Basel

Switzerland

Things to do in Basel:

View the Gallery Rhine River at Night

Basel Restaurants

Cheap (26)

Patisserie Clergue

Simple quiches and salads are the speciality at this cosy patisserie in the shadow of the cathedral. read more
Affordable (32)

Le Petit Zinc

You'll know you've arrived in the Alsace when you enter this lovely eatery. Just the place to try escargots, trout in white wine or Munster cheese. read more
Good quality (38)

Mandir

Locals claim this is the best Indian restaurant in town. Mandir's master chefs offer a choice of sumptuous house specials including curries, tandoori dishes and beef vindaloo. read more

Basel Nightlife

Chilled (32)

Manger et Boire

With its quiet bar downstairs and simple restaurant upstairs, Manger et Boire is a great place to spend the whole evening. read more
Live Music (30)

Cargobar

The tiny Cargobar on the Rhine hosts many of the city's best up-and-coming jazz and rock bands three or four nights a week. read more
Clubbing (34)

Nordstern

The best out-of-the-way alternative club in Basel for electronic music and the occasional reggae. Check schedules and posters before making the trek, but when Nordstern is on, it's really on.� read more

This Month in Basel (March):

By Richard Harvell

Shopping: At Galerie Spalentor you can buy diverse handcrafts, including artwork by Holocaust survivor and vibrant personality Sshlomo Graber (24 Spalenvorstadt, Basel).

Sightseeing: Don't miss the outstanding Beyeler Museum's exhibit on Herni Rousseau. Marking the centenary of the great modernist's death, it includes 40 works by the artist. On show throughout the month (beyeler.com).

Key areas: With 437 Bugattis, Ferraris, Rolls Royces, Maseratis and other classic cars on display, the Collection Schlumf in Mulhouse is one of the world's greatest automobile museums. Take a wander around the streets of the northern part of Mulhouse, too. The area is home to some real delights (192 Avenue de Colmar).

Day trips: The glacier skiing of Andermatt is less than two hours from Basel by car, with ski-hire available and kilometres of slopes to suit all levels, from beginner to expert.

Basel News & Gossip

Alsace Christmas Markets

24 NOV-6 JAN 2010
BASEL / MULHOUSE

From the first weekend in Advent (the four weeks leading up to Christmas) and on to Epiphany (6 January), Alsatians take part in these world-renowned markets. In an enthusiastic and friendly atmosphere, visitors of all ages can rediscover the spirit of Christmas past on Place de la R�union in Mulhouse, buying handicrafts (Mulhouse is historically linked to the textile industry), gorging on seasonal delicacies and warming up with a little gluhwein (mulled wine). There will also be processions, living nativities, concerts and exhibitions. Though the main action centres around Mulhouse, you can find classic markets dotted all around the region, including the oldest of all in Kaysersberg.

www.tourisme68.com

Basel Trivia

March: Switzerland has four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansch. The latter is spoken by just 1% of the population, mainly in the mountainous south-east.
February: The Chienb�se folk festival, on 21 February, in Liestal, 10km east of Basel, is a surreal spectacle that sees a parade of people carrying heavy flaming brooms on their shoulders. The burning wagons that follow have flames reaching up to 10m in the air.
January: During the legendary cold winter of 1514 the Rhine was frozen so hard that horses could cross without it breaking.