Thirsty?
by german_eagle
A very nice thing in Basel is that there are lots of such fountains providing drinking water.
Save your money and drink this free water instead of buying expensive mineral water at the groceries! And there is no need carrying around bottles with mineral water! It was sunny, I had just finished a tiring (but enjoyable) visit of the former Carthusian monastery and got thirsty. I walked along Schaffhauser Rheinweg and stumbled every 200 m across such little fountains ... wondering if I could drink this water I asked a local and he said yes, you can!
I hesitated first, but finally I drank (and I survived!). Later I reassured with my friend Phil, a local, and he told me that these fountains indeed provide tap water, and it is drinking water!
St Nikolaus Day, December 6
by Kathrin_E
St Nikolaus ("Samichlaus") Day, December 6, is an important event in Basel. It's worth visiting the city on that day if you want some additional pre-Christmas flair and do some Nikolaus-spotting. The Nikolaus's dress is usually the same as Santa Claus's. Only those who 'work' for churches will wear a more bishop-like outfit that resembles more the original Saint Nikolaus, bsihop of Myra.
The city is full of Santa Clauses that day. They are everywhere. In the shops, of course, for advertising reasons. In boats on the Rhine. In the streets. On horse-drawn carriages. Visiting churches. And... on motorbikes. Not any plain average motorbikes but heavy Harley Davidsons.
At 5 p.m. the city centre stops its shopping activities, people line up on the sidewalks to see the "Harley Niggi-Näggi" parade. I guess it's a local Harley club who does the parade. Some two dozen bikers dress up and decorate their bikes with incredible imagination.
See my travelogues for more pictures.
FC Basel
by german_eagle
FC Basel is Switzerland's leading football (soccer) team in our days. They also scored some points in the European leagues (like Champions League), so they are really pretty good. If they play during your visit you might want to see the match at the St. Jakob Park stadium. Tickets are not overly expensive, mine was 35 Sfr. for a match vs. AC Bellinzona. Tickets for the Champions League cost more, of course, and these sell out quickly.
The atmosphere in the stadium was somehow special. Lots of families there, no hooligans, very positive and not aggressive at all. The most enhusiastic supporters, the fan clubs, are to find in the southeastern area, called "Muttenzerkurve". They can make a lot of noise! And sing!
The stadium is a quite impressive structure. It was built by architects Herzog & de Meuron (they also planned the Allianz Arena in Munich and the Olympic Stadium in Peking later) after the old "Joggeli" from 1950 was torn down in 1998. The new Joggeli has a capacity of about 40'000. It can get cold. Very cold. Layers! And get information in advance which colours are the colours of the guest team ... so you don't have to go back to your hotel room and change clothes. Or make sure you don't show the polo shirt with the odd colours ...
Have a swim in the Rhine (only in summer!)
by Myndo
Swimming in the Rhine? Yes, you can.
The water is actually quite clean. They test it regularly and give out the results with recommendations.
There are some good places, where you can swim, either at the rim (marked newly with blue swimmers) or you go in at one point, swim down with the current and get out further down.
Just be mindful when swimming in the Rhine, that there are ships and boats on it, too. Always swim looking upstream as well as downstream. Also stay well off the columns of the bridges! Especially behind them you can always find currents that will suck you down. Never use swimming helps. If you can swim only badly, just don´t do it. Best is, if you are two or more who swim together (also much fun).
But swimming in the Rhine is a real experience. A totally different and charming way to see the city skyline.
a map of where to swim you find under
http://www.polizei.bs.ch/index/rheinschwimmen.pdf
blue are the regions where it is safe to swim, in the red areas you share the Rhine with all the ships and boats...
Good place to get in: start at the Tinguely Museum, get out before the Wettstein bridge. They even have a shower there. Or swim on and get out later, you see more of the city.
There is an official day organised by the SLRG (Swiss life saving groop) where you can swim in the Rhine with lots of people. This year 2005 it will be held at August 12th at 6 p.m. if the weather and water are good. Starting point is the Ferry at the Munster on the side of the smaller Basel. If the weather is bad, they postpone it for a week.
If you can´t swim, have a look at them anyway :-)
EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
by csordila
Basel airport, also known as Euroairport, lies 9km north-west of the city, within French territory; it is connected to Switzerland by a land corridor. There are exits from the airport baggage hall to both Switzerland and France; make sure you take the Swiss one.
Bus 50 runs between the airport and Basel's main station - Bahnhof SBB - every eight minutes during the day, less frequently in the evening, for a fare of Sfr 3.80; this also covers connecting bus or tram services elsewhere in the city for two hours after you buy the ticket. Duration of ride 20 minutes.
In the city, the flat fare is Sfr3, but many visitors do not need to pay; most journeys (including the one back to the airport) is covered by the Mobility Card, a free public transport pass given to guests in every hotel for the duration of their stay.
Sign in with Facebook
Riehen
Predigerkirche
Mobility Ticket
Laeckerli Huus
