Euro Travel Pages

The Gateway to Europe’s Major Cities: Basel (Switzerland)

Basel (Switzerland) is considered the gateway to Europe’s major cities because of its rails. The trains from the second largest city in Switzerland—next to another Swiss city, Zurich—lead to major European cities like Brussels, Paris and Frankfurt.

Basel (Switzerland) lies within the borders that separate Switzerland from Germany and France. Now you can see why the certain cities in the two countries, France and Germany, are easily accessible through the said city.

The city is quieter than the largest in Switzerland, Zurich. It is also less poplated than Geneva and Zurich.

When you’re on a European trip, this Swiss city is worth the visit for reasons such as it is it paves the way for the traveller to other big cities in Europe, especially in that of France and Germany.

The city is known for magnificent, classic Roman structures. These make the visit in the city, even if it’s just a day or two, truly worth it. Other than the classic physical structures that the city boasts of, it also offers travellers some interesting sites to see. One is the Augusta Raurica which is an ancient Roman settlement that can be found in Augst. The ancient settlement is only 12 kilometres from the centremost part of the city. Excavations in the site of the once-flourishing city can both be enjoyable and insightful to travellers, young and old alike. Basel (Switzerland)‘s Augusta Raurica also boasts of age-old relics used by their ancestors, those that lived in the settlement before the Alemannic raiders destroyed it approximately 1, 800 years ago. At present, the ancient city is being reconstructed into a Roman animal farm with a classic Roman house.

Other than the Agusta Raurica, the river Rhine also is attractive to tourists. Cruises are offered from the banks of the neighbouring countries, Germany and Holland. The city, Basel (Switzerland) is often the last stop for the river cruises.

So if you’re backpacking through Europe, consider going through Basel (Switzerland). This way, you can get through to the other big cities of Europe as well as marvel at the age-old Roman structures the city offers. A stop by to see excavations and Roman artefacts at the Augusta Raurica might be interesting and insightful to travellers, especially when bringing kids along the trip. It’s nice to learn the brief history of the places you visit.

Hotels in Basel