Fine Arts Museum (Kunstmuseum), Basel

Advantages: Great for travelling, friendly, easy to get around, clean
Disadvantages: Swiss German is impossible to understand unless you grew up with it!

...many museums, almost 40 at last count, and boasts the world's first public art collection. A long and committed investment to art has furnished the city with delights like the Tinguely Fountains of Theaterplatz and a selection of Picasso masterpieces amongst others. Zolli, the local zoo, is a great afternoon out, and in the warm summer months the outdoor pools are a dream. The local area has much to offer as well, from the views of St. Chrischona towards the Alps to the extensive (and free) remains of the Roman settlement at Kaiseraugst. Perhaps the greatest asset of Basel it its location in Three Countries Corner, nestled between France and Germany on the tip of Switzerland. Combined with the ever-fantastic Swiss rail network, the local system and the EuroAirport, travel is both simple and broad, and a hire-car is completely superfluous... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Cathedral, old town, plenty to keep you occupied
Disadvantages: I just didn't feel at home

...Basel is a curious city – despite visiting several times over the past year, I still haven’t been won over by its charms, and I don’t really know why! Maybe it’s the strange mix of cultures that exist in this city that sits a little uncomfortably on the Rhine, within a stone’s throw of both Germany and France: Everything is in German, the locals speak their own local dialect of Swiss German, while you are just a short bus ride from the French border, and it feels as if Basel cannot make up its mind just where it belongs. It’s not as if there isn’t much to do here, either – there is a lovely old town to be explored on the hillside, where you can quite happily while away an afternoon wandering round, and the shopping centre has plenty to offer - and there is a decent selection of British... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Beautiful medieval city, relatively cheap, lots to do, excellent transport links
Disadvantages: none

...to be available! Wild mushrooms of all kinds make a fabulous accompaniment! The atmosphere is probably the most important part of Fribourg to me, it has a great deal of age to it but people are still living in the ancient houses and the community is very cosmopolitan and exciting. Fribourg breathes age and antiquity but at the same time is possessed of an exciting and vibrant life. It is also a fantastic jumping off point to explore the local area. With the train station so centrally situated you can visit the beautiful lakes and rivers around Fribourg, the Roman ruins at Avenches and the cheese factory at Gruyeres with very little effort! Geneva, Zurich, Montreux, Lausanne, Bern and Basel are all also easily accessible by train for longer day trips. Fribourg is a wonderful medieval/Renaissance city with a strong cultural and artistic heritage. If you... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful