Activities in Basel for spring and summer

While the name might lead you to expect a traditional beer hall, Volkshaus Basel is a design attraction in its own right and far from folksy. Star Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron have created a dining space that is filled with light and clean lines, while retaining nods to classic brasserie interiors. Firmly Swiss with a touch of French, the menu aims for simple made special. Perennial Swiss favourites share the page with seasonal dishes including daily wild game specials in autumn. Desserts merit a mention thanks to creative flourishes with crème brulées, as does the cheese selection. In summer, the courtyard beer garden offers a shady nook to enjoy a cold beer. And meals from the Brasserie menu are also served here.  It's possible to combine dinner or drinks with some live music at the Volkshaus, which regularly stages concerts by local bands and bigger names, as well as a popular 'Jazz Brunch' event in the brasserie on weekends.

Anchored on the edge of the River Rhine, Schiff is a cultural centre with a restaurant and bar that extends over three decks. Schiff is known as a meeting place for creatives but its location makes it an ideal venue for anyone to enjoy views of Basel’s watery artery while wining and dining in chic surroundings. The main deck is home to a restaurant specialising in European cuisine and a bar/lounge with a hint of the South Seas. Menus read like modern upmarket gastro-pub fare, and are carefully prepared and presented. While the nautical theme might get a bit much (considering you’re clearly not actually on the high seas), the wooden decking of the terrace makes this place really come into its own in the summer when you can sit under the stars and enjoy late night Basel. Bon voyage.

One of Basel’s trendiest nightspots, this lounge bar and Italian restaurant makes the most of its setting in a renovated waterworks. The decor retains elements of its industrial past – steel grey walls, exposed pipes and brickwork – whilst being firmly contemporary at the same time. The low-lit main dining room, with its chandeliers and candles, will make anyone look good, while in summer the outdoor terrace is an inviting place to sit for lunch. The Osteria’s menu is split into three themes – for meat-lovers, fish fans and vegetarians – and includes classics such as wild ragu pasta and daily changing risottos, as well as larger mains. If you're here to drink rather than eat, visit the bar for a grappa by the fireplace or a cocktail and a spot of late-night dancing to its regular line-up of DJs.

Regarded as one of the best Italians in Basel, Aroma is an upmarket trattoria that offers a romantic atmosphere and excellent Italian cuisine. The dining room and the menu are kept deliberately small, to ensure that service and dishes are always at a high standard. Based mainly on specialties from the Rome region, the menu contains a nice selection of antipasti, pasta and meat dishes, all prepared with loving care by a talented team in the kitchen. Under the watchful eye of the hosts Stefano and Stefania, expect warm, friendly service and an inviting atmosphere that combine to create a memorable evening.

A busy and popular espresso bar, Del Mundo offers a taste of Brooklyn-style coffee in downtown Basel. While the menu is small, it’s perfectly formed for lunch or cappuccino hour, with ciabattas, soups and salads on the menu and home-made iced tea as an extra attraction in the summer. Unlike many cafes of this ilk, the service is warm and genuine and the interior does a good job of filling in between home and work as a nice place to hang out. The café itself is pretty small and its popularity means you are advised to get here early if you have your heart set on it for your lunchtime pick me up.

The Balz Klub in the middle of Gross Basel is a bar and music venue that exudes a warm and friendly vibe by combining different styles of music to attract a mixed clientele. Its Thursday night sessions are renowned as a place to get the weekend started with the help of a student-friendly party night. Fridays and Saturdays are more grown up, with various genres on offer and a mixture of local acts and distinguished international guests. Balz also hosts a stand-up comedy night on the first Wednesday of every month to keep things interesting.

A stylish locale that peddles wine, salami and cheese as its produce of choice, Consum is a favourite on the Basel bar scene. Situated in the heart of Klein Basel, the large windows invite you to peer in on your way past and the clever combination of cosy sofas for gossiping plus high tables for bar hoppers allows it to cater to different classes of drinker. If you’re new to Swiss gastronomy, this would be a low-effort place to start, thanks to the broad selection of artisanal tapas plates source from small-scale local producers. The wine menu features Swiss vintages too, although the wine list is extensive and regularly updated to include wines and ports from around the world.

Hamabama looks like your ‘five-a-day’ times ten, with its bright décor and array of fruit and vegetables arranged on the counter. The juice bar strives to make healthy eating tasty and accessible for everyone, and to take one look at its appetising menu is to see this philosophy in action. Featured in the fresh juices, smoothies, power shots and salads is an A to Z of nutrient-rich produce, such as oranges, fennel, apples and wheatgrass. It is conveniently located, too. In the arcade just off central Gerbergasse, it is just the stop-off that flagging shoppers need.

