Spring Basel
City Trip Ideas

The people of Basel love to get together, socialise and be entertained. For the first edition of SPRING BASEL, Messe Basel is transformed into a meeting place for the whole region over five days. SPRING BASEL celebrates the rich local cultural and music scene in the Basel region at the start of spring. Bands and creative artists as well as art performances and live talks offer entertainment and fun for the whole family. Local, international, vegetarian or experimental. Visitors to Hall 2.1 of Messe Basel can look forward to an exciting gastronomic offering, a rich entertainment programme and a small marketplace where they can browse and stroll.

Easter in Basel awaits with a long weekend full of fun, culture and culinary delights. Over Easter you can eat to your heart's content. Whether on a boat, in a museum or in a trendy place to be. By the way, brunch in Basel is not just for Sundays. Easter egg hunt with a difference: follow in the footsteps of gifted professionals and newcomers to the urban art scene. Find the two dozen masaic paintings by the famous ‘Invader’. Basel's museums offer a colourful Easter programme. Art lovers will find contemporary works, antique sculptures, cartoons and even teddy bears. Basel's churches and cathedral invite you to attend services, pause for thought and reflect. For bargain hunters and fashionistas: a large Easter flea market takes place in the market hall on Easter Sunday and Monday.

The Rehberger Trail is a cross-border sculpture trail created by the Fondation Beyeler, the municipality of Riehen, Vitra and the town of Weil am Rhein. It is named after the German artist Tobias Rehberger. The Rehberger Trail links 2 countries, 2 municipalities and 2 museums over 5 kilometres. It runs between Riehen and Weil am Rhein, between the Fondation Beyeler and the Vitra Campus. The route between the Fondation Beyeler and the Vitra Campus is naturally beautiful. Thanks to 24 special landmarks, your walk or cycle tour will be an art excursion in a class of its own. There are eye-catching art objects such as cuckoo clocks, birdhouses and a raised hide to show you the way from one museum to another. The Rehberger Weg takes about 1.5 to 2 hours on foot.

Basel Zoo is one of the most visited sights in Switzerland. Opened in 1874, the zoological garden is affectionately known in Basel as the ‘Zolli’. Especially in spring, the sprawling park invites visitors to take a leisurely stroll in the open air. The vivarium and the monkey house offer exciting alternatives to the outdoor animal enclosures. Be amazed by the colourful, exotic fish in the mysterious world of the vivarium. And the exuberant monkeys in the monkey house are sure to put young and old alike in a good mood. The outdoor animal enclosures are the elephant enclosure, bird house, sauter garden, rhino enclosure, children's zoo for touching and stroking, savannah enclosure, Australis themed enclosure, antelope house and African enclosure.

On a Rhine cruise, Basel's landmarks such as the cathedral, the Roche towers and the picturesque old town houses on the banks of the Rhine present themselves from a different perspective. On board the Basel passenger boat tour, you can experience Basel and the Rhine from their most beautiful side. During a 50-minute harbour cruise, you will explore the heart of Basel: the Grossbasel bank of the Rhine, Basel Minster, Roche Tower, Basel's Old Town skyline, the Tinguely Museum and the Birsfelden lock. On the panoramic deck, you can unwind, stretch your face in the sun and sip a refreshing drink or enjoy a local lunch. You can enjoy a relaxed brunch with fresh, seasonal and regional delicacies every Sunday on the Rhystärn brunch boat. Evening cruises or lock cruises are offered in the summer timetable from April.

Take a deep breath and relax: with its well-tended parks, avenues and botanical gardens, Basel is a green city. From small neighbourhood parks to extensive city parks, it's all here. Our favourite green spots in the city of Basel: in the Wenken and Wackernagel parks, you need a picnic blanket, a book and plenty of time - as soon as you pass through the baroque entrance gate, you never want to leave this wonderful place again. Fountains, pavilions, ponds and art by Richard Serra - the park is a real splendour. In the garden of the Old University, you will find inspiration with a view of the Rhine with a pleasure pavilion and plants that grew in the garden 400 years ago. In the 18-hectare Merian Gardens, you can relax amidst flowers, herbs and trees. Animal lovers and climbing monkeys will be delighted by the sheep, rabbits and chickens and the adventure playground. The public Schützenmattpark is a paradise for splashing and romping with extensive lawns and small play islands, park benches under beautiful old trees and a pavilion with a café.