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    Kleinbasel
    Michielverbeek / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

    Switzerland

    Kleinbasel

    Point of Interest

    Kleinbasel on the right bank of the Rhine is the livelier, somewhat rougher counterpart to the Old Town. In summer, life centers on the riverside promenade, where Baslers get into the Rhine and drift downstream.

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    9. Kleinbasel
    Kleinbasel on the right bank of the Rhine is the livelier, somewhat rougher counterpart to the Old Town. In summer, life centers on the riverside promenade, where Baslers get into the Rhine and drift downstream.
    Kleinbasel lies on the right bank of the Rhine, opposite the Old Town, and was formerly an independent city. Today, it's the district with the most bars, clubs, and small restaurants. Along the Unterer Rheinweg, in summer, people sit on the steps by the water, gazing at the Minster and Old Town. Rhine swimming is a ritual here: clothes go into a waterproof bag, then you let the current carry you downstream. To the east are the exhibition grounds and the Museum Tinguely.

    Sights in Kleinbasel

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Museum Little Klingental
    Museum

    Museum Little Klingental

    The former women's monastery on the Rhine riverbank houses Basel's Museum of City History. Exhibits include original sculptures from the Minster and a large city model.
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    Lower Rhine Path

    Lower Rhine Path

    The riverside promenade in Kleinbasel is the city's summer meeting place. On the steps by the water, you sit with views of the Minster and Old Town; at several points, swimmers enter the Rhine, and on warm evenings, small Buvettes open on the bank.
    Open in Google Maps

    Sights in Kleinbasel

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Museum Little Klingental
    Museum

    1Museum Little Klingental

    The former women's monastery on the Rhine riverbank houses Basel's Museum of City History. Exhibits include original sculptures from the Minster and a large city model.
    Open in Google Maps
    Lower Rhine Path

    2Lower Rhine Path

    The riverside promenade in Kleinbasel is the city's summer meeting place. On the steps by the water, you sit with views of the Minster and Old Town; at several points, swimmers enter the Rhine, and on warm evenings, small Buvettes open on the bank.
    Open in Google Maps

    Restaurants in Kleinbasel

    1

    Café Frühling

    The Basler Kaffeemacher café on Klybeckstrasse, with its own roast, breakfast, and brunch. A great start to a day by the Rhine.
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    Dining & Drinks in Kleinbasel

    Rhine-side Buvettes

    During summer, small buvettes open along the Unterer Rheinweg, offering drinks and snacks with a view of the Münster.

    Ueli Bier

    The beer from Brauerei Fischerstube is brewed in Kleinbasel and served in many pubs in the city.

    Culture in Kleinbasel

    Kleinbasel has unique customs. In January, three honorary societies celebrate Vogel Gryff: The Wilde Maa rafts down the Rhine; Vogel Gryff, Leu, and Wilde Maa then dance through the district. In autumn, the Herbstmesse, Switzerland's oldest annual fair, takes place on the Messeplatz and in the city.Rhine SwimmingIn summer, thousands enter the Rhine. Clothes, phones, and shoes go into the Wickelfisch, a waterproof swim bag, then flow downstream with the current. Only swim in suitable conditions and keep distance from bridge pillars and ships.

    Out and About in Kleinbasel

    From Badischer Bahnhof, you're just a few minutes by tram from Claraplatz, the centre of Kleinbasel. From the Old Town, you can walk across the Mittlere Brücke or take one of the small ferries, powered solely by the current. Everything along the riverbank is easily accessible on foot.

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    Nearby

    Basel

    Basel

    Basel is located in the northwest of Switzerland at the Rhine knee, directly on the border with Germany and France, and is considered the country's art and culture capital. A well-preserved Old Town above the Rhine, world-class museums, and life by the river make the city a distinctive travel destination.Above the Old Town with its more than 200 fountains stands the red Minster; from the Pfalz behind it, you look out over the Rhine. On Marktplatz, the vibrant red Town Hall catches the eye. The Kunstmuseum Basel displays art from around 700 years, the Museum Tinguely features the machine sculptures of Jean Tinguely, and the Fondation Beyeler is located in Riehen. In summer, many Basel residents let themselves drift in the Rhine, and cable-guided ferries shuttle between the banks. In June, the Art Basel art fair takes place, and the Basler Fasnacht has been part of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage since 2017.
    Old Town Grossbasel

    Old Town Grossbasel

    The Old Town on the left bank of the Rhine stretches from Münster Hill across the market square with the red town hall to the Spalentor. Steep lanes, fountains, and guild houses make it one of Switzerland's best-preserved Old Towns.
    Basel Region

    Basel Region

    The Basel region is located in northwestern Switzerland at the Rhine Knee, where Switzerland borders Germany and France. Its heart is the city of Basel, with its Old Town on the Rhine and one of the country's densest museum landscapes.The region also includes suburbs like Riehen, home to the Fondation Beyeler. Thanks to its location in the tri-border area, you can quickly reach Alsace and the Black Forest from here. By train, you're in Zurich in about an hour.
    Mulhouse

    Mulhouse

    Mulhouse is the largest city in the south of Alsace, near the border with Switzerland and Germany. It is known for its industrial history and its museums, especially the Automobile Museum Cité de l'Automobile and the Railway Museum Cité du Train.
    Freiburg im Breisgau

    Freiburg im Breisgau

    Freiburg im Breisgau is situated on the Dreisam, at the western foothills of the Black Forest and on the edge of the Upper Rhine Plain, just a few kilometers from the French border. With an average annual temperature of 11.4 °C, it is one of Germany's warmest major cities, and the Albert-Ludwigs-University, founded in 1457, continues to shape its daily life.In the center stands the Minster with its 116-meter-high Gothic tower; surrounding it, you'll find the roughly one-square-kilometer Old Town with its Bächle, medieval city gates, and the market on Münsterplatz. The local mountain Schauinsland, standing at 1,284 meters, is even still part of the city area.