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Local time Basel

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EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg

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Basel Events

Jazz Festival

Jazz and its subgenres take centre stage in this soulful festival.

Website: http://www.offbeat-concert.ch

Art Basel

This international art show aims to connect collectors, galleries, and artists.

Website: https://www.artbasel.com

Swiss National Day

The Swiss National Day is marked by patriotic events and a magnificent fireworks display at night.

Basel Herbstmesse

The Basel Autumn Fair, the country's biggest and oldest funfair, is all about fairground rides and culinary treats.

Website: https://www.basel.com/de/herbstmesse

Christmas Market

The atmospheric Basel Christmas Market is a wonderful place to find hand-made products and traditional delicacies.

Venue: Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz.
Website: https://www.basel.com/en/Christmas-in-Basel

'Vogel Gryff' Festival

This traditional festival features three symbolic figures – Vogel Gryff (the Griffin), Wilder Mann (the Savage Man) and Leu (the Lion) – dancing to the sounds of drums.

Website: http://www.vogel-gryff.ch/web/agenda

Fasnacht (Carnival)

Basel revels with music and parades during the Carnival Season.

Website: http://www.fasnachts-comite.ch/

Summer adventures in Switzerland

Trade your snowboard for sunglasses in Switzerland with our guide to snow-free summer fun, writes Lucy Levin

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Featured Hotels

A few minutes' walk from the city centre (and even closer to the Messe Basel trade fair venue), this is a well-priced hotel with almost 50 rooms. It's nothing fancy but has all the basics covered, from free wifi to satellite TV. There's a traditional restaurant on site.

Swissotel Le Plaza

The Swissotel Le Plaza, graded as four-star superior, is a stylish option a few minutes' walk from the Rhine and the Old Town. The hotel has 238 rooms and offers 24-hour room service, as well as a gym with a sauna and steam room. Its Grill25 restaurant serves up the classics in smart surroundings.

Les Trois Rois

One of the oldest city hotels in Europe, Les Trois Rois is Basel's grandest residence. Over the years, its luxurious rooms and suites on the banks of the Rhine in the Old Town have accommodated such luminaries as Napoleon, Charles Dickens, Pablo Picasso, Thomas Mann and Queen Elizabeth II. It also has a fitness centre and various top-notch restaurants and bars.

Courtyard Basel

Part of the Marriott Group – and consequently a reliable if rather vanilla option for an overnight stay – the Courtyard Basel Hotel is set on the southern outskirts of the city and has 175 rooms and suites with the usual amenities and plenty of meeting space.

Hotel Basel

Situated in the heart of the old city for the past four decades, this 4-star hotel has 70 rooms and three suites, all comfortably furnished and equipped with the standard mod cons. There are three restaurants, including a brasserie, and a couple of small meeting rooms.

Teufelhof (Devil's Court)

This enjoyably quirky establishment comprises two hotels: the Kunsthotel (Art Hotel), with nine rooms each designed by a local artist, and the larger Galeriehotel (Gallery Hotel), in which both the rooms and public spaces function as exhibition spaces for artists. Prices can vary greatly according to demand.

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