The historic streets and beautiful setting of this Swiss city inspired some of the 20th century's greatest thinkers, and it's little wonder, writes Mal Rogers
BASLE, THE reputedly buttoned-up Swiss city of design and culture, has an impressive history. But not, perhaps, quite as conservative as you might think. Because in this outwardly Calvinist city, psychedelia and philosophy have enjoyed a prominent role.
Nietzsche, Erasmus, Hesse and Holbein all strolled along the leafy banks of the Rhine pondering, all the while unaware that Basle would soon become the unlikely setting for an extraordinarily seminal, and resonant, event.
Picture a dreary Friday afternoon in 1943. In one of Basle's major pharmaceutical companies, Dr Albert Hofmann is experimenting on fungus, hoping to extract a cure for migraine. Feeling a bit odd, he decides to call it a day. He makes his way across the fast-flowing Rhine, which makes a lazy right-hand turn just before entering German territory. He heads into the Old Town, through the 700-year-old Spalentor gate tower and past the elegant 16th-century town hall. But he sees none of these architectural delights. Instead his eyes are assailed by "an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures . . . a kaleidoscopic play of colours". And that's just the good bits.
Because what our Hofmann had discovered wasn't a cure for migraine at all but LSD.
Today Basle's cobbled streets speak of high living rather than of hallucinogens. Its baroque town houses were once the des reses of Huguenot refugees involved in the silk trade, who were at the forefront of dye-processing - this industry was the forerunner of Basle's world-dominating pharmaceutical companies, the impetus for Hofmann's trip.
But it's not all baroque 'n' roll. Basle has more eye- popping architecture than you could shake a guidebook at. They say that the sober Swiss, had they been consulted, would never have come up with anything as outre as the Alps. No such caution attaches to the architecture. Mein Gott (as they say locally, this being a German-speaking canton), they even have a signal box in Basle designed by Herzog and de Meuron, of Tate Modern fame.
Basle has formal splendour, too. The majestic Münster cathedral is a cloud-piercing marvel. From the Münsterplatz steep lanes thread down through leafy courtyards, medieval churches and cosy inns. Switzerland's non-qualification for the big events of 1914-18 and 1939-45 left its cities largely intact.
The Rhine bisects Basle. To the southwest lies GrossBasle: basically, ancient Basle and glitzy shopping streets. Beyond the north bank lies KleinBasle, full of ethnic eateries, laid-back nightlife - oh, and two other countries. Both Germany and France are within three kilometres. Apparently, there's a pub where you can drink in Switzerland and pee in Germany. Whether you need your passport I couldn't say.
Basle's rattling trams will deliver you to pubs, clubs, shops and a bewildering range of museums dedicated to everything from puppets to pharmaceuticals. But for particularly juicy history, you don't even need to go museum-mooching. Just pop into the Les Trois Rois Hotel. There's no telling what you might come up with. Because this inn, dating back to 1026, has been midwife to momentous ideas. The eponymous three kings were in fact Emperor Conrad II, Heinrich III and Rudolf III of Burgundy, and they would book BB here to thrash out matters of sovereignty. This was evidently a fruitful meeting, as the citizens of Switzerland - basically a bunch of German, Italian and French hill farmers - became the richest people on earth.
Ever since, not surprisingly, most of the crowned heads of Europe have crashed at Les Trois Rois, obviously a fecund place for scheming. It was while standing here on a balcony, gazing down on the Rhine, that Theodor Herzl came up with his big idea: a new state called Israel.
Even if nation-building isn't on your mind, you could still order a Bellini, sink into a sofa and think great thoughts. Perhaps even come up with the odd imponderable yourself, such as: how come in this land of chocolate and cheese, the citizens are among the classiest-looking and sveltest in Europe? It doesn't seem fair.
Go there Basle
Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to Basle from Dublin on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Aer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) flies daily to Geneva, and to Zurich on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Zurich is 75km from Basle - less than an hour by train. Geneva is two and a half hours from Basle by train.
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT AND WHAT NOT TO MISS ON A VISIT
5 places to stay
Les Trois Rois. Blumenrain 8, 00-41-61-2605050, www.lestroisrois.com. One river, three kings, five-star opulence. Les Trois Rois has been innkeeper to Europe's great and good (and Wags) since 1026. Its arts-and-culture package includes brekkie, admission to museums, transport, breakfast, sauna and fitness facilities, with views over the Rhine. Doubles from €315.
