Basel Münster above the Rhine, seen from the Pfalz terrace.

Where to stay in Basel

Stay in Basel for a Rhine you cross on foot by four historic cable ferries, and a free BaselCard covering public transport for your whole stay. For an old town built around a lake and cruise boats instead of a river, stay in Lucerne.

250steps up each Münster tower, the Georgsturm or the Martinsturm4historic Rhine ferries, cable-guided and powered only by the current1905the year the Mittlere Brücke, crossing the Rhine, was completed

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Hotels in Basel, live prices

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Basel at a glance

Why Basel

Because every booking already comes with a free BaselCard that covers public transport for the whole stay, including the transfer from the airport or the station, plus 25% off museums, the zoo and more: there is no ticket to work out before you have even reached the hotel.

Where to sleep

On the Rhine in Grossbasel’s old town for the Münster and the arcaded streets, across the river in Kleinbasel for the Messe Basel and a Herzog & de Meuron design hotel, or in the St. Alban quarter, Basel’s Little Venice, close to Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart.

Watch out

The Rhine ferries do not accept TNW or SBB tickets, nor the BaselCard: keep CHF 2 in cash for the crossing, and do not count on them above 7.90 m water level, when the service stops entirely.

Basel, before you book

Basel sits on the Rhine at 261 metres, and the river runs the show more than any single street. Grossbasel’s old town climbs the left bank around the Münster, Kleinbasel spreads across the water on the right, and four historic ferries, guided by an overhead cable and pushed only by the current, still carry pedestrians between the two for CHF 2 a crossing. However you arrive, at the airport or the station, the free BaselCard that comes with your room already covers the transfer into town.

Where you sleep depends on which bank of the Rhine you want to wake up on. Grossbasel, the left bank, is the medieval old town around the Münster, its Pfalz terrace and its Spalentor gate, with hotels standing right on the water at Blumenrain. Kleinbasel, across the river, sits along the lively Rheingasse promenade and closer to the Messe Basel exhibition grounds. A third choice, the St. Alban quarter, is narrow alleys past ancient houses and mills, never far from the water, and the closest base to Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart.

The range runs from a historic grand hotel to a hostel with a river view. Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, first recorded as an inn in 1681 and home to a three-Michelin-star restaurant, is the most expensive address in our dated prices. Basel Youth Hostel, two minutes from Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart, is the least expensive. Between them sit two boutique addresses, Hotel Krafft on the Rhine promenade since 1873 and the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Volkshaus, plus Der Teufelhof in its pair of eighteenth-century town houses.

Basel has no single high season: the Rhine ferries run their longest hours in summer, extended even further during the Basler Herbstmesse, while winter brings the shorter timetable and, in January, the Basel Museums Night opens more than forty museums and cultural sites on one ticket. During Fasnacht the Münster itself keeps to a shortened 11:00 to 14:00 opening. However you time it, the transfer from the airport or the station is already covered by the free BaselCard that comes with your booking.

Summer or winter?

Pick a season, or set your dates above: prices and advice follow.

Summer in Basel

Where to stay this season

Summer is when Basel runs longest outdoors: the Rhine ferries keep their longest hours of the year and the Münster stays open latest, both stretching further again during the Basler Herbstmesse. Book near a ferry crossing, in Kleinbasel or St. Alban, and you can cross the river on foot into the evening instead of planning around the bridge.

Blumenrain, old town on the Rhine · 5 stars

From

CHF 910/ night

Summer average CHF 910

First documented as the inn Drei Könige in 1681, with three carved king figures added to the facade in 1754, the Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois stands at Blumenrain 8, right on the Rhine in the old town. Restaurant Cheval Blanc, run by Peter Knogl, holds three Michelin stars, and the hotel itself carries three Michelin Keys. In this selection of dated prices, it is the most expensive address.

Check prices

Prices: lowest and average nightly rate seen on Booking.com for 2 adults and 1 room, on 2 winter dates and 1 summer dates, collected on September 16, 2026. They are indicative, the real price depends on your dates. Hotel facts come from each hotel’s own website. Some hotel links are affiliate links.

