Despite the situation that doesn't allow us to travel quite yet these days, I'm still excited to share more and more destinations and see how far you could get there with $10 USD. And this time, we're going back to one of the most expensive countries in Europe: Switzerland.
After we covered Lugano some time ago, this week we've got Cristina of Honest Travel Stories to share with what we can do in Basel for $10.
I personally know Basel through football as they have FC Basel, which regularly plays in either Europa League or the Champion's league. But, what else are there in the city?
Switzerland is known as one of the most expensive countries in the world to live in, and for good reasons. Since we moved here two years ago, we keep doing the unhealthy comparison to our home country, Romania.
But now, we just learned how to do more with less, because you can actually spend a nice day or two with about $10 (or 10 CHF, the exchange rate is around 1).
Also, if you spend your night here in a hotel, you will automatically have a Basel card that provides you with a 50% discount for plenty of tourist places, and you get to ride all the public transportation for free.
Now, I know accommodation in Basel might be expensive, but this card is very useful and will get your costs down a bit.
Take part in the Basel Carnival (Fasnacht)
The first thing we did here was free, and I highly recommend it for everyone that has a chance of seeing this awesome event. This carnival is on the UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list.
It takes place usually in February and it's an explosion of music, color, and confetti. Believe me, you won't regret your decision to be part of the Basel Carnival.
History museum in Basel.
Visit museums in Basel
There are plenty of museums in Basel, we didn't even visit all of them by now. I highly recommend you visit at least one while you're here. Here is a list of the museums that I consider the best:
Tinguely Museum – 9 CHF per adult, 6 CHF for students, including the 50% discount
Or, you can get a better deal if you're under 26 and can get a free ticket to Museum night.
This is an event that takes place once a year, usually in January, and for a one time fee (full fare is 24 CHF), you get to visit all museums in Basel that you can cover between 6 PM and 2 AM.
It's a pretty interesting experience and plenty of people do it, so why not try this when you're here?
Woods near Basel.
Enjoy nature
If you close your eyes and think about Switzerland, what do you see? Greenfields and mountains, right? Well, you're not wrong. Spending your time outside is one of the best things you can do in Basel.
One of the best parks in Basel is Merian Garten. The park itself is also a botanical garden, and you can enjoy brunch at Villa Merian if you reserve well in advance. The place is beautiful and it feels you're far away, even if you're right in the middle of the city.
You can also take a stroll on the Rhine, this is what most people do on weekends anyway. In the summertime, they even float IN the Rhine using a device called “wickelfisch“.
So if the day is hot and you're in for a swim, head to the river and mix in with the locals.
And last, but not least, the perfect local tip: head to the woods. Right outside Basel is a nice area covered with trees, and there's even a talented person that carved animals in old pieces of wood. We even spotted a deer once in these woods!
If you're into quiet sunsets, head out to the observation tower, set your phone or camera to timelapse mode and enjoy the view.
So, how would you spend your 10$ in Basel, Switzerland?
Contributor: Cristina from Honest Travel Stories.
Cristina calls herself the one woman show behind Honest Travel Stories. She is a Romanian IT geek who moved to Switzerland two years ago, and started writing because apparently purchasing a domain name was cheaper than therapy in the country. She is passionate about her job, loves dogs (she has said “I love you!” to about 1037 dogs until now), and has an unhealthy relationship with coffee.
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