Our weekend in Basel
Good to know ...
... Depending on your needs and plans, we recommend the Basel Card with attractive offers such as free city tours, free admission to the zoo, free ferry rides, a 50 per cent reduction on admission to some museums or discounts in various restaurants.
Costs for 24 hours: Adults 24, children (up to 16 years) 10 francs; for 48 hours: 27 or 13 francs 50. The BaselCard is available at the tourist information centres of Basel Tourismus or online. www. basel.com/baselcard
Experience ...
... An entertaining way to get an impression of the city is the «Treasure Hunt with Basil». Starting at the Tinguely Fountain with its playful machine sculptures in the water basin, the trail leads through ten further stations where tasks have to be solved and answers have to be found. You will be accompanied by Basil the dragon on the one-and-a-half-hour course, which was created for families with children aged four to fourteen.
Cost: one child and one adult: CHF 20, each additional child CHF 10, each additional adult CHF 5. Open daily. www.basel.com ' Search: Treasure hunt
... The Zolli is just a few minutes' walk from the city centre. Not only is it the oldest zoo in Switzerland, but it is also home to the largest number of animals in its small but beautiful grounds: more than 7,000 from over 600 species. It is also one of the most important zoos in Europe thanks to its breeding successes. Currently, young animals such as lions, snow leopards, giraffes, chimpanzees and a two-year-old rhinoceros can be observed. In addition, from November to February, the king penguins take a walk in the garden at around 11 a.m., provided the temperature falls below 10 degrees and it is not raining heavily.
Zoo, Binningerstrasse 40. Admission: children 6 to 15 years 7, young people up to 24 years 12, adults 18, families (parents with their own children under 20 years) 39 francs. www.zoobasel.ch
Enjoy ...
... The Christmas market on Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz will put you and your children in the best Advent mood from the light-covered Rhine bridges and the decorated historic old town. There, traders and artisans offer their wares in small wooden chalets, and culinary delights are also provided, be it raclette, grilled sausages, waffles or Basler Läckerli. If you would like to find out more about this speciality, visit the Läckerli-Huus in Frenkendorf(www.laeckerli-huus.ch). The day can be rounded off in a special way in the foyer of the Basel Theatre, where the doors of a special Advent calendar are opened every day at 5 pm - with a small literary or musical surprise, some of which also appeal to children.
The Christmas market on Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz, as well as at the Basel Theatre, are open daily during the Advent season.
... In the market hall, close to the zoo and railway station, you can shop to your heart's content at the stalls at the daily market, where there are plenty of places to sit and eat on the spot. Fancy a traditional, seasonal meal made from regional produce? Then the Papiermühle restaurant and café is the right place for you. The small menu offers something for both small and large appetites, including homemade cakes. The Papiermühle, the museum for paper, writing and printing, is right next door, where you can create and print your own paper. Or you can take the nearby St Alban ferry «Wild Maa» and walk to the Tinguely Museum.
www.markthalle-basel.ch, paper mill, St.-Alban-Tal 35, www.papiermuehle.ch. Museum: St.-Alban-Tal 37, www.papiermuseum.ch. Basel ferries: www.faehri.ch. Tinguely Museum, Paul-Sacher-Anlage 1, www.tinguely.ch
Sleep ...
... The youth hostel (4-bed room with washbasin: 175 francs/night) is recommended as affordable, family-friendly accommodation near the Papiermühle. Or the Basel Backpack on the Gundeldinger Feld (4-bed room 159 francs/night) with the option of cooking for yourself.
Basel Youth Hostel, St.-Alban-Kirchrain 10, telephone 061 272 05 72, www.youthhostel.ch/basel. Basel Backpack, Dornacherstrasse 192, telephone 061 333 00 37, www.baselbackpack.com
... The Breite-Hotel promises you hospitality and modern design in a metropolitan setting with a motorway, railway, main road and tram that will take you to the city centre in just a few minutes.
The Breite-Hotel, Zürcherstrasse 149, phone 061 315 65 65, price example family special (with one or two children): 247 francs. www.dasbreitehotel.ch