We recently went on a Viking cruise, which embarked from Basel. We decided to go in a couple days…read moreearly to adjust to the time change, and to wander around the city of Basel. And in a stoke of luck, it just so happened to be during their annual Autumn Fair. We learned that it's the oldest fair in Switzerland, and has been running since the 15th century. It was awesome. They actually hold it in several different areas of the city (6, I think), but we only visited three of them. Tons of local things to eat, handmade crafts to buy, entertainment here and there, and plenty of carnival type rides. If you plan a trip to Basel, plan it around the beginning of November so you can check this out. It may just be on our list for a trip to Switzerland that we would start or end in Basel....during this fair.

I happened to be in Basel for work in early November, and happened upon the Autumn fair. I learned…read morethat this is an annual tradition that has been going on for hundreds of years. I am rating this fair 'five stars' primarily due to all the foods I've tried. While many cuisines from around the world are represented, I just loved trying out some of the Swiss snacks! There was this small raclette stand at the messeplatz that I must have visited 4 times in 2 days. Then there was the sausage stand and the risotto and sautéed mushroom stalls. Also for the first time, on a super cold sprinkling night, I tasted warm sweet Gluhwein and it definitely made me feel toasty inside! The fair is literally everywhere throughout Basel. You can literally just walk around town and find yourself running into different squares and streets blocked off with stalls, booths and stands. Other than food, you can pretty much find all sorts of craft items, books, kitchen stuff, etc.. I really enjoyed waking through the different areas throughout my two nights there and would so recommend it for people to visit if you happen to be in Basel during that time of the year.

if you are in Basel during the summer, you MUST swing by this outdoor event. "Chill on the Rhine"…read moregoes on from the start of July through the end of August. you've got DJs playing music outdoors. not raging party music, but more lounge/chill stuff, jazz, blues, and more. of course, I'm sure that just experiencing it one night means there could be different music on other nights, so your mileage may vary. projectors and concert-quality lighting rigs illuminate and highlight the old buildings along the Rhine in unique and awesome ways. of course, what would a festival be without alcohol? there was plenty of beer! and it's not expensive either - just remember to redeem your tokens at the end to get your deposit back (it's to prevent people from throwing cups all over and making a mess). crowds vary - there's a big college-age population in Basel, so you get the students, but you also get all kinds of random people who come out to enjoy the good weather and positive atmosphere. no one's raging, people are just hanging out, enjoying some food and drinks. just an FYI - their website is no longer active - they had the event when I was in Switzerland back in 2008, and my research on the interwebs shows they've had it every year up until 2011, so perhaps the domain expired or something. check up before you go to verify if they're still having this - and if so, definitely attend!

Loved this Christmas Market! It was my first market experience in Switzerland, and the abundance of…read morefondue is reason enough to love it. Plenty of colorful stalls, lovely decorations, and people watching to occupy hours here. It is the perfect way to get into the festive mood of the season! Buy yourself a hot wine and enjoy the sights and sounds.

My first time visiting the Basel Christmas Market. I enjoyed it - decorations, atmosphere,…read moreChristmas spirit, family activities - good for children, crafts, food and wine. We went with 4 adults and 3 children. All enjoyed the evening.

My fourth Christmas market after Baden-Baden, Colmar and Mulhouse, Basel's Weihnachtsmarkt is the…read morelargest and most extensive. Taking up a number of large squares in the city center, you'll find kiosks with all sorts of things. Spices, candy, chocolates, trinkets, gloves and scarves, carved wood, Christmas tree ornaments, cookies and more than I can possibly list. Dipping into the single digits (Celsius), one of our first stops was a mulled wine kiosk (and I don't know if the Swiss call it vin chaud or glühwein) that was one of the better hot wines on this trip. And with it, we stood in a "feuerstube" (warming shed) that had a fire going. Toasty! Quite busy at most of the vendors despite the light but cold drizzle and lots of folks at the marshmallow toasting pit. I bought a few more things to fill the suitcase and enjoyed my first visit! [Review 21206 overall - 56 in Switzerland - 170 of 2024.]

I so enjoyed exploring the Basel Christmas Markets - they were charming and approachable; not too…read morespread out or so large that you didn't have a chance to feel like you saw it all. Lots of friendly vendors excited to share their offerings. The booths themselves are also impressive in their decor - take time to look up at the roofs to see how different vendors celebrate the season. All of this, of course, is made better with a hot drink and snack in hand!

What's not to love about getting up at 3:30 in the morning, rolling out of your warm comfy bed,…read moreheading out in the cold February weather (March if you're lucky and Easter is later in the year) to stand in the dark with thousands of other people to hear ear deafening drums and piccolos for 2 hours straight. Seriously, I LOVE IT!! This is part of Basel's unique Lent celebrations referred to as Fasnacht (held on the old calendar so 1 week later then most other cities celebrate) and kicks off what Baslers refer to as the 3 most glorious days. For Morgestraich, the city centre lights are all switched off at exactly 4am. At that same moment the bands strike up. These bands however, are just made up of piccolos and drums. The musicians are wearing bizarre masks (mostly hand made) and colourful, jester-like costumes. They have little lanterns on their heads and tow one large silk-screened lantern behind them. The lantern is designed around a theme - usually sport or political related. There is no set 'parade route'. The bands wander the narrow streets of the old town - there are traffic jams and bands trying to cross over each other. Mix in thousands of spectators - who also cram down the narrow streets adding to the chaos. But despite this, there is a sense of calm, patience and respect. No one pushes, we just all shuffle along to the beat of the drums and the sound of the piccolos playing the same tune over and over and over and over. As daylight creeps in, we head home - or to a bar/restaurant that has opened to serve the obligatory cheese and onion quiche and brown soup. ps. As I'm writing this, a Guggeband is marching down the road in front of our flat - but that's a story for Basel Fasnacht.........

This carnival is the highlight of this plucky city. The…read moremasks, the costumes, and the endurance of the performers, who parade around the city playing their piccolos, trombones, and heavy drums, are equally impressive. Regardless, you will not be slow to notice that confetti is by far the main character in this event. Tons of confetti. Numerous tons of confetti. So much that a few hours into the parade -which extends for all 3 days- a one-inch layer of colored paper will accrue on the ground all over the city. The ubiquitous confetti segues smoothly into people considering the whole town is basically one giant trash can and the confetti is soon sparkled with shattered bottles and glasses, tissues, napkins, pretzels, you name it. As you can guess most of this trash is blown away by the wind into the Rhine and the whole thing is just gross. You would think that the Swiss of all people would be more aware of the environment. Apart from this huge detail, the event is nice although the city isn't at all. It's an industrial rundown city with little to offer to the tourist that you can't find in any other old European town. Plus people aren't that friendly; as a tourist, I didn't feel expected. Shopkeepers do not speak English and the prices are ridiculously high.

Gotta try it once!! Amazing atmosphere around the City.read more