Flight Destinations
Flights to Basel
Places in Switzerland
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Basel is Switzerland’s third most popular city. It is a German speaking town, and one of the cultural centres in Europe. The carnival of Basel which takes place in February or March lasts for 3 days and is known as the major cultural even of the year. There are masked parades in the streets, music and dance; everything you can imagine thrown into 72 hours. This city is popular with UK tourists who want to fly to a location that has lot of quaintness, culture and class.
Flights
You can fly from UK airports such as Luton, Gatwick, Heathrow, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Jersey to Basel. Airlines that fly there include KLM, Air France, SWISS, British Airways, Cimber Airlines, SAS, Ryanair and Easyjet. Prices are usually under £100 for on a one way flight although there are always bargains and deals to be had; for the best prices look at the budget airlines first. The local airport is Basel Mulhouse Freibug.Climate
Basel has a moderate climate. It tends to be fairly warm in the summer but there is also a fair amount of rainfall at this time. May to September gives a sunny and pleasant temperature and July and August are the hottest months with the temperature at around 25 degrees centigrade, but even then there can be sun. In the winter snowfall is not uncommon and it can be cold, so wrap up warm when travelling in winter or the early part of the year.What to do
Basel is full of stunning architecture. The Cathedral in town has red walls and twin towers; it is a dominant feature of the city and is well worth seeing to get an idea of Swiss taste and style.Another interesting sculpture to see is the Hammerign Man by the artist J. Borofsky. The sculpture is made of iron and depicts a man hammering away – this represents harmony and hard work. The giant sculpture is 13.5 meters tall and weighs 8 tons – the hammer swings repeatedly and represents consistency.
Then there is Tinguely Fountain; this was built in 1977 by Jean Tinguely. A number of machine sculptures lie in a pool of water, some squirt water some are just playful and unusual. It’s a hit with children as well as adults.
Don’t forget the famous Rhine River. It winds through Basel and taking a cruise down it and seeing the stunning sites of the city is a popular past time – the Basler Personenschiffahrt provides cruises in the day and the evening, providing dinner and entertainment if you wish.
Another great place to visit is the Beyeler Foundation. Beyeler still runs a gallery in the vicinity and has been collecting art works over fifty years and some of these are displayed at the Foundation, including works by Andy Warhol, Monet, Picasso and Van Gough – it is one of the greatest privately owned art collections in the world and well worth a visit.