The Basel Switzerland Christmas Market (Day Trip) Guide

basel, switzerland

The Swiss City on the Edge of France and Germany

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basel CHRISTMAS MARKETS

Is the Basel Christmas Market Worth Visiting and Exploring Basel’s Christmas Markets

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exploring basel in a day

Things to Explore During Your Basel Christmas Market Wanderings

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THINGS TO BUY AT THE basel CHRISTMAS MARKETS

That We Haven’t Seen at Other Christmas Markets

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CHRISTMAS MARKET DAY TRIPS FROM basel

Freiburg, Cologne, Strasbourg

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how to get to basel

Flying, Driving or Taking the Train to Basel

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WHERE TO STAY IN basel

Where to Stay in Basel

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Hello

If this is your first time on The Weithouse - welcome! My name is Taylor and I’m the face behind the screen and camera bringing you resources to help you plan the trip of your dreams.

In this Basel Christmas Market (Day Trip) Guide, we’re sharing everything you need to know to visit the Christmas Markets in Basel, Switzerland. We visited the Basel Christmas market in early December 2023 and it was our first experience with the Swiss Christmas Markets.

basel, switzerland

Basel is a Swiss city sitting at the crossroads of Switzerland, Germany and France, so close in fact to France and Germany that within just a few minutes drive you could be in any of the three countries.

Basel is the third-largest city in Switzerland, but with a population of roughly 180,000 people, it’s still relatively small when compared to other large European cities.

Walking around Basel, you can feel a mix of both city and village elements. There is public transit running through the city, and Basel itself is split into two parts, cut in half by the Rhine River. However, despite offering a public transportation option, the city is quite compact and walkable, and you can easily discover all of Basel by foot.

THE basel CHRISTMAS MARKETS

The Christmas markets in Basel are considered to be some of the prettiest and largest in Switzerland, and although they are the only markets in Switzerland I’ve had the opportunity to visit, I can agree that they are beautiful!

The dates for the Basel Christmas markets are 27 November to 23 December 2025, and the markets in Basel can be found in three different locations across the city: Barfüsserplatz, Münsterplatz and Claraplatz.

Is the Basel Christmas Market Worth Visiting

Before we dive into the actual Christmas markets in Basel, you might be wondering if the Basel Christmas markets are worth visiting. I know it can feel overwhelming when planning a European Christmas Market trip to narrow down or even select which place you want to visit at Christmas.

After visiting nearly 20 Christmas markets in France, Germany and Austria, we can say that the Basel Christmas Market is worth it! I absolutely fell in love with the architecture of Basel and it was the perfect backdrop for all of the Christmas decor and festivities.

A visit to the Basel Christmas market was the highlight of a larger Black Forest Christmas market trip, and it ended up being mine and my fellow travelers’ favorite market out of the 8 markets we visited during that trip.

basel Christmas market at Barfüsserplatz

We kicked off our day in Basel by exploring the Christmas market at Barfüsserplatz. The Christmas market at Barfüsserplatz sits in front of the old church, now museum: Basel Historical Museum (which you can pop inside to discover more about the history of Basel).

The market wraps around the church and offers a variety of gift items, and various food and drinks to warm you up if its snowing like it was when we visited!

At the Barfüsserplatz I especially loved discovering the smoking santa hut (one of my favorite Christmas market items to purchase), as well as listening to the silly singing moose heads.

Basel Christmas market at Münsterplatz

After exploring the market in Basel at Barfüsserplatz, we walked the short distance to the next market at Münsterplatz. My breath was taken away upon entering the Münsterplatz, with its peaceful snow covered architecture and tranquil setting.

The Münsterplatz market is a great spot to grab market food as there is an entire section of the market dedicated to all things food! There are also some gift vendors here, and this is an especially great market for children. There is a little section with cute rides and a couple of Christmas market stalls offering kid-friendly activities.

exploring basel

During our day trip to Basel, we mostly focused on the Basel Christmas markets listed above, however, as you’re wandering from market to market you can easily see some other Basel highlights to enjoy on your day there.

Basler Münster

While discovering the Münsterplatz market, be sure to soak up the dramatic beauty of the red cathedral, Basler Münster. You can enter the cathedral and also climb to the top of the cathedrals towers (which we should have done - but my pregnant at the time self was too tired), for what I imagine are beautiful views over the square.

You can also wander through Basler Münster’s courtyard (Basler Münster Kreuzgang) with its stunning hallways with windows mirroring those of the cathedral itself.