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Where to stay, area by area

Grossbasel, the old town on the Rhine

Blumenrain and the old town streets

This is Basel’s medieval heart, wrapped around the Münster on the left bank of the Rhine. Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, an inn already recorded here in 1681, stands right on the water at Blumenrain, and a few streets back Der Teufelhof combines two eighteenth-century town houses with its own theatre. Choose this side for the old town on your doorstep and the river a few steps away, in exchange for the Messe Basel exhibition grounds and the lively Rheingasse lying across the water.

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Kleinbasel, the Rhine’s right bank

Rheingasse and the Rhine promenade

Cross the river and Basel turns livelier. Hotel Krafft has stood on the Rhine promenade in the lively Rheingasse since 1873, and a few minutes further on, the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Volkshaus sits close to the Messe Basel exhibition grounds. This side suits a stay built around the fair or an evening on the promenade, in exchange for a short walk or a ferry crossing back to the old town’s sights.

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St. Alban, Basel’s Little Venice

Maja Sacher-Platz, along the St. Alban-Rhein

South of the old town, St. Alban keeps the name Basel’s Little Venice, its narrow alleys running past ancient houses and mills that are never far from the water. Basel Youth Hostel sits at its centre, two minutes from Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart and two minutes from the St. Alban-Rhine ferry. It suits a quieter stay close to the art museum, in exchange for a short ferry ride or walk to reach the Münster and the main old town streets.

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What to do in Basel

Basel is not short of things to do, but a handful of places give a stay its shape, checked directly with Basel Tourismus, Basel Münster, Kunstmuseum Basel and the Fähri-Verein. These are the ones we would build a day around.

On foot

Two ways into the Old Town

Signed Old Town audio walking tourself-guided · 60 to 120 minutes
This self-guided route strings together the Old Town’s main sights with an audio guide, and takes anywhere from 60 to 120 minutes depending on how many stops you make. It suits a first afternoon when you would rather set your own pace than follow a group.
"Stories of Basel’s Old Town" guided tourfrom CHF 25 · 25% off with the BaselCard
A guide leads you to the Münster, the Barfüsserkirche and the Town Hall, filling in what the self-guided walk leaves out. It costs from CHF 25 per person, with 25% off for anyone holding the BaselCard that comes with your stay.

Typical here

A tower climb and four ferries

Basel Münster towersabout 250 steps · CHF 6 adult, CHF 4 reduced, free under 14
A narrow stair of about 250 steps climbs either the Georgsturm or the Martinsturm, for a view over the city. Time it well: last entry is 30 minutes before the Münster closes, and the towers close again from 12:00 to 12:20 for midday prayers.
The four Basel ferriesWild Maa, Leu, Vogel Gryff, Ueli
Four crossings, Wild Maa, Leu, Vogel Gryff and Ueli, are guided across the Rhine by an overhead cable and powered only by the current, with no motor. On the Leu, an adult crossing costs CHF 2, paid on board in cash, since neither TNW and SBB tickets nor the BaselCard are accepted.

Typical here

What is typical of the place

Kunstmuseum BaselSt. Alban-Graben 8 · adults CHF 25 to CHF 30
A ticket covering a special exhibition and the collection costs CHF 30 for adults over 20, or CHF 25 for the collection and exhibitions alone. Time a visit for Tuesday, Thursday or Friday between 17:00 and 18:00, Wednesday evening until 20:00, or the first Sunday of the month, when the collection itself is free.
The Old Town’s fountains and gatesover 200 fountains · Spalentor, one of eight original gates
More than 200 fountains are scattered through the Old Town, alongside the Pfalz terrace behind the Münster and the Spalentor, one of the city’s original eight gates. None of it needs a ticket, so it folds easily into a walk between the tower climb and a ferry crossing.

