The City of Basel or Basel Stadt, is an interesting place to visit. We had some time here to wander…read morearound and site see after our Viking longboat docked. It is in many ways, it is very much like many other German speaking cities in Switzerland. Near the Hauptbahnhof, there are lots of little shops you can visit, including in the Bahnhof itself... which has a Sprüngli chocolate shop inside. Es its eine der besten Schokoladen der Welt! Basel Stadt does reminds me most of Zurich, but without the glitziness of their Bahnhof Straße. We liked it a lot. You can pick up both the TRV and ICE here. While you're here, try the Basel River Taxi on Rhein if you have time.

I loved visiting this place when I lived in CH. Not only did Hiob always seem to have something I…read morewanted to buy from furniture to dishware, and from postcards to art, the prices were so decently reasonable as to make me part with my francs for a bag full of plenty pretty much each & every visit. The women who work the register are friendly & efficient. Occasionally, they'd round down the total for no other reason than that they felt like it. I always found that an unexpectedly nice touch. If you're looking for 20th century art, furniture, household goods, books, textiles & more, then do visit Hiob. It will be worth your while. Trust me.

Great medium size book shop. It is located behind the notorious Spalentor. Ganzoni mostly sells a…read morevariety of novellas, kids' books, cooking and a nice section on architecture, art, travel and local Basel history. Very friendly staff! Review: 5

Good selection of unusual candles and other small items, at friendly prices. English is spoken. Two…read moreblocks from Marktplatz. Much more interesting than the big chain candle stores.

When you cross the river (from old town and a side where train station is), Manor is just a few…read moresteps away from the bridge. It is a department store having great super market on the basement level and good food court on the 5th floor (it says restaurant on the directory). It is very reasonable and lots of options for salad, desserts and fresh fruit juices. They offer three sizes at different prices. You can choose portion size too! On 4th floor, you can find some Switzerland souvenirs and cute accessories/toys. On basement level, there are salad bar and bakery and supermarket. Prices are good (a little cheaper than Coop store or other supermarket). PS: Dairy stuff, chocolate and bread are so good and cheap! Get some!!!

When looking for a flat in Basel - we gave the relocation assistant one criteria - It MUST be…read morewithin walking distance of Manor!!! Manor is a department store of similar style/quality as Macy's (USA) or John Lewis (UK) BUT in the basement there is a grocery store/food hall that is simply amazing!! What's most amazing is it really can be your everyday place to shop - but in addition to your onions, potatoes, juice, milk, flour, cleaning supplies..... there is also an astounding selection of cheeses, meats, poultry, fish, fresh bakery for breads and cakes and a small café with pizzas, salads, stir-fry's (a bigger café is on the top floor). There is a good selection of organic produce (labelled BIO), and most of the fruit and veg are local and very seasonal. In the US and UK I got used to having access to pretty much anything at any time of the year, so the seasonality was a bit strange at first but now I look forward to changes in produce as the year progresses. Besides the cheese.... I mean food, there is a good selection of accessories (I LOVE tights and nearly passed out when I saw the selection), clothing for all the family, beautiful home goods, and a good selection of electronics. Prices are, well, Swiss but overall its not too bad and twice a year (Jan and July) there are really good sales. Maybe being within walking distance wasn't such a good idea..... ;-)

Fantastic bike shop just behind the main train station. Competent and friendly staff, owner Martin…read moreGerber is a true rider and enthusiast. They helped me out big time when my own bike didn't make it through customs. I sent them my retul measurements, and they set up a sweet high end BMC with amazing Cosmic Carbone wheels for me. It fit perfectly, and allowed me to explore what I think is the best riding in all of Europe - Black Forest, Alsace, Jura. It just doesn't get any better than this. After a month I returned the bike, and that was that. Very reasonably priced. No need to ever travel with your own bike if you're going to Basel. And since there isn't a comparable store in Zurich or Bern, I would recommend this if you ever want to go cycling in Switzerland.