Basel Christmas Markets, Switzerland

Fly directly to Basel, I think several low cost carriers will land in Basel, or it’s one hour on a comfy easy train from Zurich.

Basel is a Swiss city that borders 3 countries, you can visit them all in one day. It borders France and Germany and it's zero effort to cross the border to reach them, I think even the Swiss trams will take you over. It has a big pharmaceutical industry and looking down the Rhine towards Germany and France towards the factory and industry isn't as attractive as looking in the other direction at the nature and cathedral.

For me, I used to really like Basel markets, but they changed the format a little and stopped them going under the underpass, as well as back around the museum, which you will think is a church. Maybe one day it will return to this format. One of the main market areas in Basel are on Barfusserplatz in the center of the city. The area they have is a little cramped but still nice. It's done well.

Not sure if it is still there at the Barfusserplatz market, there used to be, near the entrance of the Stadt Casino (which is actually a bar and theatre complex), a Christmas candle making stall. The 'making' is actually free. You cut your string or wick to the length you desire your creation to be, and you dip in vats of beeswax, after each dipping allowing the wax to cool, form a layer, before a further dipping. You do this until you get the thickness you want. The candle costs what it weighs, essentially the value of the wax. If you don't want it, they simply return the wax to the vats and re-melt it and it costs you nothing apart from time.

You can do this in one sitting to take up a few hours and have a nice gift or souvenir, or, as I have seen the more local kids do. They build it up daily, I suppose dropping by after school each evening. You can see a storage area where the candles can be placed if you plan to build it up over more than one day. If you are here for a weekend or a few night stay, you too can have shorter but multiple sessions dipping your candle over a couple of days. Typically, the adults can do this while enjoying the mulled wine or Gluhwein between dips. Children love this activity.

I talk of the adult drinks in many of my blog posts. They do have a lot of kids or non-alcoholic drinks as well. Always worth confirming of course with the vendor. They very often have kinder punch, a hot cordial of varying flavours, normally you can find hot chocolate and other winter drinks that are not alcoholic, the children can feel inclusive and toast with you.

Something worth a try here, it’s the Flammkuchen. You will for sure find a stall selling these. Thin sort of pizza bases which are almost like a cracker than bread, topped with almost anything you want, the traditional being with creme fraiche, onions, and that diced bacon. I like the salmon one they do. Typically, an Alsace dish (the French region directly over the border), but with Basel being so close I would put my neck out to say it's still local, enjoying it in Basel.

For the Flammkuchen, like the candle making beeswax, if you let your nose guide you, I think you will find the stalls.

Basel has a kids themed, or geared towards, market at the theatre, just a little walk back from Barfusserplatz. They have some activities there and more fun and games. This is in the same area as the Tinguely fountain. Which is worth a quick look, and despite it being quite rare these days, when and if it freezes over, this is a very nice sight and great for photos, you are likely to see post cards around the city showing this rare but special image.

Up at the Cathedral, Munsterplatz, is a further market with the typical stands. You can go on the big wheel for nice views and it's quite a fun thing to do. If you are more sporty, it is possible to climb the stair case on one of the towers in the cathedral to also gain a good view of the city. Round the back of the cathedral, you can view left and right of the Rhine River, looking left, out to the industrial border region, and right, looking towards the countryside. Looking down from the cathedral and to the slight left you will see the Mittlere Brucke. A pretty bridge connecting the 2 sides of Basel. The Big Basel side that you would be standing in if you are at the cathedral, with the Little Basel side, that you would be looking on to, at the other end of this bridge. Little Basel is meant to be the rough unruly side, but you will see it is very nice (perhaps with frayed edges), and Swiss unruly is quite tame by international standards. The residents that live in Klein or Little Basel, love it, they prefer the more bohemian nature there than the structured middle to upper class of Gross or Big Basel.

The market organisers and website claim to have a small market on Claraplatz in Klein (Little) Basel, it is a few minutes' walk up from the bridge if you cross over. For me, I never really noticed anything. Maybe a stand selling mulled wines and Christmas trees, but I probably would not advertise that myself as a market.

To talk a little about Basel. It is a very nice little Swiss city. From the train station, once you get yourself to the pedestrian street, they call Cinema or Kino Street, it's sort of a straight walk from there all the way to the little Basel side and eventually to the German train station in Basel. You will pass most of the main sites, Barfusserplatz, MarktPlatz, Mittlere Brucke and into Klein Basel up to Messplatz. It's a great weekend city break and worth a visit, you will have a lot of fun in this city. Before the Christmas markets start, they have an autumn funfair called Herbstmesse. This is the usual, what you would expect - rides, toffee apples etc.

The run up to the end of the year in Basel is not bad, first Hebstmesse, they clear this away for a week or two and then set up the Christmas markets. The markets are usually kicked off with a race called Basel Stadtlauf, do feel free to sign up and join in if you plan to go, it's a 5km run that takes you round the city a couple of times, they have different categories including different kids categories, and options to walk or run with your child as well. The city lights are on, pretty and festive, you are running under this illumination, crowds are out cheering and supporting the runners, it has a nice feel about the place. With a big tree on Marktplatz which is the finish line.

What else is there to see and do here? On your walk through the city, you will see the beautiful and distinctive red building on Marktplatz, this is the townhall or Rathaus. You can go into the court yard, the guy standing inside on the staircase is the Roman who was said to have founded the city of Basel. On Barfusserplatz is a toy museum, I never went but have heard it's good. And while on the Christmas theme, there is a Christmas shop open all year round, Johann Wanner Christmas House on Spalenberg 14. You should drop by. I would suggest/recommend making a reservation at Stadtkeller Restaurant, near the river and bridge, for a very special and certainly unique show. They will serve traditional Swiss dishes and have a bit of a mad USP, give it a go one evening while there, and make sure you hang about until you see the 'show' or ask when it is on, otherwise you may think my recommendation was wrong.

Basel is likely to be the city/airport you arrive in if you plan to visit Colmar or Strasbourg markets. Basel SBB is the Swiss and French railway station which will have trains running to both cities, the French pair having world famous markets. If you were staying in Basel a bit longer than just a weekend, it would be worth a train ride to visit one of them, if you only have a few days, less is more, and better to stay and enjoy Basel.

Other ways to spend some time in the area, Rheinfelden is just down the road with a public access spa to relax, Sole Uno. Certainly, in summer you can do boat rides and I think they run throughout winter just possibly less frequently. And if you get lucky with the weekend you go, a local English speaking theatre group, Basel English Panto Group, put on a pantomime show (a very English, and Christmas thing to do, camp and with loads of innuendos, it is for the kids usually but with many jokes directed at adult ears, all ages typically enjoy this show) for one of the advent weekends.

Basel is a city and market that you will enjoy. It's not a big place but isn't that small either, it is a perfect size for a long weekend. English is very well spoken here, as is French and German. Kids will be occupied with so much on offer. And if you do plan to make visiting different markets a yearly ‘thing’ you inevitably will pass through Basel a few times to go to some of the famous French markets nearby, do not over look a visit to Basel itself.