SWISS
HOLIDAYS
Basel is a thrilling city unlike any other in Switzerland, where Swiss quality meets a multicultural population in the border region close to France and Germany. All this makes the city unmistakably cosmopolitan, international and innovative.
The heart of the city is the Old Town with its glittering Christmas decorations and the attractive Basel Christmas market has a special atmosphere of its own. With more than 100 brightly illuminated stands and wooden chalet booths, traders and craftspeople from all over Switzerland and the region offer their goods and give a demonstration of their skills.
Be sure to visit the Johann Wanner House which is world famous for its range of Christmas ornaments. Everything one could desire from a Christmas festival, just like in the good old days, is to be found here. Angels of wood, china, paper of all sizes floating in the air, magnificent glass balls for Christmas trees and gently tinkling bells and Advent calendars make the atmosphere very special.
Basel is Switzerland’s oldest University City. Historic landmarks include the large market square with its richly decorated red sandstone town hall and the late Romanesque-Gothic cathedral. During a walk through the old town you past small boutiques, antique book stores and also shops of modern designers.
Basel is tradition-conscious and open-minded at the same time, a fact coming from several modern buildings designed by renowned architects such as Herzog & de Meuron, Mario Botta, Diener & Diener and Richard Meyer.
Almost 40 museums make Basel the city with the highest density of museums in the Switzerland. Internationally known venues, such as the Basel Art Museum, devoted to the iron sculptor Jean Tinguely, the Fondation Beyeler and the Museum of Cultures attract a great many visitors, as do several galleries and playhouses. Basel is amongst other things home to the Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra as well as the musical theatre featuring international productions. A wide range of classical and contemporary productions are shown on the stages of the Basel Theatre and the Playhouse.
The Botanical Gardens, several parks and the banks of the Rhine are perfect places to relax and linger for a while. The Etoscha House at the biggest zoo in Switzerland offers spectacular insights into the Namibian Savannah.
At nearby Augusta Raurica, impressive ruins and relics at the museum give an insight to the busy lives of Romans in the region. The charming countryside of the Basel region with its many cherry trees in spring boasts a particularly beautiful display of blooms. Germany and France, the Black Forest and Vosges Mountains are only a stone’s throw away from the border city of Basel.
If you wish to fly, our partners at Switzerland Travel Centre can assist you with scheduled flights from London Heathrow to Basel.
With SWISS, you get free baggage allowance, drinks, food, on-line check-in and they fly from London Heathrow, London City, Birmingham and Manchester.
If you prefer, you are welcome to use one of the Low Cost Base Airlines, such as EasyJet who fly from 12 regional airports to Switzerland, so we should be able to find a good value flight for you! EasyJet also fly direct to Basel from Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.
If you wish to drive, we can include cross-Channel Ferries & Eurotunnel.
If you prefer to fly to Geneva, Bern or Zurich, we can include rail travel from these airports too for a small supplement.
| Train Transfer Time from Bern: | 1hr 45min |
| Train Transfer Time from Geneva: | 2hr 55min |
| Train Transfer Time from Zürich : | 1hr 15min |
| Driving Distance from Calais: | 420 miles |
View the Swiss Rail timetable.
We have hotels to suit any budget or preferences. We offer a huge range of
availability on hotels and can offer any level from 2, 3, 4 or 5-star hotels. All our hotels are situated in great locations and offer the best quality and Swiss style and friendliness.
If you have any specific requests such as swimming pools, childcare etc,
please also mention this on the Request and we will do our upmost best to quote you the ideal place to suit your needs.
Our prices are simple, Just Choose the grade of Hotel. We have Youth prices for children up to the age of 16 and even bigger savings for Children under the age of 6yrs!
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