Basel Hotels

St. Jakob Park Swiss sports stadium

It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to the FC Basel. “Joggeli”, as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 39,000 seats. The capacity has now been increased to 42,500 for the Euro 2008, which will be hosted in Switzerland and Austria. The stadium is divided into four main blocks, A, B, C and D.

Each block covering one side of the stadium, and block G, consisting of the upper balcony added later. St. Jakob Park is a fairly new stadium; construction started on the 13 December 1998, replacing the former St. Jakob Stadium. The re-opening game took place 15 March 2001. The “Genossenschaft S.J.P” officially owns the stadium, while the stadium itself is managed by “Basel United”. The stadium cost around 220 million Swiss Francs to build. Within the stadium, there are 32 shops on three different floors, as well as two restaurants (the “Restaurant UNO” and “Hattrick Sports Bar”). The stadium has parking spaces for 680 cars on two different floors. The stadium can be reached either by bus, tram or train (the stadium has its own train station).

The stadium has been awarded 4 stars by UEFA, which is the highest amount of stars that can be awarded to a stadium of that size.

For Euro 2008, the St. Jakob Park will be host to 6 games - 3 group games (including the opening match), two quarter-finals and one semi-final.

If you plan on staying in Basel during Fasnacht, BaselWorld, or ArtBasel be sure to book your room well in advance. Most places are booked solid during these times.

Budget

Youth Hostel St. Alban, Alban-Kirchrain 10, Grossbasel, +41 61 272 05 72, fax +41 61 272 08 33, basel@youthhostel.ch. Take tram no. 2 from SBB train station to Kunstmuseum, then follow signposts and walk 10 minutes through St. Alban quarter, one of the most picturesque areas in town, where Basel’s patrician families used to make their money in the silk band business.

• The hostel is located in a converted 19th century factory, however, the area is not at all industrial but quiet and charming. It’s close to the Rhine, allowing for nice strolls along the water and to the nearby Museum für Gegenwartskunst (see See, Museums). You can also get carried across the river to Kleinbasel by a Fähri (ferry, see Get Around, By Boat). The hostel has single and double rooms and dorms. Prices range from 30 CHF for dorm beds to 80 CHF for single rooms.
• Youth Hostel Basel-City, Pfeffingerstasse 8, +41 (0)61 365 99 60, fax: +41 61 365 99 61, basel.city@youthhostel.ch. Just 3 minutes away from the main station in a more lively and central location in the Gundeldingen (or Gundeli) part of town. Only single and double rooms.
• Basel Back Pack, Dornacherstr. 192, +41 61 333 00 37, fax +41 (0)61 333 00 39, info@baselbackpack.ch. Basel’s first and only backpackers hotel is also located in the Gundeli part of town, right behind the train station. Single and double rooms and dorms. 30 CHF for dorm beds to 80 CHF for single rooms.

Mid-range

• Au Violon, Im Lohnhof 4, old town, 0041 61 269 87 11. Is spending the night in jail ever an option? Certainly - if the jail is yet another beautiful medieval building, centrally located at the border of the old town, built around a tree-lined courtyard with a pleasant fountain, and was recently converted into a charming boutique hotel. The city’s former preliminary detention jail, renamed “Au Violon”, features 20 rooms, most of them quite small (yes, they are former cells!) but lovingly renovated and tastefully decorated. There are also a number of bigger (and slightly more expensive) rooms in the former police offices, some of which offer excellent views over the old town. Although in the middle of town, it’s very quiet. Perhaps most importantly, the rooms are excellent value at 100-130 CHF for a single and 150-190 CHF for a double room. Au Violon also features a nice French brasserie restaurant, with indoor and outdoor seating and reasonably priced dishes.
• Basel Schweizerhof, Centralbahnplatz, right next to the SBB Station, +41 61 560 85 85. Handy access to the train station and tram links. A double is about 150 - 300 CHF.
• Basel Hilton, Aeschengraben 31, +41 61 275 66 00. Typical anonymous business hotel, lacking any Swiss authenticity, but located only one block from the SBB Station. Borders on two multi-lane pass through streets, and sits right next to the Bank for International Settlements building (which in turn has the appealing shape of a nuclear power plant’s cooling tower). However, through an underpass you can walk not only to the train station but also to a small park across the street and from there within 5 minutes to the city center.
• SAS Radisson, Steinentorstr. 25, at Heuwaage, +41 61 227 27 27. Recently renovated, fully air conditioned, great lobby bar and fair restaurants: Steinenpick and Kaffi-Muehli. Expect to pay CHF 150-250 range for a neat and clean room. Most rooms are of modest size unless you go high-end deluxe business class. High speed internet access in some better rooms and (wireless) in the lobby (both at extra cost). Window views are generally of a small inner courtyard built on the roof of the first floor (pretty dismal). Otherwise a good hotel with pleasant and helpful staff.

