Swiss Highlights
The Rhine seen from a bridge on a clear day: on the left bank, the red sandstone cathedral raises its two spires and glazed-tile roof above a quay wall and a line of trees; the pale façades of the old town then line the water up to the arches of a bridge closing the perspective; in the foreground on the right, a few white boats are moored along the bank, under a cloudless blue sky.

Basel-Stadt

Regions

The canton of Basel-Stadt brings together 4 places referenced on Swiss Highlights: 0 natural sites, 2 heritage or cultural sites, 1 village and 1 town.

Not to miss

The Rhine seen from a bridge on a clear day: on the left bank, the red sandstone cathedral raises its two spires and glazed-tile roof above a quay wall and a line of trees; the pale façades of the old town then line the water up to the arches of a bridge closing the perspective; in the foreground on the right, a few white boats are moored along the bank, under a cloudless blue sky.

Rhine city · Basel-Stadt

Basel

The Rhine bends here before leaving Switzerland; the city spans it and touches France and Germany. A university founded in 1460, some forty museums in the canton, a carnival on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.

From downstream, in the warm light of late day: the machine hall stretches above the Rhine under a sawtooth roof, its glazed facade punctuated by V-shaped mullions; on the left, two dam piers carry dark green cabins pierced by two round openings, and the walkway on the dam reveals a few figures. The nearly still green water of the river casts its reflection.

Run-of-river plant · Rhine

Birsfelden power station

Four Kaplan turbines under a 12-metre head, two locks for the barges, and over the whole thing a path open to walkers and cyclists. Between 2006 and 2015 the plant produced an average of 570 GWh a year.

The Fondation Beyeler in Riehen: a long pavilion with reddish stone pillars, topped by a suspended glass roof, extends behind a garden of trees in autumn colours.

Border commune · Basel-Stadt

Riehen

22,534 inhabitants on 10.86 km², a quarter woodland and a quarter farmland, a German border curling around it to the north: Riehen is as much a large village as a suburb of Basel.

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“The 50 most beautiful sites” (Switzerland Tourism)

BaselBirsfelden power stationRiehenSankt Chrischona
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The Rhine seen from a bridge on a clear day: on the left bank, the red sandstone cathedral raises its two spires and glazed-tile roof above a quay wall and a line of trees; the pale façades of the old town then line the water up to the arches of a bridge closing the perspective; in the foreground on the right, a few white boats are moored along the bank, under a cloudless blue sky.

Rhine city · Basel-Stadt

Basel

The Rhine bends here before leaving Switzerland; the city spans it and touches France and Germany. A university founded in 1460, some forty museums in the canton, a carnival on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.

From downstream, in the warm light of late day: the machine hall stretches above the Rhine under a sawtooth roof, its glazed facade punctuated by V-shaped mullions; on the left, two dam piers carry dark green cabins pierced by two round openings, and the walkway on the dam reveals a few figures. The nearly still green water of the river casts its reflection.

Run-of-river plant · Rhine

Birsfelden power station

Four Kaplan turbines under a 12-metre head, two locks for the barges, and over the whole thing a path open to walkers and cyclists. Between 2006 and 2015 the plant produced an average of 570 GWh a year.

The Fondation Beyeler in Riehen: a long pavilion with reddish stone pillars, topped by a suspended glass roof, extends behind a garden of trees in autumn colours.

Border commune · Basel-Stadt

Riehen

22,534 inhabitants on 10.86 km², a quarter woodland and a quarter farmland, a German border curling around it to the north: Riehen is as much a large village as a suburb of Basel.

The Sankt Chrischona church seen through the foliage: its slender spire topped with a cross and its tile-roofed nave rise from a setting of lush green trees, under a blue sky dotted with clouds.

Religious site · Basel-Stadt

Sankt Chrischona

On the Dinkelberg, at 522 metres, the highest church in canton Basel-Stadt stands over a walled cemetery and mission buildings founded in 1840; its tower platform, up 71 steps, opens a panorama over the Vosges, the Black Forest, the Jura and the Alps.