Business trip to Basel was something I was looking forward to. A beautiful country and interesting locations to explore which I have not done justice to yet (maybe in the next trip for sure).The typical plan is to start on a Saturday / Sunday morning on the Emirates / Etihad Airways as recommended by the Travel Desk of my organisation. This time around in January 2017, we took the Etihad Airways from Hyderabad to Zurich (via Abu Dhabi) in Business class.

“Airline Review in my previous blog here“

Reaching Zurich we took the Etihad Chauffeur Service and Reached Basel our destination in an hour and the highways were wonderful with snow fall during our journey and the Alps covered in thick Snow.

We planned our booking in Adagio Aparthotel for the convenience of having a kitchen in case if we wanted to cook a light meal.

Snow around the hotel

Click here for the Basel Tourism Brochures

As there goes the saying be a Roman when in Rome which in this case I will take in the form of follow the Travel options as the locals, we took the Tram and it is a wonderful experience to walk around the city appreciating it’s focus on the Arts and Architecture which is marvelous.

Any of the hotels that you check into provides you with a Mobility card which is a pass to use the Tram and bus facility for your stay duration.

There are a few hotels which include the mobility card in the package of your room rent, else you may need to purchase one in the lobby.

Basel and Zurich are known for their Muesums mostly focussing on Art and Culture, giving the younger generation a taste of the evolution. Basel alone boasts of around 40 Muesums within the city and surrounding counties.

A few must visits here would be the Universität Basel, Music Museum which is home to the largest collection on instruments in probably the entire Switzerland and has regular concerts for everyone.

Few pics from my trip in 2012 (my first to Switzerland)

Best time to visit would be around Feb / March when the yearly Basel Fasnacht happens. This would keep you awake all night and participate in the carnival. More information could be obtained here Carnival Site and during this time it’s difficult to find a hotel accommodation so prior planning would be required. The 2018 event is scheduled for 19-21 Feb 2018. The Basel Carnival is for a duration of three days and starts on the Monday after Ash Wednesday.

Marroni a nut burnt over coal / steam, comes handy in cold winters

Tram / bus routes

Tram night view

Hammer man on a Basel Street

Few Indian restaurants worth trying when in Basel:

A. Indian Tandoori Palace, Petersgraben 21

B. Bajwa Palace, Elisabethenstrasse 41

C. Johann by Jay, 4056 Basel

D.Restaurant New Bombay, 4051 Basel

Hotels worth staying (economical):

A. Adagio Aparthotel (best for those who like cooking)

B. Dorint Hotel

C. Radisson (upscale hotel)

D. Hotel Basel

City Center

SNCF Train at Basel SBB

Inside coach

River Rhine

Lunch – Margarita Pizza

Overall a wonderful town and should possibly explore more in my next trips to this wonderful country…

Basel is known for its culture as its pharmaceutical industry in the city with big companies like Novartis, Roche having its presence.

Basel is also a city which has the borders moved to facilitate the industries there and you can see the borders from France, Germany and Switzerland come together at one point.

You can also take a tram ride into France and Germany for a quick exploration of the wonderful small towns / villages around.

Until my next post, this is Srikanth signing off!