Basel, worth knowing.

Fun facts about Basel

1. 1Basel's carnival, Fasnacht, kicks off at 4am: the Old Town lights switch off and glowing lanterns parade through the dark streets. It's on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.Source: Swiss Federal Dept. of Foreign Affairs; Wikipedia
2. 2Basel invented the Wickelfisch: a colourful, fish-shaped waterproof bag. Locals stash their things inside and hold on to it as they float down the Rhine.Source: Wickelfisch; Kanton Basel-Stadt
3. 3Switzerland, France and Germany meet in the middle of the Rhine at Basel. A monument on the Swiss bank, the Dreiländereck, marks the three-country corner.Source: Kanton Basel-Stadt; Wikipedia
4. 4Museum lovers, take note: Basel counts almost 40 museums. That's a lot to see for such a compact city.Source: Kanton Basel-Stadt; Museen Basel
5. 5By the Mittlere Brücke, a crowned head called the Lällekönig sticks his tongue out across the Rhine at Kleinbasel. 'Lälli' is Basel dialect for tongue.Source: Alchemist Basel; Wikipedia

Things to do in Basel

• ◦Basel's town hall on Marktplatz is hard to miss: red sandstone, colourful murals and playful details everywhere. Its courtyard is open to wander into.Source: Kanton Basel-Stadt; Wanderlog
• ◦Basel Minster glows in red sandstone under a patterned, colourful tiled roof. Walk round to the Pfalz terrace behind it for a wide view over the Old Town and the Rhine.Source: European Traveler; alpen-guide.de
• ◦On Theaterplatz, Jean Tinguely's fountain has ten quirky machines splashing and spraying water. Parts came from the old city theatre's stage set, and it stands where that stage once was.Source: Art@Site; Wikipedia
• ◦Hop on one of Basel's four little Rhine ferries. There's no motor: a cable and the river's current carry you across between Grossbasel and Kleinbasel.Source: Fähri-Verein Basel; Swiss Spectator
• ◦In summer, good swimmers drift through Basel's Old Town on the Rhine's gentle current, with clothes packed in a Wickelfisch, then dry off on the Kleinbasel bank.Source: Switzerland Tourism; Messe Basel
• ◦Climb around 250 narrow steps up a tower of Basel Minster for a sweeping view over the rooftops, the Old Town and the Rhine.Source: Basler Münster; European Traveler

Questions to bring to Basel

From Sojourn's journeys. Ask one over a long dinner or on a slow walk, and let the place do some of the work.

Going together

• When do you feel most like yourself?
• What does rest actually look like for you?
• What is one thing you wish we did more of?

Going solo

• What is the first thing this place is showing you that you didn't expect?
• What does this version of you know that the home version tends to forget?

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