Round The World and other travels
A frequent flyer's collection of trip diaries
April 2010: Basel
Situated in north-west Switzerland where the country meets both France and Germany, Basel is not the most obvious of Swiss tourist destinations. Playing host to both the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, it is first and foremost a business-oriented city. Having been lucky enough to visit virtually all of the country's tourism hotspots over a number of years, however, I decided it was time to give Basel a try, if only for a relatively short weekend stay. Frequent-flyer friend Ross agreed to join me.
The visit was blessed with the most glorious Spring weather and took place in the immediate aftermath of the unprecedented closure of much of European airspace due to the ash cloud from Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull. While it was reassuring to see that we were certainly not the only tourists to take an interest in the city, the relatively unobtrusive tourist presence made our visit all the more enjoyable. Highlights were the charming Old Town area and the mainly residential district of St Alban.
EuroAirport
Basel's airport (BSL) is now known as EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, reflecting the three-way international border in the area.
The airport is located entirely in France, but has a Swiss side and a French side with an official border crossing between the two. The distinction became a little less obvious when Switzerland joined the Schengen Zone in 2008.
Base: Hilton