Basel, Switzerland

Recently, I was lucky enough to travel to Basel, Switzerland for a conference. I’d been to Switzerland as a young child, but honestly couldn’t remember much apart from the cold and the snow.

This time around was different, I would be travelling alone and very much grown up. I didn’t know much about Basel before this trip – shameful, yes – and had a wonderful five days discovering a peek of what the city had to offer. Conference, as you can probably imagine, keeps a person pretty busy. Gladly, I had some short bits of free time carved out for rest and Basel-tinged relaxation.

Basel is a city that sits on the edge of Switzerland which borders both France and Germany. The city sits alongside the Rhine, which happily formed the center of my favourite memories of this place.

Upon checking in at my hotel, I was met with my first amazing discovery about Basel

– as a tourist, public transportation is free! Yes, that’s right. Free. Once you check into your hotel you get a Basel Card – giving you free rides on public transportation and free access to public Wi-Fi spots for the duration of the stay. Public transportation is also incredibly efficient and very easy to navigate as a first time visitor.

My experience with people in Basel is that they generally were extremely friendly and helpful. English is widely spoken – which was very very helpful for me.

It must be mentioned here – that prices are a little steep. I thought it was perhaps my skewed South African perspective (eating out is much more affordable in SA compared to many other countries I’ve visited)…but no, it wasn’t just me: the conference I attended had 3800 delegates, from all over the world. We all thought it was a little expensive – especially for meals. This must be why Basel gives you free transport. As if to say: “look, we know food is expensive. But your tram there was free. So lets call it even?”

I made a quick visit to the nearby art musuem: Fondation Beyeler. It is a beautiful museum, in a very tranquil setting.

Basel is a charming, small old-world city with enough chocolate and fondue to keep you very very happy.

Strangely enough though, it was the ice-cream that I fell in love with. I found a little shop near the Rhine that sold the most magnificent ice-cream and sorbet. I found myself frantically hopping on a tram after conference ended in the afternoon to grab a scoop and a walk along the river. It was well worth it.

Basel was the first trip I’d done on my own; and this particular memory of an ice-cream and a walk along the river – is the one that I know I will hold most closely.

I ate my ice-cream: alone, yes. But I also had the rare privilege and pleasure of doing something silly and indulgent just because. Just for me. And that’s something special too.