites and museums. Most of the "old town" attractions in Basel are in a walkable area between the Basel Zoo (just south of the Basel SBB train station) and the Rhine. Since most stores are closed on Sundays, it is a good day to plan to see one of the many museums, which are usually open.

Things to See & Do

* Cathedral Square
* Market Square
* Museums
* Basel Rathaus – Town Hall
* Gates to the Walled City

General Information

Cruise Season – March to Dec
Currency – Swiss Franc (CHF)
Language – German, French, Italian, Romansh
Land Area – 22.75 km²
Population – 170,000 approx.
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code – + 41

Port Location – The Basel Port is located on the Rhine river.

Travel Links – The Euroairport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is the only bi-national airport in the world. Built on French soil about 4 km from Basel, it is connected with the city by a customs-free road. Several major airlines, including Swiss, Air France, British Airways and Lufthansa, serve the airport.

International train connections include ICE high speed train link from Germany (Frankfurt, Berlin),Fast trains from Paris, Strasbourg, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Brussels, Milan. Night trains from Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Rome and other cities in France, Germany and Italy.