| Jui's Swiss Trips |
  
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Basel One of Switzerland's underrated tourist destinations, Basel has a beautiful medieval old town center, a fascinating Carnival, and several world class art museums built by architects like Renzo Piano, Mario Botta and Herzog & De Meuron. Basel is also rich in architecture old and new, with the Romanesque Cathedral, the Renaissance Town Hall, and various examples of high quality contem-porary architecture. Basel is a cosmopolitan city because of its university and industry and its proximity to the borders of France and Germany. The town of Basel lies in the north-western corner of Switzerland. The town shares borders with France and Germany and is the heart of this tri-national region - the Dreiländereck (The Three Countries' Corner). Basel is Switzerland's oldest university city. Historic landmarks of the city include the large market square with its richly decorated red sandstone town hall and the late Romanesque-Gothic cathedral. A walk through the old town, past small boutiques, antique book shops but also shops of modern designers is well worth your while. Basel is tradition-conscious and open-minded at the same time, a fact born out by several modern buildings designed by renowned architects. Almost 40 museums make Basel the city with the highest density of museums in the country. Basel is a green city. The Botanical Gardens, several parks and the banks of the Rhine are perfect places to relax and linger for a while. Colmar The city is located about 70km north of Basel and is reached by a direct train connection within about 45 minutes. Colmar was founded in the 9th century. Mostly spared from the destructions of the French Revolution and the wars, the cityscape of old-town Colmar is homogenous and renowned among tourists for its unique character. An area that is crossed by canals of the river Lauch (which formerly served as the butcher's, tanner's and fishmonger's quarter) is now called "little Venice". Colmar's secular and religious architectural landmarks reflect eight centuries of Germanic and French architecture and the adaptation of their respective stylistic language to the local customs and building materials (pink and yellow Vosges sandstone, timber framing). The many restaurants invite the visitor to taste some of the local Alsatian specialities and have a glass or two of the famous dry or sweet Alsatian white wines with the meal. There are also many shops which sell diffrent local products and souvenirs. |
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