Basel, Switzerland

15th-18th September

The purpose of this trip was really for Emma (my sister) to see an exhibition of works by Andrea Zittel at the Schaulager gallery along with various other exhibitions throughout the city. I joined her on what was actually a very enjoyable trip.

We set off early on Monday morning to the brand spanking new 'Ebbsfleet International' - Britain's new acclaimed superb gateway to Europe. Due to the fire of the week before in the Euro tunnel it was actually relatively empty. We checked in only to be told by the lady at the desk that Eurostar could not guarantee at all that we would be able to make the return journey by train. This was slightly worrying! However, we really had nothing to worry about. Both journeys, Ebbsfleet to Paris Gare de Nord and Paris Gare de l'est to Basel SBB ran very smoothly and we arrived in Switzerland on time. The only slightly worrying thing was the complete lack of passport control between France and la Suisse. It was just like a normal train. On arrival we made our way to the hotel.

It was situated in a near perfect position, in the old town, in walking distance from the shops and museums, easy tram connections and easy access to the river. There was an Indian restaurant attached to the hotel that, I confess, we didn't venture in to, as well as a rather dingy night club 'Casino' that, I doubt, had had a single visitor for several weeks. There was also a 'memory club' that took place there during the day. The room was very reasonable and had good cupboard space and a bath/shower room. The staff were very helpful and the breakfasts superb - a simple continental and a fantastic muesli that we tried to find in the town but I reckon it was their secret mix!

Basel itself is a beautiful city. The river Rhine flows through the centre, splitting the place into two halves. Although not very large it took a bit of time to learn the structure of the streets but, once accomplished, it was actually quite easy. Lots of good shops, although fairly pricey. Wonderful cobbled streets. Restaurants was something that the place fell down on and we struggled to find good places to eat although we somehow managed to find a decent place each night. My GCSE German stood up to the challenge of a place where, surprisingly I thought, little English was known.

So, the museums...and there were a lot of them! If museums and galleries are not your thing then I definitely would not advise for you to visit. Personally, I was rather wishing we would be at a liberty to visit the Alps or the Black Forest at some point but unfortunately this was not really possible.

MONDAY - traveling, no museum visits, settle in hotel

TUESDAY - Andrea Zittel exhibition, Schaulager Gallery
- Basel museum of Architecture
- Basel Kunstmuseum

WEDNESDAY - Tinguely museum (utterly superb)
- Basel music museum (huge collection of instruments, set in former prison!)
- Basel museum of Modern Art (not so good in my opinion)

THURSDAY - Der Dom (cathedral, quite impressive)
- return to Paris and then Eurostar back to Ebbsfleet and UK.

RATING

Public transport/means of travel/access 9/10 (very efficient tram service, good train links, buses, cycle lanes etc. If possible roads could be slightly more pedestrian friendly)

Cleanliness/Pollution 6/10 (graffiti quite widespread)

Helpfulness/Friendliness of people 9/10 (generally people very nice)

Value for money 4/10 (quite expensive generally)

Culture 9/10 (many museums, galleries, public art, music and drama throughout the city. Several cultural festivals held throughout the year.)

Surrounding Environment (countryside, hills, forest, sea etc) 7/10 (yes a beautiful setting but although set against the foothills of the alps, you have to take a bus to get to them. Easier access would be preferred)

Restaurants/Local Cuisine/Eateries 7/10 (not a great selection, but of what there was was actually very good)

Shops/Variety and Quality 8/10 (many shops throughout the city of fairly good quality. Too many of some types of shop however e.g dolls and jewellery)

Picturesque Factor 7/10 (beautiful architecture, medieval city, some slightly less visually pleasing parts)

Overall Enjoyment Factor 8/10

OVERALL RATING

74/100