Our river cruise was scheduled to depart from Basel and sail north to Amsterdam, so we planned to spend two days in Basel—including our travel day and embarkation day. Even though there were many changes to the cruise because of unusually low water levels on the Rhine this year, our embarkation port was not changed. As soon as we exited the airport terminal in Basel, we immediately got a cab that was waiting at the curb, and we successfully communicated our intended destination. The driver took us to the Dasbreitehotel am Rhein, Zürcherstrasse 149, 4052 Basel, Switzerland.
We arrived at 3:00 PM CEST; our rooms were ready, so we checked in and brought up our luggage. This would have been a perfect time to rest, since our body clocks were set to 6:00 AM PDT on Sunday, and we had left LAX the day before at approximately 2:00 PM PDT—not even taking into account our early start before leaving home for the airport! But that was not to be. Instead, we arranged to meet Kevin back in the lobby in two hours to start exploring Basel.
I do not remember what we did in those two-plus hours, but I know that sleeping was not a significant portion of them. When we called to tell Kevin that we would be in the lobby a little late, he had already left the hotel and found his way to the river! He walked back toward the lobby once we were ready and met us halfway. We followed him along a footpath he had found down to the river, and we were on its banks by 6:04 PM CEST. That was my first experience seeing the Rhine.
The footpath put us on St. Alban-Rheinweg, approximately 200 yards to the east of a very popular and recommended restaurant, "Le Rhin Bleu." We walked to it and checked its menu. Its only item for that day was fondue, so we skipped it for another time. We continued our walk west, enjoying the river and the distant view across the water of the Old Town of Basel as the sun was starting to set behind the buildings. Food was still on our agenda, and after walking about 700 yards past the restaurant, we spotted some people, chairs, tables, and food that looked like a picnic; however, this was not in a park setting, but rather a street median. We investigated by checking the building directly across the street from this gathering and discovered it was a restaurant: the "Gasthof zum Goldenen Sternen," located at St. Alban-Rheinweg 70, 4052 Basel. That looked like an unusual enough setup, so we decided to stay there for dinner.
After dinner, we continued our walk west along the same street where we had started. The sun had almost completely vanished, but it was still painting the sky with the familiar hues common to sunsets. The city lights started coming on, creating a very picturesque scene. We kept walking until we reached the south end of the Wettsteinbrücke (4058 Basel). By this time, we had walked a little less than a mile; it was after 8:00 PM and dark, making it a good time to head back to the hotel using the same route we had taken. We arrived back at the hotel at 8:40 PM and decided that we would go into the Old Town the next day.
We met for breakfast in the hotel dining room/lobby around 8:00 AM. I asked one of the staff members there for the best way to get to the Old Town. She told me to take the #3 Tram to Aeschenplatz. The tram stop was directly across the street from the hotel. We did that and were quickly in the Old Town. Our first significant stop of the day was at the Basel Münster (often incorrectly referred to as the Basel Cathedral). We spent almost an hour and a half exploring the church, including time spent joining Kevin in locating the burial place of Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536), a famous Dutch theologian, philosopher, and writer of his era.
After that, we walked all over the city seeking out sites of interest, including the Mittlere Brücke (Middle Bridge), the historic chapel on the bridge, the Marktplatz/Town Hall, and simply roaming the streets. We had a lunch snack at one of the roadside cafes. By this time, we found ourselves on the north bank of the Rhine. We took one of Basel’s four traditional Rhine ferries to float to the other side of the river—I believe the specific one we took was the Klingental ferry, Vogel Gryff. They have no engines and are attached to an overhead line spanning the river; the ferryman simply sets the rudder to take advantage of the river's currents to cross from one side to the other. It was a short ride costing €6.00. Afterward, we returned to our hotel for a break before heading out again to look for dinner. We ate at Safran Zunft in the Old Town.
Tuesday, September 22 was embarkation day for our Viking cruise. We had breakfast at the hotel, just as we had the day before. Our primary task for the day was determining where our ship was docked. There were three possible locations where we could board, but we didn't know which one was being used that day. After breakfast, I called Viking from the hotel phone (using my cell phone would have incurred roaming charges). I learned that we were embarking at Dreiländereck, Westquaistrasse 60, Basel. I called an Uber, and we were picked up at 11:01 AM and dropped off at the docks at 11:15 AM. Viking allowed us to board immediately, even though the ship wasn't sailing until 7:30 PM!
Our Uber driver had mentioned on the way to the docks that we were going to be very close to the meeting point of Germany, France, and Switzerland. Once onboard, the Guest Services representative confirmed that we were within walking distance of that exact spot. Looking out from the deck, we could see the monument marking the tripoint, so we took a walk over to it for some photo opportunities.
Touring Basel was not over yet. We were picked up by a motorcoach and a guide around 3:15 PM for a formal tour of the Old Town. We were dropped off with our guide and began walking through the city. We had seen most of these same places the day before, but the guide's commentary added much more depth to the experience. We were picked up later by the coach at a pre-arranged location and taken back to the ship.
