Basel – A Hidden Gem

Blogging, Environment, Holidays, Lifestyle, Travel 2 Minutes

My blog is a lifestyle site and so now and again I share my experiences of travelling around Europe. My last outing was at Christmas when I visited wonderful Antwerp, which I mentioned in my Five Favourite European Cities article. Now I want to talk about another hidden gem that I am currently exploring – Basel in Switzerland.

Getting To Basel

The Eurostar screen illustrates how trains pollute far less than planes.

My regular readers will be aware that I like to travel by land and sea as much as possible. This is mainly because I believe that planes are one of the biggest direct causes of pollution in the upper atmosphere. I stopped flying 9 years ago but haven’t let it stop me enjoying travelling.

For this journey, I popped over to Paris on the Eurostar and then changed stations from Paris Nord to L’Est. I then took a one and a half hour train to Strasbourg before hopping onto a one hour train to Basel. Travelling through Strasbourg made me realise I need to spend some time there soon, possibly during Christmas time.

Getting To Know Basel

This hotel looked lovely.
The city centre was interesting and was accessible by frequent trams.

When I got off the train at Basel SSB railway station, I decided to walk the 20 minutes to the hotel rather than get on public transport. It was a great choice as I was able to check out some of the highlights of the historic city centre. It was, however, exhausting as there was a large hill running up to where our hotel stood. This was brilliant for my step count, though. Especially after spending hours on trains.

The colourful streets reminded me of Salzburg and were lined with trees. Many of the hotels and houses had plants climbing up them, making the whole place feel green and cosy.

Basel film festival was on in a group of theatres and cinemas.
Statues, fountains and trees line the streets.

After settling into the hotel, I walked back into the centre and found myself next to the famous Basel Munster Cathedral and overlooking the River Rhine. Plenty of restaurants, bars and shops lined the streets of this intriguing place.

Basel Munster – Cathedral
Munsterplatz – part of the old town

Final Thoughts

Just a few hours into the holiday and I was already starting to fall in love with beautiful Basel. Look out for more of my posts about my experiences in Basel as I look back on my time in this intriguing European hidden gem.

Thank you for reading my blog post. Please consider following my little blog for future reviews, travel pieces and environmental articles.

Published by JamieAdStories

I am a new independently published author with a history as a teacher and a dream to write short stories, novellas and scripts. From now on, I shall be blogging my way through the process of becoming a writer for a living and sharing my stories.

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11 thoughts on “Basel – A Hidden Gem”

  3. Basel has been on my must-visit list for farrr too long now, I think this is my sign to stop putting it off!

  4. I haven’t heard of this place before, but it looks like a beautiful place to explore. I hope you continue to enjoy your stay and your exploring. Thank you for sharing.

    Lauren

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