Walkable cities: Basel

Basel is a Swiss city but you can easily walk to France or Germany in a day. In fact, on a wander through a city park, you may well accidentally cross an international border like we did.

With the mighty Rhine River running through its centre, Basel is separated into distinct neighbourhoods. The Kleinbasel, or Little Basel, was historically the less well-off area, where the factories flourished. Now, it’s a delightful rabbit warren of dimly lit restaurants and bars. Try Ueli Brau Bar, with its 127m underground pipeline that transports beer directly from the brewery.

On the opposite side of the river, you’ll find the Old Town, or Altstadt, with buildings harking back to the 11th and 12th Centuries. Well-heeled residents were attracted to this hillier part of town by its distance from the old open sewer systems. Taking a walk along the cobblestone streets and through inviting plazas is a great way to enjoy the riverside vistas.

For a panoramic overview, climb the 250 steps to the top of the towers at iconic Basel Münster cathedral where you can see beyond the city to the mountains of France and the Black Forest of Germany.

Home to the annual Art Basel exhibition, Messeplatz is a vast public square where you can finish your walking tour with a rooftop cocktail at Bar Rouge. The walk back to the train station takes around 3,000 steps and 30 minutes on foot.

Step count: 7,500

Getting there: Fly to Zurich and take the train into Zurich city centre. The direct connection on to Basel takes less than an hour.