When thinking about European art capitals, Basel is one of the first places that comes to mind. Famous for Art Basel, there is so much to explore in the Swiss cultural capital. It’s filled with great museums, art galleries, exciting public art, and a wonderful combination of old and new architecture. With some new cultural venues recently opening, here is my art guide to a weekend in Basel with things to see in 2024.
Weekend in Basel
A weekend in Basel is best spent exploring its old and contemporary architecture, visiting its fantastic museums, getting lost in its charming streets and taking lots of breaks at its lovely cafes and restaurants.
Walking through Basel’s cobbled streets, you’ll find yourself surrounded by centuries of history and culture. Erasmus of Rotterdam lived and worked there 500 years ago. Some of the most critical thinkers of their time printed books in Basel, one of the first European printing centres. Its houses witness the richness of knowledge, humanism, and cultural explorations throughout the centuries of Basel’s history.
However, Basel isn’t only providing a lesson in history. With its thriving biotech and pharmaceutical industries, the city is the patron of contemporary art and architecture. And you’ll feel that on every step in that Swiss town.
While walking through its old town, that stroll through history often gets interrupted by the sight of cutting-edge modern buildings on the other side of the Rhine.
This is Basel! The city that’s witnessing its reach past on its every corner. But also a progressive place that didn’t get stuck in it. Quite the opposite, it’s busy creating an even more exciting future.
⤷ Read more: Basel Travel Guide – Cultural Capital of Switzerland
A stroll around Basel will put you in a laid-back mood. Although located in the northwestern corner of Switzerland, the city has a southern, almost Mediterranean vibe. You’ll particularly feel that in summer. It’s when the banks of the Rhine River are filled with people sunbathing or swimming in a river with the wickelfisch. It’s a specially designed hybrid between a plastic bag to keep your belongings dry while swimming and an air pillow to keep you more relaxed in water. For those less brave, you can refresh yourself in some of the numerous Basel fountains.
⤷ TIP: Fresh, drinkable water is provided in many fountains in the city, so be sure to take a water bottle with you during your weekend in Basel and refill it regularly while exploring the city.
Basel is celebrating art and architecture and is home to some fascinating contemporary artists. By providing them with affordable housing and quality studios, they can focus on creating art. Luisanna González Quattrini is one of them. I had a chance to meet this interesting artist at her studio during my trip and was fascinated by her work. It always feels so special to peek behind the scenes and see where the art magic is happening. Keep an eye on her website because Luisanna will exhibit her work at some exciting shows organised in Basel in the following months.
Museums to visit during your weekend in Basel
From the art giants, like the Kunstmuseum, to some new venues, such as Kunsthaus Baselland, the city is celebrating art in all its forms. Home to around 40 museums, there is something for anyone. Some new cultural venues recently opened, making it an excellent opportunity to visit Basel in 2024.
Kunstmuseum Basel
Each visit to Basel should start with a trip to the Kunstmuseum. Home to the oldest public art collection in the world, it’s where you can best experience Basel’s humanistic past.
A portrait of Erasmus of Rotterdam by Hans Holbein takes you straight to Basel’s humanistic origins. Welcoming thinkers like him created foundations for the blooming cultural capital of Switzerland.
But another painting by the same artist will give you chills. With its unusual format, the ‘Dead Christ’ will put you eye to eye with death. And it’s intriguing to think about it while surrounded by art. Perhaps such a raw reminder of death made the people of Basel want to leave something behind them, creating generations of art patrons in the city.
These private collectors made a basis for public art collections on display in Basel museums today. It’s no wonder the city is home to one of the most famous art fairs in the world, the Art Basel. The story about Picasso’s paintings at the Kunstmuseum Basel’s collection best describes that affection for art.
The museum was home to two Picasso paintings, a private loan from the art collector Peter G. Staechelin. However, in 1967, he got into financial trouble and decided to sell those paintings. Its citizens collected the money and acquired the paintings to keep their beloved artworks in Basel. They managed to raise the money and paid 8,4 million Swiss Franks for them.
Pablo Picasso was so impressed by that story that he donated four more of his artworks to the museum. You can see all of them in Kunstmuseum today. And they form one of the most significant Picasso collections in Europe.
The museum has several locations where you can explore significant collections of modern and contemporary art. It also regularly hosts fantastic temporary exhibitions worth planning a weekend in Basel for.
The American artist Dan Flavin’s retrospective is open until 18 August 2024. That pioneer of minimal art became famous in the 1960s for his work with fluorescent light tubes.
My favourite, ‘As They See Us’, an exhibition dedicated to Black figurative art, is on display until 27 October 2024.
Watch my video about Basel museums below:
Fondation Beyeler
Another unmissable cultural venue in Basel is Fondation Beyeler. Although technically located outside Basel, in the small town of Riehen, it is easily accessible by tram, taking around 25 minutes to get there from the Basel city centre. The building, designed by Renzo Piano in 1997, is home to a wonderful collection of modern art.
The museum and its garden are being transformed during the ‘What Time is Heaven’ exhibition. It’s innovatively curated through differently-themed temporary exhibitions, so the museum looks completely different each time. During my last visit, I was especially fascinated by the foam installation in their garden.
⤷ Read more: Best Museums to Visit in Basel
Kunsthaus Baselland
Located in the architecturally exciting Driespitz area, the Kunsthaus Baselland is a place to explore regional and international contemporary artists. Its progressive new building creates a fantastic backdrop for the temporary exhibitions it organises.
