It was a short stay in Basel, but we saw a lot! The Rhine River flows through the city and was a short walk from our hotel in Basel’s Old Town. On our first night we walked to the river to find dinner. It was a very busy place, with most of the restaurants doing a brisk business. We continued to wander until we found a small restaurant in a quiet spot, with tables overlooking the river. The food was delicious, and it was fun to watch the activity along the river. There were even a bunch of swimmers in the river!
The Old Town is very walkable, with plenty of places to shop, eat and explore. We took full advantage of the pastry shops for tea and sweet treats. I think my favorite was the schoggiweggli – a soft milk bun with chunks of chocolate, and a specialty of Basel. Now that I’m writing about them, I have to see if I can recreate them at home! And with the chilly weather setting in, outdoor chairs have sheepskins to keep you warm!
The town hall is the seat of seat of Basel government and parliament. It dominates the central square of the Old Town.
We picked two sites to visit on our last day. There were many to choose from, and one was a given for us – climbing the tower of the cathedral! First we stopped at the Basel Historical Museum. Located in a building that was originally a monastery in the 1200’s, it houses an impressive collection of artifacts from the area’s cultural and religious history.
Then on to the highlight of the day (yes, pun intended😁) – the Basel Minster. Construction of the original cathedral was begun in 1019. The building has changed over the centuries, most notably after the destruction from the Basel earthquake in 1356. Even being rebuilt after that, it’s still wicked old by our standards! The church is one of the most prominent structures in the city and you can’t miss seeing the towers. As soon as I found out that you can climb them, we were off!
This was the best tower tour, mainly because it wasn’t a tour. We bought our tickets and were shown the door to the stairs leading up. We got there just as it opened, so there were just a few others climbing with us. We would go up a bit, find a door to a balcony, walk along that to another door leading to more stairs, another balcony, another door with more stairs, another balcony – you get the idea. Eventually we were at the tippy top, just under the spire. Wow!! The view was amazing and the feeling of being so high was incredible. And there was so much to see in the architecture all around you. Someone told us there was a hidden cat and mouse at the top – we found them! Only after we came down did we realize that we could have made another turn and gone up the other tower as well. 242 steps was enough for one day, maybe we’ll go back someday and finish the tower tour.
Below the church, the crypts were on display. There was a great video presentation about the history of the church that was projected onto the foundation and remains of the crypt. It was very well done, and it was in English.