WAlk towards Mittlere Brücke

From Basler Münster, we routed ourself to the old bridge of Basel: Mittlere Brücke. On the way we strolled through the old town where I fell in love even more with Basel’s architecture as we passed lovely wooden doors, and shutters painted in a soft red or green.

Right before the bridge, we popped into the adorable ceramics store, Motel a Miio Basel - a great spot to grab a few additional Christmas gifts (or a treat for yourself).

warm up with a cup of Coffee in basel

Everywhere I travel, I love to find a good coffee spot. I think it’s a great way to take a break, enjoy good interior design, and get to understand a bit more of the culture through people watching (and pastry eating).

During our Christmas market day trip to Basel, we enjoyed two coffee shops: Moment and La Boulangerie (which has permanently closed).

Cafe Moment

Cafe Moment was located near Barfüsserplatz and was especially interesting as little did I know it was a silent cafe. Yep - you heard that right.

From Moment’s website: It's quiet here. No music playing here.No speaking here. Here is the one moment.

My silly, unprepared self had a hard time taking it seriously, but I do imagine that it’s a lovely experience if you go in expecting that and maybe want some time to be alone with your thoughts.

Other coffee shops we didn’t have a chance to try but look interesting in Basel:

• Daniska Specialty Coffee & Matcha Bar

• Bäckerei KULT

• Bean in Progress

THINGS TO BUY AT THE basel CHRISTMAS MARKETS

You won’t have any issue discovering on your own what to purchase at the Basel Christmas markets, but here are a few things that stood out to me in Basel (compared to items we’ve seen elsewhere at Christmas markets).

• Smoking Santas: Smoking santas are probably my favorite Christmas market item to purchase, and I was so delighted when I spotted the stall at the Barfüsserplatz market in Basel.

• Christmas Village Houses: Spotted at a Christmas market hut in Barfüsserplatz market, if you have any one who loves creating Christmas villages, this was a beautiful display of village houses and items.

• Springerle (Cookie Press): I purchased some of the beautiful cookie presses (pictured below), for my friend who loves baking. I stood at this stand for a long time as they were some of the most beautiful little items I had ever seen! When we visited the stall was at the Münsterplatz market.

If you’re looking for more Christmas items (and just love Christmas), be sure to head to the famous Christmas store in Basel: Johann Wanner Christmas House & Swiss Souvenirs. Open year round, here you will discover all things Christmas decor, especially hand-blown and hand-painted Christmas decorations.

CHRISTMAS MARKET DAY TRIPS FROM basel

Basel would make a great hub for your Christmas market travels, as you can easily access many other Swiss, German and French cities either by car or train in under an hour from Basel. Here are some easy Christmas market day trips from Basel:

• Freiburg, Germany: A one-hour drive and 40-minute train

• Baden-Baden, Germany: A one-and-half-hour drive

• Zurich, Switzerland: A one-hour drive and one-hour train

• Lucerne, Switzerland: A one-hour drive and one-hour train

• Bern, Switzerland: A one-hour drive and one-hour train

• Eguisheim, France (Alsace Region): An under one-hour drive

• Mulhouse, France: 30-minutes by car, 20-minutes by train

• Colmar, France (Alsace Region): A one-hour drive and one-hour train (with change at Mulhouse)

• Strasbourg, France (Alsace Region): A one-and-half-hour drive and one-hour direct train

how to get to basel

We ended up adding Basel to our larger Christmas market road trip, as it was an easy 55-minute drive from our base in Freiburg, Germany. As Basel is the intersection of France, Germany and Switzerland, it can easily be accessed by car from many cities within all three countries.

Basel can be accessed by train from the above mentioned cities, as well as from other major European cities like Paris, Frankfurt and Milan. We love using Trainline to book all of our train travel throughout Europe.

You can also fly into Basel via the airport: EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg.

Where to Stay in basel

If this guide has inspired you to use Basel as a base for your Christmas market explorations, and you’re looking for a wonderful hotel accomodation in the city, below are a few we found that we think would fit the bill.

Boutique & Design Hotel Volkshaus Basel

A hotel in the center of Basel, perfect for experiencing the Basel Christmas markets and discovering all that Basel has to offer.

Landgasthof Riehen Hotel and Restaurant, Basel

A family hotel a bit outside of Basel’s city center, with access to the city via tram. A great hotel option for easy access driving to other destination outside of Basel.

STICK AROUND FOR A WHILE

Need help planning the rest of your European Christmas Market trip?

From Basel, you can easily explore the Christmas markets in the Alsace region of France, take the train to Paris for Christmas, or fly to other major Christmas market cities like Munich and Cologne.

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