Hi, I will be in basel for a few days. I plan to watch several tennis matches held at the St. Jakobshalle on some days and explore the city and its vicinity other days. I won't be driving and want to be staying in an area that's close to the stadium (since I may be getting out of a match late at night) but also has easy access to all the museums and sightseeing in the old town. Any suggestions? Is it safe to walk in the neighborhood of the stadium (in Münchenstein?) which appears to be in an industrial area. I found a B&B that's really nice in Gotthelf but I wonder if it's too far or how public transportation is especially late at night. Any advice is appreciated! Felicity
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
I have attended matches at St. Jakob soccer Stadium next door. Don't worry about the location of of your lodging, the stadium has a tram stop in front of it, and a commuter rail station behind it. When there is a late night match, there are special shuttle trains that operate between the stadium and the main Basel SBB train station; you won't be stranded. Basel is a convention city so if there is one going on, hotel prices can be brutal. I had a good stay at this place: http://tinyurl.com/9dth5ee
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I can only offer limited information (I'm not familiar with the area around the stadium), but in my one night in Basel, I found it very safe... and even surprisingly quiet for a relatively large city.
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles
3 posts
Hi Michael and Tom, Thank you both so much for your replies. Really helpful!! Felicity
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
You're welcome Felicity. I was in a rush and didn't have time to address your concerns about the neighborhood. It's not in any way industrial. It's a commercial district with shopping malls, cinemas, sports bars etc. Here's a peek at the street that separates the soccer stadium/shopping mall and the arena: http://goo.gl/maps/lClke
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Here is the transit map of Basel. Bus lines are in grey; tram lines are colored. According to the BVB, St. Jakobshalle is a three minute walk from the St. Jakob stop on the 14 tram, which goes into town to the Marktplatz.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
One more shout-out for Basel. I found it one of the most surprising, "don't judge a book by it's cover" cities in Europe. I've driven by several times, and the view from the Autobahn would make you believe that Basel consists only of factories and corporate office buidlings. So, I wasn't expecting much when I stayed the night there. But what I now realize is that all that modern industry was only blocking the view of the beautiful downtown section. I now wished I had planned on spending more time there.
Posted by
Stuttgart, Germany
3050 posts
I believe Nigel is our resident "expert" on Basel, he's convinced me to go (but I haven't had time yet) - maybe if you see him in another thread you can PM him for more info.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33837 posts
I'm no expert, I just love Basel. I'm not sure I'd stay there and have to connect back late at night from there. As previously identified the 14 will get you from the matches into the centre of Basel and you can connect to the 6 which will get you to Allschwilerplatz or Morgartenring. You will have to connect at Barfüsserplatz or Marktplatz, and you say it will be late. How late? The last trams except on the weekends end between midnight and one. There are night buses on the weekends. I'd rather have no changes on a late tram. There are two bus lines which serve the south of the Gottheif area, the 33 and the 48. 48's no help as it is special times only, the 33 goes towards the hospital but doesn't connect with the 14. Trams and connections in Basel are easy but I don't know what you mean by late.