The most wonderful time of the year? It indeed is in Basel! Basel is an excellent place to spend the festivities, and with just a month before the big day, Basel Christmas market is in full swing. It is said to be the prettiest and most prominent market in the whole of Switzerland. Basel has also been voted the 8th Best European Christmas Market in 2018.
Basel’s location couldn’t be more blissful; the river Rhine runs through it, and it’s nestled between two gorgeous cities; Zurich and Lucerne.
I thought it couldn’t be easier to get around Basel. There is an abundance of public transport. They are accessible, clean and amazingly, it’s free for visitors with a free mobility ticket that you get in the hotel or tourist office upon arrival. Exploring this town is very straightforward, indeed.
I experienced Basel Christmas Market last year, and it’s one of the best Christmas markets I’ve been to so far. Not only for the fantastic variety of local food and drinks but also for the lovely Christmas decorations, lights and gifts that can be found in and around the market. It certainly put me into the Christmas mood.
I’ve been to Basel before in the summer. I think it’s as pretty in the winter as it is in the summer. There’s so much to do in Basel in both seasons. There’s live music, numerous art galleries, strolling around town and along the Rhine river, the impressive museums, various seasonal events, special exhibitions, and the regional food and drinks but even with all this, Basel at Christmas is especially magical!
A stroll around Basel Christmas Market
Basel Christmas Market consists of two markets, starting at Barfüsserplatz and running through to Münsterplat. They are situated in the middle of town and add to the joyful scenery during November and December.
A week after the opening celebrations, the Christmas stands in the food, and non-food categories are inspected and judged to see who will win ‘The Prettiest Stand in the Market’ prize. It must be a tough job to decide which ones are the prettiest. When you look around, it’s a feast for the eyes! The winners receive a certificate and prize money.
Last minute presents or stocking fillers are also on sale. The gifts are usually made by local artisans. Amazing homecooked foods and a variety of drinks are also on offer, such as; glühwein (mulled wine), waffles, genuine Basel Läckerli (a kind of gingerbread), oozing Swiss raclette, the ever so famous grilled local sausages, seductive fondues (a Swiss dish where one dips pieces of bread into a pot of melted cheese with the aid of a long-stemmed fork) alongside many other delicacies.
To top it all off, there’s a dazzling Christmas tree in the middle of Münsterplatz, the ornaments are by the well-known decorator Johann Wanner, who incidentally, has an all year round Christmas shop in Basel. If you like Christmas ornaments and handmade decorations this is the place to buy unusual, old-fashioned as well as modern decorations of all kinds and colours! Worth a visit when in Basel.
Christmas Fairy-Tale Forest in Basel
The Christmas Fairy-Tale Forest is an enchanting adventure playground with plenty of activities for children. It is a spectacular area for the little ones to be creative and to spend time enjoying the festive season. They can participate in activities like biscuit decoration, metal forging, making campfire bread and hot chocolate, candle decorating, flower arranging, minting coins and much more.
Basel Christmas Fairy-Tale Forest, dates for 2018:
29 November to 22 December from Monday to Friday from 1.30 to 7 p.m.
Weekends from 12 p.m. until 7 p.m.
Address: Christmas market at Münsterplatz
Costs: CHF 5 to 15 (depending on the activity)
Basel Christmas market open times 2018:
22 November to 23 December
Open daily from 11 am to 8.30 pm
Excluding:
23 December, Münsterplatz: 11 am to 6 pm
23 December, Barfüsserplatz: 11 am to 8 pm
Johann Wanner Christmas shop
Spalenberg 14, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
Opening hours
Monday 12:30 – 18:30
From Tuesday – Friday 10:00 – 18:30
Saturday until 17:00
read more about Basel : A Weekend in Basel and Basel Tattoo
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Disclosure: I was a guest on a press trip to Basel, by Basel Tourism Office, Basel.com
Read more about Basel :
Basel winter break by Cooksister
