five walks across the old town of basel

Experiencing Basel.

Five walks across the Old Town of Basel.

Basel TourismAeschenvorstadt 36, CH-4010 Basel, Phone +41 (0)61 268 68 68

Fax +41 (0)61 268 68 70, [email protected], www.basel.com

A city project of the association “Basel Erleben”, with the kind support of GGG, HEIVISCH, Novartis, Theo Ballmer & Partner and the Canton of Basel.

© Basel Tourismus, 2010

Do you want to discover Basel and stroll through the city?Simply follow the blue pedestrian signs that are located at keypoints in the city centre. City map signboards are situated atthe Swiss SBB railway station, Badischer Bahnhof (German railway station), Marktplatz, Messeplatz, Münsterplatz,Aeschenplatz, Schifflände and Basel Zoo.

Basel TourismTourist & Hotel Information In the Stadt-Casino at Barfüsserplatz, Steinenberg 14 CH-4010 Basel [email protected], www.basel.com Phone +41 (0)61 268 68 68, Fax +41 (0)61 268 68 70

Monday to Friday 9.00 am–6.00 pmSaturday 9.00 am–5.00 pmSundays and public holidays 10.00 am–3.00 pm

Experience Basels’s history using cutting-edge multimediatechnology. You have the choice between five city tours featur-ing commentary in English and German as well as over 500images. As you make your way through the Old Town, use yourmini computer to select your own preferred stop-off-points,or even switch between tours as your own mood and interestdictate. iGuide provides you with individual perspectives,insights and details that might otherwise remain undiscovered.

Audiovisual city tours can be booked at the Basel TourismTourist Information offices located at Barfüsser platz and inthe Swiss railway station (Bahnhof SBB). Hiring an iGuidecosts CHF 15 for 4 hours and CHF 22 for a whole day.

iGuideAudiovisual walks through Basel

Umschlag_E:BAT0147_Flyer_Basel_Erleben_US_E_RZ 10.6.2010 9:29 Uhr Seite 1

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Messezentrum © Grundbuch- und Vermessungsamt Basel-Stadt, 01.06.2010

Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Sattel-gasse

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Fortified citycirca 1200

Basel is unique and will delight you: here, at the junction of threecountries, proverbial Swiss quality meets a multicultural populationin the border area with France and Germany. It is this which givesthe city its distinctively cosmopolitan, international and innovativeflavour. The historic Old Town with its quaint squares and windingstreets never fails to impress visitors with its particular charm.Experience “Culture Unlimited” and savoir-vivre at its best: the sun-drenched banks of the Rhine, dreamy narrow streets and countlessoutdoor cafés invite visitors and residents alike to stroll and savourthe atmosphere.

Time required: about 30 minutesWalk: Erasmus walkSignposts: red on blueSuitable for push-chairs and wheelchairs

Time required: about 45 minutesWalk: Jacob Burckhardt walkSignposts: light blue on blueSuitable for push-chairs and wheelchairs

Time required: about 45 minutesWalk: Thomas Platter walkSignposts: yellow on blueSuitable for push-chairs and wheelchairs

Time required: about 60 minutesWalk: Paracelsus walkSignposts: grey on blueA lot of steps and steep inclines

Time required: about 90 minutesWalk: Hans Holbein walkSignposts: green on blueSuitable for push-chairs and wheelchairs


One of Basel’s great advantages is the short distances in the citycentre. The best way to discover the city centre is on one of the fivetours of the Old Town, the names of which have been influenced byworld-famous citizens of Basel. Each tour shows you the city and itsdevelopment from a different aspect. The tours lead you to the mainmuseums and across the most beautiful squares in the city centre. Beyour own guide and enjoy fascinating views from the hills of Basel aswell as interesting insights into the city’s history.

All five tours begin and end at the Marktplatz (market square) at thecorner of Sattelgasse. The idea behind the tours is really simple: justchoose one of the five routes and follow the signposts in the city.Each route has its own colour and depicts the head of the personalitywho has given their name to the respective tour.

