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    Old Town Grossbasel
    M.Strīķis / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

    Switzerland

    Old Town Grossbasel

    Point of Interest

    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.

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    9. 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.
    The Grossbasel Old Town is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, on and around Minster Hill. From the Minster and the Pfalz terrace high above the Rhine, you descend to Marktplatz (Market Square) with its bright red City Hall, where a market is held on weekdays. From there, Spalenberg, with its small shops, climbs up towards Spalentor. The streets are steep and narrow; almost everything is car-free and easy to explore on foot.

    Sights in Old Town Grossbasel

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Pfalz
    Attraction

    Pfalz

    The shady terrace behind the Münster is high above the Rhine, offering one of the most beautiful views across the river to Kleinbasel. Stairs lead down to the Münsterfähre landing stage.
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    City Hall Basel

    City Hall Basel

    The bright red Town Hall on the Market Square dates back to the early 16th century and is adorned with murals. In the inner courtyard, you can see the painted facades up close; here, the Cantonal Parliament still meets today.
    Open in Google Maps

    Sights in Old Town Grossbasel

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Pfalz
    Attraction

    1Pfalz

    The shady terrace behind the Münster is high above the Rhine, offering one of the most beautiful views across the river to Kleinbasel. Stairs lead down to the Münsterfähre landing stage.
    Open in Google Maps
    City Hall Basel

    2City Hall Basel

    The bright red Town Hall on the Market Square dates back to the early 16th century and is adorned with murals. In the inner courtyard, you can see the painted facades up close; here, the Cantonal Parliament still meets today.
    Open in Google Maps

    Restaurants in Old Town Grossbasel

    1

    Poison Shack

    Traditional eatery on Schneidergasse in the Old Town, with wood paneling, beer, and hearty regional dishes. A good spot to get to know Basel cuisine.
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    Food & Drink in the Old Town

    Basler Läckerli

    The firm honey confection with almonds and candied peel is available in several specialty shops in the Old Town.

    Traditional Pubs

    Wood-paneled taverns around Marktplatz and Schneidergasse offer Basel cuisine, beer and wine on tap.

    Culture in the Old Town

    Basel has the oldest university in Switzerland, founded in 1460. The humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam lived and worked in the city; his tomb is in the Minster. During Fasnacht, the Old Town becomes the stage for the Cliquen, who parade through the streets with lanterns, piccolos, and drums.Museums in a Small AreaBetween Münsterhügel and Barfüsserplatz are the Museum of Art, the Historical Museum in the Barfüsser Church, and the Museum of Cultures, all just minutes away on foot.

    Wandering in the Old Town

    From Bahnhof SBB, take the tram for just a few minutes to Marktplatz or the Barfüsserplatz stop. Within the Old Town, you get around on foot. Across the Mittlere Brücke or by one of the ferries, you reach Kleinbasel on the other bank.

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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.
    Kleinbasel

    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.
    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.