Weekender Alicante South Issue 109

20 FRIDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2019
www.weekender.news
Basel
Basel
Minster
by Yvonne Hollywood,
Worldwide Horizons
The third largest city in
Switzerland, Basel is located
on the river Rhine,
where it borders with
neighbouring countries of
Germany and France.
Recently ranked as one of
the top ten most liveable cities
in the world, the city has history
which can be traced back
to 5BC to the first settlement.
Basel is home to many museums,
including the Kunstmuseum,
the first collection
of art which was made available
to the European Public
in 1661, and still the largest
art museum in the whole of
Switzerland.
Inside the museum there
are examples of work from
Rembrandt and Rubens, an
impressive display of works
of Van Gogh, Monet, Cézanne,
Manet and Gauguin
and an entire room devoted
to the display of Picasso.
Walking around, you can
also see displays of art such
as the Holbein Fountain, a
Renaissance work by Hans
Holbien the Younger built in
the 16th Century.
There are many walking
tours of the city ensuring
that you see the best examples
of the architecture and
the most important places
during your visit.
One such place being the
Basel Minster, an imposing
structure including the two
towers, over 60 metres in
height.
For those who wish, you
can pay a small fee to climb
to the top of a narrow staircase
and from there see the
views over Basel and the
Rhine.
Another way to get a great
view, and rehydrate at the
same time, is to visit Bar
Rouge, an intimate and chic
bar which reaches 105 meters
in height, at the top of
which you can enjoy cocktails
and views to die for during
the day, whilst at night enjoy
some great entertainment
with local DJ’s.
If you are after something
a little more relaxing, visit
the Bird’s Eye Jazz Club, one
of the best in Switzerland
and which attracts national
and International Jazz musicians.
Whatever your taste, you
are sure to find something
to suit, with Basel also offering
craft beer bars and chic
Cocktail bars too.
Of course, life in the city
is influenced heavily by the
river that runs through it.
You can take a journey
Brazil to Barcelona 2020
Flight from Alicante
2 nights pre-cruise
Rio de Janeiro
17 nights cruise to
Santos, Buzios,
Salvador de Bahia,
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Lisbon, Cadiz, Barcelona
Christmas Market in Kaunas
Direct ights
from Alicante
4 nights B&B 4*
New York
5 nights
Flights from Alicante
4* Central Hotel
across the river on one of the
tethered Ferry boats which
use the speed of the current
Basel City Break
Direct ights, Transfer
& 6 nights 4* Hotel
Carnival Cruises
12 night Med Cruise
Barcelona, Livorno
Rome, Naples,
Dubrovnik, Kotor,
Corfu, Messina,
Marseille, Barcelona
to carry them across the river
attached only by the zip
lines which run overhead.
At various points along
the river, competitive swimmers
pit themselves against
the current, or simply enjoy
a more leisurely dip in the
waters.
Outside of the city limits,
some stretches of the river
are sandy and offer a relaxed
beach atmosphere for
a weekend getaway!
For many, Basel is the perfect
overnight base to start
one of the many Rhine River
Cruises.
These can be starting
from Basel to Amsterdam, or
as a port of call on a longer
cruise such as Amsterdam to
Budapest.
As all of these cities have
direct connections with Alicante,
each of them are easily
accessible and definitely
worth a visit as a city break,
or as part of a larger holiday.
Remember, as with most
European cities, there are a
variety of festivals and carnivals
held throughout the
year.
Whilst these will affect the
price of accommodation, at
the same time, these unique
events are amazing to witness,
so remember to check
what’s on when you are planning
your stay!
Rhine River Cruise
15 days from Amsterdam
to Cologne, Koblenz,
Miltenberg, Warzburg,
Bamberg, Nuremberg,
Regensburg, Passau, Melt,
Vienna & Budapest