Discover Basel on your own

This short walk takes you up the Rheinsprungto the hill on which the cathedral (Münster)stands – the scene of major events in Basel’shistory. With its position of strategic impor-tance on the Rhine and clear views across theriver, it has been the site of human occupationfor 22 centuries. Both the Celts and Romansestablished settlements here, the remains ofwhich can be seen to this day. In 1440, duringthe Council of Basel, Pope Felix V was electedhere. Until the Reformation (1529), the cathedralhill also served as the residence of the princebishop. Today, it is an attractive residential areaof a more secular nature, as well as home to anumber of administrative offices and museums.

The cathedral square (Münsterplatz) – themost beautiful square in Basel – is a place ofpeaceful tranquillity. However, during thenumerous events which take place here in thecourse of the year (open-air cinema, autumnfair, concerts), it is transformed into a sceneof lively festivity. The promontory on the riverside of the cathedral offers a panoramic view,once enjoyed by kings and popes, that sweepsover the city, the Rhine and beyond to thehills of the Black Forest and the Vosges.Explore the cathedral, which boasts variousRomanesque features that are still very wellpreserved, and the adjoining cloister withits many tombs of famous Basel families.Numerous historical figures lie buried in thecathedral, including Erasmus of Rotterdam.The walk back to the bustle of the marketsquare (Marktplatz) leads you down Basel’smain shopping street, the Freie Strasse.

Erasmus walkThe historical heart

Erasmus walkErasmus of Rotterdam (about 1469–1536). Major humanist.Lived and taught in Basel from 1521 to 1529 and from 1535.Signposts: red on blue. Time required: about 30 minutes.Suitable for push-chairs and wheelchairs.

This walk starts at the market square (Markt-platz) and heads towards the Freie Strasse, thelargest and best-known shopping street inBasel. Passing the choir of the Barfüsserkirche,you reach the theatre square (Theaterplatz).This site is shaped by the contrast between themodern theatre building and the neo-GothicElisabethenkirche, which rises above it; culture-loving Jacob Burckhardt would no doubt haveenjoyed it. The Tinguely fountain, with itsenchantingly sculpted waterworks, is a meetingplace for locals and visitors in summer and winter.Nearby, at the garden restaurant of Basel’sKunsthalle you may feel like taking a breakunder the enticing shade of its chestnut trees.Barfüsserplatz is one of the centres of city lifein Basel. The area in front of the medievalchurch is a favourite place for open-air eventsand markets. The church today houses theHistorical Museum, which is well worth a visit.From this lively square – known affectionatelyas “Barfi” – the walk takes you to the medievalalleyways of Heuberg and Spalenberg with theArt Hotel Teufelhof, the small shops and exclu-sive boutiques. The walk ends at the colourfulmarket square.

Jacob Burckhardt walkPast and present in harmony

Jacob Burckhardt walkJakob Burckhardt (1818–1897). Professor in Basel, culturalhistorian and scholar of art. Signposts: light blue on blue.Time required: about 45 minutes. Suitable for push-chairs andwheelchairs.

First, this walk takes you through the pictur-esque lanes and alleyways of a former crafts-men’s district. The street names, such as thetailors’ alley (Schneidergasse), give a flavourof the trades that used to be plied here. Thesecraftsmen used to draw their water from theriver Birsig, which today flows under the marketsquare (Marktplatz) down to the Rhine.

Thomas Platter walkCraftsmen and academic

Thomas Platter walkThomas Platter (1499–1582). Basel scholar and head of thecathedral school. Signposts: yellow on blue. Time required:about 45 minutes. Suitable for push-chairs and wheelchairs.

