Flying out of the clouds and into Zurich we were surprised at the amount of snow around. This was unexpected but made for a stunning 90-minute train journey to Basel.
Basel is a city on the Rhine River in northwest Switzerland, close to the borders with France and Germany. Its medieval old town centres around Marktplatz which is dominated by the 16th-century, red-sandstone Town Hall. With snow flurries and slushy footing, it wasn’t exactly your typical touristy walk-around friendly conditions so this made finding a warm dry and friendly restaurant a priority. As expected, Basel is fairly quiet this time of year (late November) but its fairly easy to navigate your way around the Old Town with the help of the great tram system.
Basel is commonly considered to be the cultural capital of Switzerland, and the city is famous for its many museums. However, Strasbourg and Colmar across the border in France’s historic Alsace region were just short train rides away so we spent a day in each for shopping and doing the sights. Thankfully the weather was crisp and clear for both these day trips, and it was great to walk around the old towns without the big crowds during peak season.
In Strasbourg we walked over the 17th Century Barrage Vauban which serves to display sculptures and has been classified as a Monument historique since 1971. Strasbourg Cathedral is an awe-inspiring sight in the middle of the Old Town. It’s an easy 2hr walk to see the main sights before browsing through the many interesting shops. This is a popular area for the Swiss as prices here are a lot cheaper.
Colmar is a charming little town – extremely picturesque and unbelievably well preserved. Half-timbered buildings, brightly coloured facades and tiled roofs, twisted cobble-stoned alleys. Canals – it’s a place you imagine literary coming straight out of a children’s fairy-tale book …
On the train back from Colmar to Basel we got off at Mulhouse. However, the Old Town was fairly quiet with the shops all closed being a Sunday. The standout attraction is the 97m high Temple Saint-Étienne – a Protestant Church which is in the main square of the Old Town. However, we found Mulhouse a far-cry from the spectacular charms of Colmar.
Please contact me if you are interested in knowing more about this destination.
Colmar – just pure charm