A Walking Guide To Basel's Charming Old Town (Self Guided), Basel

One of Renaissance Europe’s greatest scholars came to Basel partly because someone had printed his book without permission. Erasmus of Rotterdam may not have appreciated the unauthorised edition, but he was impressed by Basel’s printers—and his relationship with the city would ultimately last until his death.

Basel, situated on a bend of the Rhine where Switzerland meets France and Germany, has been an important European crossroads for more than two millennia. Archaeological evidence indicates that Celtic communities lived here as early as the 5th century BC, with an Iron Age settlement occupying the hill where Basel Minster now stands. The Romans later established themselves in the area, attracted by its strategic position beside the Rhine.

The city first appears in written records as Basilia in AD 374, during a visit by Roman Emperor Valentinian I. The precise etymology of Basel remains uncertain. One theory connects the name with a Roman personal or estate name such as Basilius.

Much of Basel’s historic character developed during the Middle Ages. Basel Minster and prominent public spaces such as Market Square and Minster Square emerged during this period. The first permanent bridge across the Rhine was constructed in 1225–1226, strengthening commerce between the riverbanks.

The Council of Basel, beginning in 1431, brought scholars and churchmen from across Europe, while the founding of the University of Basel in 1460 helped establish the city as an important centre of humanism and learning. Its flourishing printing industry attracted figures including Erasmus of Rotterdam, Paracelsus and Hans Holbein the Younger.

Basel joined the Swiss Confederation in 1501, while the Reformation transformed its religious life in 1529. The city subsequently became associated with numerous influential figures, including the Bernoulli family of mathematicians and psychiatrist Carl Jung. In 1897, Basel also hosted the First Zionist Congress, led by Theodor Herzl.

Today, Basel is renowned for art, culture, science and commerce, with an extraordinary concentration of museums.

Walking through Basel’s Old Town, visitors encounter colourful medieval streets, elegant squares and centuries of history beside the Rhine. Admire the striking red façade of Basel Town Hall before crossing the historic Middle Bridge and exploring beautiful Minster Square and magnificent Basel Minster. Discover masterpieces inside the Fine Arts Museum, browse lively Freie Street and finish beside the playful Tinguely Fountain, where mechanical sculptures transform water and movement into one of Basel’s most memorable sights.

More than five centuries after an unauthorised book first drew Erasmus towards Basel, the city that captured his attention still rewards curiosity. Follow its medieval lanes, cross the Rhine and discover the art, architecture and stories hidden around every corner—you may find, as Erasmus did, that Basel gives you plenty of reasons to stay a little longer than expected.