Leaving the bottom of this gentle valley, younow climb up the Spalenberg. At the top ofthis hill, you leave the historical part of theOld Town and cross Petersgraben, along whichthe city wall used to run. If you carry onalong Spalenvorstadt, you reach the Spalen-tor, one of the finest old city gates in Switzer-land, from the 14th century. Continuing fromhere along the city’s former outer moat, youreach Switzerland’s oldest university (foundedin 1460), where Thomas Platter also studiedand lectured. Next to the university is St.Peter’ssquare (Petersplatz), which plays host everySaturday to a large and colourful flea market.You now pass the Gothic church of St.Peterand follow the route back to the bustlingmarket square, where you can find a wide rangeof fresh fruit and vegetables on sale duringthe week.

This walk takes you along both sides of thevalley of the city’s river Birsig. You first walk upthe intriguingly named “eleven thousand virgins”lane (Elftausendjungfern-Gässlein) towardsMartinskirchplatz. The church of St.Martin isoften the venue for official ceremonies. Theimpressive facades of the large town houseshere bear testimony to the wealth of the oldBasel. Today, these buildings house parts of thecity’s administration. Through narrow lanes anddown innumerable steps (known as “Stapfle”in the local dialect), the route takes you backinto the valley. Without noticing it, when you

Paracelsus walkMedieval lanes

walk over the Falknerstrasse, you cross the riverBirsig, whose course between the Heuwaageand Schifflände down to the Rhine has rununderground for a good hundred years. The walknow takes you to the other side of the valley.Through the old craftsmen’s alleyways, youarrive at the church of St. Leonhard and theLohnhof. Once the seat of the city’s departmentfor buildings and salaries, later a prison forpeople awaiting trial, the Lohnhof today housesresidential apartments, the Music Museum and asmall hotel with a restaurant. Follow the narrowmedieval streets back to the centrally locatedmarket square (Marktplatz). On the way, the laststairs will take you past the PharmaceuticalHistory Museum, where you can still view theutensils used at the time of Paracelsus.

Paracelsus walkParacelsus (real name: Theophrastus von Hohenheim;1493–1541). 1527/1528 city physician of Basel, leadingscholar in naturopathic medicine, and therapist.Signposts: grey on blue. Time required: about 60 minutes.A lot of steps and steep inclines.

Hans Holbein walkHans Holbein the Younger (about 1497–1543). Lived in Baselfrom 1514 to 1526 and from 1528 to 1531 in Basel, masterportrait artist. Signposts: green on blue. Time required: about90 minutes. Suitable for push-chairs and wheelchairs.

Hans Holbein walkOn both sides of the Rhine

The city’s position on the Rhine is part ofBasels’s charm. You should therefore explorethe city on both sides of the river. This walktakes you first to the prosperous quarters inthe Old Town and up to the cathedral square(Münsterplatz), where both the secular andthe church dignitaries used to live. Today, thissquare is the scene of many open-air events,such as the exhibition of artistically paintedlanterns during the Basel Carnival (Fasnacht)and some of the attractions of the traditionalBasel autumn fair.

The patricians’ houses in the knight’s lane(Rittergasse) point the way to the city’s formerinner moat and a well-kept residential quarter,the St.Alban-Vorstadt. On the way, you willpass the Museum of Fine Arts (Kunstmuseum),where – among works of many other artists –you can find numerous paintings by HansHolbein. Passing by the popular Cartoonmu-seum, you reach the church of St.Alban.Through an opening in the wall, you will seethe courtyard of the former monastery fromthe Middle Ages. In this district you can visitthe Museum of Contemporary Art (Museum fürGegenwartskunst) and the Basel Paper Mill.There is also a completely preserved sectionof the old city wall which is worth a detour.Take the ferry to cross the Rhine from Gross-basel to Kleinbasel. This former bridgehead istoday a lively district of Basel. In and aroundthe medieval houses beats the life of a multi-cultural part of the city. Crossing back overthe bridge (Mittlere Brücke) you will pass the“Lällekönig” – the head of a king sticking histongue out – and return to the market square(Marktplatz).

