Basel is the third largest city in Switzerland. It is located on the northwestern part of the country, on the Rhine shores. The city is situated on the border with France and Germany. The Euroairport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg is fully located in France, but has one exit in Switzerland.
Basel is an important economic, educational and cultural city.
Pharmaceutical and chemical industries are present in the city with many well-known companies: Novartis, Hoffmann-La Roche, Basilea Pharmaceutica, Actelion. Financial industry is one of the main industries in the city. Many important banks have offices in Basel.
University of Basel is the oldest university in Switzerland. It is one of the main university in the country. Well-known people such as Erasmus, Paracelsus, Bernoulli, Euler worked here.
Basel has many museums, galleries, churches, concert and sport halls. Many fairs and events take place in Basel every year. Basel has a nice zoo that attract many visitors every year. Baselworld (watch fair), Basler Fasnacht (the city carnival) and Basel Tattoo are the main events in the city.
Main sights:
Old City is the most tourist part of Basel with its main city landmarks:
- City Hall is located in a nice, red building. Beautiful frescoes, the inner courtyard with arcades and the tower are the most attractive parts of the City Hall.
- Basler Munster is maybe the most visited sight in Basel. The city cathedral has red walls, a colored roof, twin towers and a beautiful indoors.
- Spalen Gate (Spalentor) is the most beautiful of the three city gates. It is one of medieval constructions in the Old City.
- Middle Bridge is the most tourist Basel bridge across the Rhine river.
- Tinguely Fountain is another attractive sight in the city with its mechanical figures and water games.
- Marktplatz, Munsterplatz, Barfsserplatz and Aeschenplatz are the main squares in the city center.
- Fine Art Museum (Kunstmuseum)
- Kunsthalle Basel
- Basel Museum of Cultures
- Historical Museum Basel
- Tinguely Museum
- Swiss Paper Museum-Basel Paper Mill
- Toy World Museum Basel
Basel has important football and ice hockey teams. The football team participates in international European leagues every year and has good results more and more. The Swiss Indoor is a tennis tournament that takes place every year in St. Jakobshalle in Basel. Some of the best professional tennis men play here every year on end of October. Roger Federer, born in Basel, won the tournament ten times.
Basel is a good start for nice day trips to Mulhouse and Colmar (France), Freiburg and Black Forest (Germany) and to many places in Switzerland: Berne (the Swiss capital), Zurich, Interlaken, Rheinfall and Schaffhausen, Lucerne, Neuchatel.