Where to eat

Restaurant and Brasserie at Hotel KrafftRheingasse 12, on the Rhine promenade
Hotel Krafft’s own restaurant sits on the Rhine promenade, in a house that has welcomed guests since 1873. It puts dinner a few steps from the water, right where the promenade meets the lively Rheingasse.
Brasserie and IMI Bar at Volkshaus BaselKleinbasel
The Brasserie and IMI Bar at the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Volkshaus open onto a tree-covered inner courtyard. It suits an evening that stays close to Kleinbasel and the Messe Basel grounds rather than crossing back to the old town.

Times, prices and figures come from Basel Tourismus, Basel Münster, Kunstmuseum Basel and the Fähri-Verein, checked on 16 September 2026. We publish no ratings and no route descriptions: check conditions on the spot before you set off.

Found your area? Check what is still free in Basel.

Prices and availability change daily in the Alps, especially in July, August and over Christmas.

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Card, ferries, river

The BaselCard

Book any Basel hotel, hostel, B&B or apartment and a personal BaselCard is waiting at check-in, already covering public transport for the whole stay, up to 30 days, including the transfer from the airport or station: there is no ticket to buy for that first ride into town. It also brings 25% off museums, Basel Zoo, Theater Basel’s evening box office, the sightseeing bus, the public Old Town walking tour, the Jakob’s Leckerli workshop tour, Basler Personenschifffahrt day boat trips, the Reigoldswil-Wasserfallen cable car and Nordstern, plus a CHF 25 a day e-bike rental at the SBB station, worth weighing against any paid alternative before you book one separately.

The Rhine ferries

Four historic passenger ferries cross the Rhine by cable and current alone, with no motor: the Wild Maa in St. Alban, the Leu at the Münster, the Vogel Gryff in Klingental and the Ueli in St. Johann. Carry cash for the crossing, CHF 2 for adults and CHF 1 for children, dogs or bikes on the Leu, since TNW and SBB tickets and the BaselCard are not valid on board.

Crossing the Rhine

The river splits the city into Grossbasel on the left bank and Kleinbasel on the right. The Mittlere Brücke, completed in 1905 with a predecessor dating to around 1220, carries road traffic across; on foot, the four cable ferries cut straight across at points the bridge does not reach, and once they stop for the night or for high water, the bridge becomes the only way over.

Parking

Basel allows cars, and the sources checked for this guide describe no citywide visitor parking scheme. Arrange a space directly with your hotel when you book, rather than counting on finding one once you arrive in the old town or Kleinbasel.

Driving on from Basel? Compare rental prices and check the vignette, the winter rules and the passes before you book.

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Frequently asked questions

What does the BaselCard actually cover?

Free public transport for your whole stay, up to 30 days, including the transfer from the airport or station, plus 25% off museums, the zoo, boat trips, the Old Town walking tour and more. It comes free with any Basel hotel, hostel or B&B booking, so budget only for the crossings and admissions it does not cover, such as the Rhine ferries.

Can I use the BaselCard on the Rhine ferries?

No: the ferries explicitly do not accept TNW or SBB tickets, or the BaselCard, and a crossing is paid on board, CHF 2 for adults. Carry a few francs in coins if a ferry crossing is part of your day, since none of the passes sold in the city work on board.

Is the Münster free to visit?

Yes, within its opening hours, which shorten in winter and during Fasnacht. Climbing the towers, about 250 steps, costs CHF 6 for adults and CHF 4 reduced, free under 14, so budget only for the climb, and check the current hours before you plan your visit around it.

When is Kunstmuseum Basel’s collection free?

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 17:00-18:00, Wednesday 17:00-20:00, and every first Sunday of the month. Plan a late-afternoon visit around one of these windows and you see the permanent collection without buying a ticket, though a special exhibition next to it is charged separately.

How do the four Basel ferries work?

They are guided across the Rhine by an overhead cable, using only the current for power, no motor: Wild Maa, Leu, Vogel Gryff and Ueli, one per historic crossing point. Because they run on the current alone, they are the first service suspended once the Rhine rises above 7.90 m, so keep the Mittlere Brücke in mind as the backup.