The five walks

00 Meeting point at market square

(Marktplatz)

01 Marktplatz

02 Rathaus (City Hall)

03 Eisengasse and Lällekönig

04 Mittlere Brücke

05 Elftausendjungfern-Gässlein

06 Church of St. Martin (Martinskirche)

07 Old university

08 Rheinsprung

09 The Blue and White Houses

10 Augustiner fountain

11 Augustinergasse

12 Münsterplatz (Cathedral square)

13 Münster (Cathedral)

14 Galluspforte (Gallus gate)

15 Cathedral promontory overlooking

the Rhine

16 Cloister

17 Murus Gallicus

18 Zunfthaus zum Schlüssel

19 Zunfthaus zu Weinleuten

20 Stapfelberg and Schlüsselberg

21 Valley lanes

22 Walk up to Leonhardssporn

23 Church of St. Leonhard

24 Down the hill again

25 Andreasplatz

26 Imbergässlein

27 Nadelberg

28 Totengässlein

29 Stadthaus

30 Barfüsserkirche and Historical Museum

31 Tinguely-Brunnen (Tinguely fountain)

32 On Leonhardssporn

33 Heuberg

34 Spiesshof

35 Spalenberg

36 The former craftsmen’s district

37 Gemsberg

38 Petersgraben

39 Spalenvorstadt

40 Spalentor

41 St.Peter’s square

42 Church of St.Peter

43 Petersgasse

44 Seidenhof and Predigerkirche

45 Fischmarkt

46 Schlüsselberg

47 Rittergasse

48 Kunstmuseum (Museum of Fine Arts)

and Zschokke fountain

49 St.Alban-Vorstadt and Mühlenberg

50 Monastery of St.Alban

51 St.Alban-Tal

52 Gallizian mill

53 Old city wall

54 Kleinbasel

55 Rhine promenade

56 Charterhouse (Kartause) and

Oberer Rheinweg

57 Rheingasse

58 Die Drei Ehrengesellschaften

(The Three Honorary Societies)

iGuide sales points

Basel Tourism, Tourist & Hotel Information

iGuide point where routes converge0101

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Experiencing Basel.

Five walks across the Old Town of Basel.

Basel TourismAeschenvorstadt 36, CH-4010 Basel, Phone +41 (0)61 268 68 68

Fax +41 (0)61 268 68 70, [email protected], www.basel.com

A city project of the association “Basel Erleben”, with the kind support of GGG, HEIVISCH, Novartis, Theo Ballmer & Partner and the Canton of Basel.

© Basel Tourismus, 2010

Do you want to discover Basel and stroll through the city?Simply follow the blue pedestrian signs that are located at keypoints in the city centre. City map signboards are situated atthe Swiss SBB railway station, Badischer Bahnhof (German railway station), Marktplatz, Messeplatz, Münsterplatz,Aeschenplatz, Schifflände and Basel Zoo.

Basel TourismTourist & Hotel Information In the Stadt-Casino at Barfüsserplatz, Steinenberg 14 CH-4010 Basel [email protected], www.basel.com Phone +41 (0)61 268 68 68, Fax +41 (0)61 268 68 70

Monday to Friday 9.00 am–6.00 pmSaturday 9.00 am–5.00 pmSundays and public holidays 10.00 am–3.00 pm

Experience Basels’s history using cutting-edge multimediatechnology. You have the choice between five city tours featur-ing commentary in English and German as well as over 500images. As you make your way through the Old Town, use yourmini computer to select your own preferred stop-off-points,or even switch between tours as your own mood and interestdictate. iGuide provides you with individual perspectives,insights and details that might otherwise remain undiscovered.

Audiovisual city tours can be booked at the Basel TourismTourist Information offices located at Barfüsser platz and inthe Swiss railway station (Bahnhof SBB). Hiring an iGuidecosts CHF 15 for 4 hours and CHF 22 for a whole day.

iGuideAudiovisual walks through Basel


five walks across the old town of basel

Documents

basel zoo

basel tourismaeschenvorstadt

canton of basel

basel tourismus

old town of basel

association basel erleben

city project

givesthe city