Basel sits on a bend of the Rhine where Switzerland, France and Germany meet, and its trams run across the border into both neighbours. It is a city of merchant houses and world-class museums, of a red sandstone minster on the hill and of people who swim home from work down the river. Here are the facts and stories that make the city special.
10 fun facts about Basel
- Three countries in one view: Basel borders both France and Germany, and at the Dreiländereck in the Rhine port a monument marks the spot where the three countries meet in the river.
- Ferries without engines: four small ferries, the Wilde Maa, Leu, Vogel Gryff and Ueli, cross the Rhine with no motor at all. A steel cable holds them, and the current pushes them across.
- Swimming home: in summer, many people float down the Rhine through the centre, keeping their clothes dry in a waterproof bag called a Wickelfisch.
- Switzerland's oldest university: the University of Basel was founded in 1460. The humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam spent years in Basel, died here in 1536 and is buried in the Minster.
- The great earthquake: on 18 October 1356, Basel was hit by the most significant earthquake in Central Europe's recorded history. The fires that followed destroyed most of the town inside the walls.
- A king sticking out his tongue: from around 1640, the Lällekönig, a crowned head with its tongue out, greeted everyone crossing the bridge into Grossbasel from the Rhine Gate. The gate was demolished in 1839, and a copy of the king still looks out over the river at the Schifflände.
- One of the first public art collections: in 1661 the city bought the Amerbach Cabinet, a private collection of art and books, and made it public. It became the core of today's Kunstmuseum Basel.
- A world art fair: Art Basel was founded here in 1970 and has become one of the most important art fairs in the world, held every June.
- A thank-you in stone: the Strassburger Denkmal opposite the station, by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, was unveiled in 1895. It thanks Switzerland for evacuating some 1,800 civilians from besieged Strasbourg in 1870.
- A church for everyone: the Elisabethenkirche, built between 1857 and 1864 and paid for by the merchant Christoph Merian, was the first new church in Basel after the Reformation. Today it is the Offene Kirche Elisabethen, an open church used for services, concerts and events.
Fasnacht and the Morgestraich
Basel's carnival begins on the Monday after Ash Wednesday at exactly 4 o'clock in the morning. At that moment, the lights in the old town go out and groups of masked piccolo players and drummers, known as cliques, set off behind huge hand-painted lanterns lit from inside. This is the Morgestraich. For the next 72 hours the Fasnacht takes over the city: parades, sharp satirical verses called Schnitzelbängg, and confetti, which in Basel is called Räppli. The lanterns, each poking fun at the year's events, are later shown on the Münsterplatz. In 2017 UNESCO added Basel Fasnacht to its list of intangible cultural heritage.
Basel Minster, explained
The red sandstone Minster stands on the hill above the Rhine where a Celtic settlement and then a Roman fort once stood. Badly damaged in the earthquake of 1356, it was rebuilt in Gothic style on its Romanesque base. Its two towers are named after St George and St Martin, whose statues guard the west front. Inside lies the tomb of Erasmus. Behind the church, the Pfalz terrace gives one of the best views in the city, across the river to Kleinbasel and on to the hills of the Black Forest.
What to eat in Basel
- Basler Läckerli: hard, spiced biscuits made with honey, almonds and candied peel, the classic Basel souvenir.
- Mehlsuppe: a dark soup of browned flour, onions and stock, eaten in the early hours of the Morgestraich.
- Zwiebelwähe and Käsewähe: onion and cheese tarts, served hot during Fasnacht.
- Fastenwähe: soft, shiny pastries flavoured with caraway, sold only in the weeks around Fasnacht.
- Basler Brunsli: chewy chocolate and almond biscuits, a Christmas favourite.
Good to know before you go
- Hotel guests in Basel usually receive a BaselCard, which includes free use of public transport during their stay.
- If you want to swim in the Rhine, do it only in summer, get in on the Kleinbasel bank, where most swimmers start, and keep away from bridge piers and ships.
- The Fondation Beyeler in Riehen and the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, just over the German border, are both easy to reach by tram or bus.
- During Fasnacht, spectators traditionally do not wear masks or costumes, and hotels fill up early.
Explore Basel with World City Trail
Our Basel scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around three hours, with about 44 minutes of walking, and leads you past the Strassburger Denkmal, the Offene Kirche Elisabethen and Basel Minster, among other sights.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like and play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Chinese.
Play the Basel scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.