Krafft. Rheingasse 12, 00-41-61-6909130, www.hotelkrafft.ch. Hermann Hesse wrote Steppenwolf here, and no wonder: the hypnotic views across the river to the medieval town would be enough to awaken the muse in anyone. Doubles from €155.
Teufelhof. Leonhardsgraben 49, 00-41-61-2611010, www.teufelhof.com. With each of its rooms decorated by a different artist, your companion for the night is likely to be a sculpture or intriguing light installation. A small theatre in the hotel guarantees a dramatic stay. Doubles from €180.
Dorint. Schönaustrasse 10, 00-41-61-6957000, www.dorint.de. In KleinBasle's Messe district, with its cafes and bohemian atmosphere, the bright cheery rooms at the Dorint complement the bustling atmosphere. Doubles from €120.
Au Violon. Im Lohnhof 4, 00-41-61-2698711, www.au-violon.com. Whimsical comfort in the Old Town, overlooking a tree-lined courtyard. Manages the clever trick of being both grand and groovy. Double rooms €80.
5 places to eat
Chez Donati. Sankt Johanns-Vorstadt 48, 00-41-61-3220919. Dine on the Rhine at the best Italian restaurant in town - terrific cross-river views included.
Lily's Stomach Supply. Rebgasse 1, 00-41-61-6831111, www.lilys.ch. An eclectic menu here. Serious heat fans should go for the Persian vindaloos; for traditionalists, the fondue is as cheesy as you'll get anywhere.
Balthazar. Steinenbachgässlein 34, 00-41-61-2818151. A gourmet restaurant with an inventive take on Mediterranean food. Snails are the signature dish.
Restaurant Wilhelm Tell. Spalenvorstadt 38, 00-41-61-2611538. Solid Swiss fare: sausages, schnitzels, fondues. Also serves a definitive dish of rösti, which would qualify as a World Heritage dish, were there such a status.
BarRouge. Messeplatz 10, 00-41-61-3613031, www.barrouge.ch. On the top floor of the Messeturm, Switzerland's tallest building. Ideal for nibbles, amuse bouches, cocktails and extraordinary views - even from the stalls in the toilets.
5 places to go
Central Signal Box. Basle SBB train station. Herzog and de Meuron's shimmering monolith, sheathed in horizontal copper strips, is best viewed from the Munchensteiner railway bridge.
Schaulager Art Gallery. Ruchfeldstrasse 19, 00-41-61-3353232, www.schaulager.org. With more than 40 world-class art galleries and museums, the city guarantees cultural gee-whizzery on a grand scale.
Cable ferry. Just by Mittlere Rheinbrucke (middle bridge), www.faehri.ch. Press the bell and the ferry will head, crab-like, across the river. Affixed to an overhead cable, propulsion is entirely by the current of the Rhine.
The Münster. Münsterplatz, 00-41-61-2712182. Resplendent in red sandstone and black granite, the cathedral dominates the city from its soaring Rhineside terrace. Built in Romanesque and Gothic styles, its views and sepulchral calm make it an unmissable ecclesiastic excursion.
Beyeler Fondation. Baslestrasse 101, 00-41-61- 6459700, www.beyeler.com/ fondation. Collection featuring Peace Through Chemistry by Roy Lichtenstein and Nu Bleu II by Matisse. If you've only time for one exhibit, Monet's Water Lilies is in a room overlooking a lake.
Check out
Tinguely Museum. Paul Sacher-Anlage 1, www.tinguely.ch. Featuring the kinetic sculptures of Jean Tinguely, your first reaction may well be that here was a man who was evidently barking. Unbelievably complex machines do nothing more than, for instance, wave a feather or make a mechanical teddy bear nod his head.
Hit the shops
Johann Wanner's specialist Chrimbo store (Spalenberg 14, 00-41-61-2614826) is stuffed with knick-knacks the year round. In the heart of the Old Town, the Spalenberg offers intriguing retail opportunities from millinery to jewellery.
A good night out
In a country where, allegedly, the craic is only about 17 nationwide, there seems to be an awful lot of clubs caning it at full throttle. Basle has its share. For up-for-it folk, Acqua (Binningerstrasse 14, 00-41-61-2716300, www.acquabasilea.ch), occupying a former waterworks, is the place.
Hot spot
Summer temperatures sizzle in the mid-30s, so join hundreds of Baslers and plunge into the Rhine. Be sure to keep to the right-hand side - barges to Rotterdam use the left lane.
Before you go
Check out a map: Basle is at the southern tip of the Upper Rhine lowland. This topographical serendipity means that the city is officially the sunniest (although not the hottest) part of Switzerland, so pack your sunglasses.