The ship sailed away from Basel at 7:30 PM, and we said goodbye to Basel, Switzerland.
Basel Minster (Basler Münster in German)
This iconic structure is visible from many locations in the Old City and along the Rhine River. It is on record as being 1,007 years old. It was consecrated on October 11, 1019 in the presence of the Holy Emperor, Henry II. It was historically a Roman Catholic cathedral, but became a Protestant Reformed church during the Reformation of the 16th century. It is no longer called a cathedral.
Sunday, September 20, 2026 - Basel, Switzerland: The structure on the left with the two spires is the iconic Basel Minster. The other buildings are part of the Old Town. The bridge is the Wettstein Bridge. The photo was taken from the south bank of the Rhine along the St. Alban-Rheinweg road.
Sunday, September 20, 2026 - Basel, Switzerland: (kj)
Checking the menu to make sure we are really at a restaurant.
The Gasthof zum Goldenen Sternen restaurant where we made our first stop.
First meal in Switzerland
We have reached the Wettstein Bridge so we decided that was far enough for the evening.
The lights are coming up on the Old City of Basel. The two iconic spires of Basel Minster can be seen in the background. The bridge in the photo is the Wettstein.
This is the Webern-Brunnen (Webern Fountain) in the Steinenvorstadt historic district of Basel. It dates back to the late 17th century with the column pillar created around 1672. These are actually public drinking water fountains. Approximately 305 of them are scattered throughout the city. There are a few specially marked ones that are not for drinking
This fountain is located across the street from the Basel Museum of Ancient Art. The street junction is Augustinergasse and Rheinsprung.
The Trident Fountain, also known as the Spittelsprung-Brunnen. It is a historic public fountain located at the corner of Münsterberg and Freie Strasse. It was designed in 1837 by Melchior Berri and features four (only one shown) water-spitting basillisks.
Fish Market Fountain located at Fichmarkt square in the Old Town. This is a replica of the 1390 constructed fountain. The original is now in the Basel Museum of History.
Tramstop for tram #3 by Dasbreitehotel to Aeschenplatz in the Old City.
Saying good bye to Switzerland. We had just checked-in on our ship and was now roaming around the docks of Dreiländereck,
“Rivella” A Swiss drink to try.
The Hammering Man, a monumental kinetic sculpture located at Aeschenplatz in Basel. Created by American Jonothan Borofsky. The 44-foot is a tribute to everyday workers worldwide.
Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) building located at Bankverein (specifically at Aeschenvorstadt 1). The prominent Neo-Baroque/Neo-Classical historic structure is an active branch of the bank and a landmark at the intersection of Aeschenvorstadt and St. Alban-Graben.
Roaming the city streets of Basel
Strolling the neighborhood near the Basel Münster.
Guide walking tour through Basel
This is the Mittlere Brücke (Middle Bridge) crossing the Rhine River looking towards the historic buildings of Grossbasel old town. It also features the distinctive mid-span stone tower known as the Käppelijoch. More on this tower below.
The Käppelijoch (Chapel on a Pillar) is a historic bridge chapel on the Middle Bridge with a dark and fascinating history tied to Basel. Wooden chapel was erected on the center pillar of the bridge—the exact border dividing Grossbasel (Greater Basel) and Kleinbasel (Lesser Basel) in the late 14th century. In 1478 it was rebuilt in stone. The aging bridge was replaced in 1903—1905 with the current granite stone structure. The chapel was dismantled and parts of it placed in the Basel History Museum. The current chapel was built in 1905 to honor the historical landmark. The dark side of this chapel is that it was used for public drowning of convicted criminals in medieval and early modern justice era,
This statute on the Lesser Basel end of the Middle Bridge wall is Helvetia auf der Reise (Helvetia on her Travels). It was created in 1980 by sculptor Bettina Eichin. Helvetia is the national female allegory and symbol of Switzerland (the same figure seen on the Swiss coins).
Basel Town Hall (Basler Rathaus), located on Marktplatz. It was built between 1504 and 1514 from vivid red sandstone to celebrate the city’s entry into the Swiss Confederation.
Photo taken inside the Basel Town Hall.
I believe this was Läderach Chocolaterie located at Marktplatz 18.
Floating across the Rhine in Basel from the north bank to the south at Klingental ferry, Vogel Gryff. It has no engine and relies on the current on the river to move it from one bank to the next.
Safran zunft restaurant on Gerbergasse.
Dreiländereck: This is the tripoint marker for the location where Switzerland, France and Germany meet.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026: This the Three Countries Bridge which connects city of Huningue in France on the left with Weil am Rhein in Germany on the right. It is very close to Dreiländereck, the location where the three countries meet.. In France it is called the Passerelle des Trois Pays and in Germany it is known as Dreiländerbrücke. It claims to be the longest single-span pedestrian and bicycle bridge in the world.
Leaving Basel on a cruise ship.
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