Splurge

• Teufelhof, Leonhardsgraben 49, on the border of the old town, +41 61 261 10 10, Fax +41 61 261 10 04, info@teufelhof.com. This is one of Basel’s most original hotels, in a (thoroughly renovated) medieval mansion. Each of the spacious hotel rooms was designed by an artist, giving them a very original look and atmosphere (check out the website). Also features a fairly good restaurant of the same name. If you step out of the building, you find yourself in the middle of a maze of small alley ways leading down to Marktplatz, with a variety of whimsical little shops. It’s also a popular spot to watch the Morgestraich and evening processions of the Basler Fasnacht (see Do, Festivals) - but reserve about a year in advance if you plan on staying here for that event (and bring earplugs if you intend to sleep at all). Rooms are between CHF 350 and 550, but check the website for seasonal deals, which can be significantly better.
• Les Trois Rois or Drei Könige (Three Kings), Blumenrain 8, on the bank of the Rhine near Mittlere Brücke, +41 61 260 50 50, Fax +41 61 260 50 60. Reopened in March 2006 after extensive renovation of the existing 1844 structure. A member of the Leading Hotels of the World, this is one of the oldest and finest hotels in Switzerland. Legend has it that the hotel owes its name to the three kings who made peace in Basel in 1026. The long list of illustrious guests includes, among others, Theodor Herzl, who stayed here during the first Zionist Congress, which took place in Basel in 1897. Very expensive, but views of the Rhine from some rooms - and all that tradition!!
• Hotel Euler Basel, Centralbahnplatz 14, +41 61 275 80 00, Fax +41 61 275 80 50, reservation@hoteleuler.ch. Opposite the Schweizerhof (see Hotels, Mid-Range), this lovely, if somewhat old-fashioned, hotel combines central location right next to the SBB Station with five star luxury. An added value is the hotel’s own garage. Rates are from 250 CHF for a single room to 880 CHF for a suite.

Basel is a city in Switzerland.

One of Switzerland’s underrated tourist destinations, Basel has a beautiful medieval old town center, a Carnival that ranks with those of Venice and Rio de Janeiro, and several world class art museums built by architects like Renzo Piano, Mario Botta and Herzog & De Meuron. Basel is also rich in architecture old and new, with a Romanesque Münster (cathedral), a Renaissance Rathaus (town hall), and various examples of high quality contemporary architecture, including more buildings by Herzog & De Meuron, Richard Meier, Diener & Diener, and various others. The proposal for a new concert hall designed by Zaha Hadid was turned down in 2007, however.

Located in the Dreiländereck (three countries’ corner), Basel is a gateway to the Swiss Jura mountains and nearby cities of Zürich and Lucerne, as well as the neighboring French region of Alsace and the German Black Forest. There are a number of things to see and do if you have a few days to spend.

It will be one of the eight host cities in the 2008 European Football Championships.

The town of Basel lies in the north-western corner of Switzerland. The town shares borders with France and Germany and is the heart of this tri-national region - the Dreiländereck (three countries’ corner). Besides its own attractions it can serve as a good entry point to the Alsace, Black Forest regions or the canton of Basel-Land.

The Rhine runs through the city in an right-angle curve and divides the town into two parts. Situated on the south and west bank is Grossbasel (Great Basel) with the medieval old town at its center. Kleinbasel (Little Basel), featuring much of the night-life, is located on the north bank.

Basel means art

Visiting Basel can be a holiday for your vocal cords if you plan to absorb the beautiful art in silence exhibited in the many first-rate museums. Once a year it also hosts ArtBasel (see Do) which is the world’s premier fair for modern classics and contemporary art.

Basel has one of the most amazing carnivals you’re likely to see, called Fasnacht. If you’re there during the “three loveliest days” of the year, prepare to be amazed, and don’t expect to be able to sleep. (See Do, Festivals).

Even if you think your German is pretty good, and even though Basel is only just over the German border, remember this is Switzerland and the locals speak the incomparable and lively Baseldytsch.

BaselTourismus, +41 61 268 68 68, the local tourist information service, has several offices, including at the main station, Bahnhof SBB, and in the city center, in the Stadtcasino building at Barfüsserplatz, directly across the street from McDonald’s. To organize guided tours, you can also visit the office at Aeschenvorstadt 36, +41 61 268 68 32.

Of late Basel has become known as the Manchester of Switzerland, this is due to several comparisons with the UK City. This includes, amongst others, the weather, the multi-cultural make-up, the wide variety of shopping and eating establishments and the surrounding geography.