At the moment, you can see the opening exhibition ‘Rewilding’, which includes artworks by a group of international contemporary artists. It was great exploring the artworks during the guided tour by a fantastic museum educator who made the ideas behind the exhibited artworks so understandable. The exhibition is open until 18 August 2024, so be sure to visit it if you can.
House of Electronic Arts – HEK
Ever since its Humanistic origins, Basel has been a progressive city. It still demonstrates that by exploring and displaying new art forms. Opened in 2011, the HEK Museum in Basel is dedicated to digital and new art forms. One of the museum’s goals is to explore art in the fast-changing virtual world. It also plays a crucial role in preserving digital art forms.
The museum organises various educational programs and guided tours, so check its website to join some of them during your visit to Basel. The international group exhibition ‘Virtual Beauty’, exploring how we perceive beauty in a digital age, is on display until 18 August.
Basel Paper Mill Museum
The subject of the paper might not sound overly exciting, but the way it is explored and presented at the Basel Paper Mill Museum will make you prolong your visit to that cultural institution. Located in one of the old Basel paper mills, the museum teaches you how the paper is produced and explores the development of the letter signs, book writing, and printing throughout history.
⤷ TIP: The museum is very interactive, so you can make the paper and print a few words yourself. Therefore, it’s also a great location in Basel for a family visit.
Tinguely Museum
This lovely museum in Basel is dedicated to the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely (1925 – 1991). He is best known for his kinetic art and professional obsession with machines, the way they work, sound, move, and their overproduction in the modern world.
The Tinguely Museum in Basel tells the story of the artist’s life and professional work and displays many of his artworks, from kinetic art to illustrated letters to friends and drawings.
⤷ TIP: One of the highlights of public art in Basel is a fountain made by Jean Tinguely. So, even if you won’t get a chance to visit this museum, enjoy his art by visiting the famous Tinguely Fountain during your weekend in Basel.
Architecture in Basel
Basel’s Altstadt, the Old Town, is where you’ll find some of its oldest buildings. Their charming facades, timber decoration, and colourful entrance doors give the city a historical appeal. However, the city is even better known for its award-winning contemporary architecture.
Modern architecture in the Driespitz area
If you’d like to experience some of the progressive modern architecture during your visit to Basel, visit Driespitz. It used to be an industrial duty-free warehouse area. However, it has been developed into a cutting-edge urban district since the early 2000s. The only thing preserving its industrial past are the railways you’ll notice around it.
Many international architectural firms made projects there, creating a fantastic urban hub filled with art institutions like the Kunsthaus Baselland and the HEK and residential buildings. It’s a must-see area in Basel for anyone even remotely interested in contemporary architecture.
Where to eat during your weekend in Basel
Brasserie Au Violon – Located in a former prison, this place is filled with history. The restaurant focuses on French cuisine with a modern twist. In the warmer months, you can dine at their beautiful garden terrace (address: Im Lohnhof 4, Basel).
Restaurant Krafft – This lovely restaurant serves creative food, perfect for dinner during your weekend in Basel. During the summer, you can enjoy the view of the Rhine River from its terrace (address: Rheingasse 12, Basel).
Restaurant Schmatz – A place where musicians and sound engineers from Basel City Studios used to eat; today it’s a cosy restaurant serving delicious food. A perfect spot for a lunch break while you’re exploring the Driespitz area (address: Frankfurter Strasse 36, 4142 Munchenstein).
Restaurant Kunsthalle – One of the most iconic restaurants in Basel is located opposite the Tinguely Fountain. In its interior, you’ll have dinner surrounded by beautiful wall paintings. However, during the summer months, its terrace makes a wonderful setting to enjoy delicious food (address: Steinenberg 7, Basel).
Bistro Kunstmuseum – Located at the Kunstmuseum Basel, this lovely bistro restaurant offers great lunch options. Perfect for after the museum visit, but also to head there for its food only (address: St. Alban-Graben 16, Basel).
⤷ TIP: Make a dinner reservation to be sure you’ll get a table!
Where to stay in Basel
Here are the two hotels in which I stayed in Basel and recommend.
Hotel Au Violon – During my earlier trip to Basel, I stayed at Hotel Au Violon and loved it. It’s centrally located, so we went everywhere on foot. The hotel is situated in a former prison, and it has a great historical vibe. It also has a fantastic restaurant, and our breakfast was delicious.
Novotel Basel City – During my visit a few weeks ago, I stayed at the Novotel Basel City. It’s easily reachable form the main train station in Basel and a few tram lines are passing in front of it. It’s a larger hotel with comfortable rooms and a great breakfast.
Tips for your art-filled weekend in Basel
⤷ Get Basel Card – I used it during my weekend in Basel, and it came in very handy. You get to use public transport for free with it. It includes transport from and to the airport. And all the public transport within Basel, which I used a lot. You also get a 50% discount on the museums’ entrances, so you’ll save on it, too. Many hotels in Basel will provide you with it during your stay, so check out when booking if that’s the case with your hotel.
Basel is a liveable city filled with art, and I visit it over and over again. If you’re looking for a short city break during which you can explore local art and history, then plan a weekend in Basel!
I visited Basel during the press trip organised by Basel Tourismus. Many thanks to them and all of their partners for the wonderful visit they organised for me. However, as always, all opinions are my own.