Our cruise will end in Basel on the first day of the Autumn Fair. We will be staying one night and then going on by train. Can anyone recommend a hotel that is well placed for this festival. Trying to minimize the amount of walking between sites.
Thanks
Posted by
Switzerland
383 posts
The fair is spread around the city, but the trams and buses run throughout, so you can always take those to get around no matter where you stay. You'll get a free local transport pass at your hotel. Not sure what your budget is, but as for locations:
Personally I am not sure I'd want to stay that close to the main event locations and the crowds of people - a lot of the attractions are carnival-style rides and food stands - but if you prefer to be central, I'd suggest something near Barfüsserplatz (Motel One is right in the midst of the action) or Marktplatz (Märthof is nice), both of which are on many tram lines and also walking distance to the Münsterplatz (a nice atmosphere and the cathedral). If you are more interested in crafts, there is a ceramics market during the fair near Spalentor (at Petersplatz) and the Hotel Spalentor is nice - might not be the right area for you if you don't want to do much walking though.
As I said, with the free transport pass, it is very easy to get around to the different locations by tram, so even if you stay near the SBB train station (the Schweizerhof is a good option), it won't take more than 5-10 minutes to get to all the fair locations around the city. From here you would have easy access to most tram lines and be a stone's throw from the train station when you are ready to move on to your next destination with a minimum of schlepping suitcases around.
Posted by
Chicago
2675 posts
I have stayed at the Hotel Schweizerhof, mentioned above by hopper, and it is a fabulous hotel. The staff was incredible. It’s just a quick walk to the SBB train station and the trams are right across the street from the hotel. It’s super easy to use the SBB app to figure out which tram to take.