I am going with my husband to the Basil jewellery fair next March and will have 5 - 10 days after the show to do some travelling. We are from Australia and spent three lovely weeks travelling Italy about 3 years ago and a couple of weeks in Europe about 20 years ago. We can hire a car. All suggestions appreciated.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19274 posts
Why go to Amsterdam? There is enough to see around Basel. As Lola pointed out, you are near the Berner Oberland. You're close to the southern Black Forest and Bodensee. You close to Colmar, Strasbourg, and the Alsace. You have no need to go farther.
Posted by
Austin, Texas, USA
44 posts
Check out easyjet.com there are quite a few cheap flights from Basel. You can get to Amsterdam for as little as 17 Euros.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17442 posts
julie, do you have any interest in the snowy Alps? A Swiss mountain village would be one option for a few days; you could easily get there by train and lift (cablecar) from Basel. There are some beautiful mountain areas that you could explore. . . . Or if you prefer a snow-free experience, and don't wish to return to italy, maybe Spain? The southern parts at least should be nice in March. And Paris is wonderful anytime. It just depends on your interests.
Posted by
OP
brisbane
3 posts
Wow thanks for replies and you have all given options that I really have to investigate. Lola - like the alps idea and will look into it. Problem for us is that we have no idea of distances. To us a days drive is from Brisbane to Sydney and this is something that we do without even blinking. Europe all seems so close and basically it looks like we could go wherever. I have a yearning to do some wine regions in France. Julie
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32353 posts
julie, as Lee mentioned, there are lots of great places close to Basel that you could consider. Basel is a major rail hub in that area, so you it's easy and fast to travel by train from there; I wouldn't bother renting a car. March will likely be a bit "cool" in that area, so not sure whether the wine areas of the Alsace will be operating at that time? You could perhaps spend some time in the Alsace and some time in Lucerne? Cheers!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17442 posts
julie, you can use the Swiss rail website to see the travel times to various places. www.rail.ch for English. Try puttin gin "Basel" for a start, and places like colmar (in Alsace, a wine region), Luzern (in Switzerland), or other places in France that strike your fancy, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Distances are very small compared to Australia! And Basel is at the center of some beautiful parts of both France and Switzerland.
Posted by
New Paltz, NY
9110 posts
As Ken said, Basel is a major rail hub so why not go to Amsterdam?.....there are daily night trains from Basel to Amsterdam, Prague, Copenhagen, and Hamburg. In addition many areas of France can be reached in just a few hours via the high-speed TGV train. Switzerland in March is not my idea of fun.
Posted by
OP
brisbane
3 posts
Thanks for all these comments. Had not thought of rail at all but really would like to do something a bit different and this could be the go.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17442 posts
Basel to Colmar (in Alsace), under 45 minutes by train. . . . Lots of other nice places in France are similarly within easy reach. . . The alpine regions of Switzerland can be stunningly beautiful (and lots of fun) if one has any interest in snow sports, or simply in gazing at the mountains and enjoying the fireside and spa facilities offered in many resorts.