Noonh offers several enticing spaces for you to enjoy. Pull up a seat at the sushi bar, enjoy à la carte dining indoors or out, and make time for a cocktail and chill on the roof terrace, where you'll often find DJs and live music playing. 

With a string of ‘best of’ awards to its name, Theater Basel can add that it is Switzerland’s largest multipurpose theatre company. It has three main stages and presents a broad programme including opera, theatre, ballet and productions for children. There is something for everyone, with both classical and contemporary works on the programme. Keep an eye on it, as the theatre frequently premieres new works. 

Billed as a ‘theatre for young and old’, Basel’s well-known puppet theatre is exactly that, staging afternoon performances aimed at children and darker tales for adults during the evening. Performance styles vary wildly – if you thought puppetry was just Miss Piggy or Big Bird you’ll be thoroughly surprised by the cast of characters performing here, from life-size puppets to stringed creations and cute hand puppets. The repertoire is diverse too, including universally known tales such as Pinocchio along with Swiss German and international stories. Showing that puppetry isn’t just for kids, the adult programme tells such dark tales as Doctor Faustus in string-puppet form.

With more than 1,500 seats and an impressive stage, the Musical Theater Basel is thought to be one of Switzerland's most impressive venues.

EVITA is one of the world's best known musical production of a country girl becoming the icon of a nation. Charting the unprecedented career of the Argentinian First Lady Eva Perón, EVITA is the brainchild of of theatre mogul Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice from the seventies. On from July 11-16 at Musical Theater Basel, EVITA has one of the best musical soundtracks in the history of theatre, such as the ballad "Don't Cry For Me Argentina", accompanied with elegant choreographies, opulent equipment and an outstanding orchestra. For you chance to win tickets to this amazing show, simply answer the following question: Fill out my Wufoo form!

When Parfumerie Hyazinth opened in 1921, it was called ‘Shop of Specialities’. Among its perfumes were creative blends of powders and all the leading brands of the era. Little has changed. Now renowned among connoisseurs throughout Europe, Hyazinth stocks a carefully selected line of exquisite niche perfumes and labels including Floris, Tom Ford, Clive Christian, Byredo and Miller Harris. The sales team is well trained to offer advice, and it is worth talking to them before investing. The shop itself is a little haven of luxury in central Basel, and also offers indulgence in the form of a wellness area on the second floor. 

Dust off your fedora and hit the mid-week flea market of Barfüsserplatz, in an attempt to find rare trinkets and objects to claim. A second flea market takes place in Petersplatz every Saturday.

Held on Petersplatz every Saturday, Basel’s popular fleamarket is a great place to rummage for a few choice finds at a bargain price, including vintage handbags, old manual cameras, silverware and china plates, secondhand clothes and children’s toys. Prices are reasonable and the friendly stallholders are happy to answer questions and barter over a sale. You may even find yourself haggling with a schoolboy, as local children are allowed to sell their toys in the middle of the square.

Although not to be confused with the area in Basel, label kleinbasel does share creative characteristics with its geographical namesake. Founded in 2001 by award-winning Basel designer Tanja Klein, the label stands for design and craftsmanship. Klein’s fascination with colour, fabrics and prints means window displays are tantalising. Meanwhile, if you part with cash to buy a piece, you can rest assured that it has been produced fairly using materials from Swiss and European suppliers. Still not convinced? A mark of the label’s popularity is its opening last year of a branch in Zurich’s Viadukt.

At fashion designer Claudia Güdel’s headquarters in a former garage in Kleinbasel, you can see the magic happen. Behind the rails of clothing is a collection of sewing machines, samples and pattern pieces. You might even meet Claudia herself, if she isn’t busy in one of her branches in central Basel and Zurich. The label started life 12 years ago with menswear and accessories, but has since branched out into women’s wear. The style is minimalist and elegant but functional, with Swiss-produced technical fabrics and natural fibres at the heart of the pieces. Call in advance if you want to visit the headquarters in Kleinbasel.

A bar, restaurant, music venue and club in one, Hirscheneck is a venerable and eye-opening Basel institution, run since 1979 by a highly politicised collective for arty alternative types as well as the LGBT patrons who are its core clientele. Dining, which is mainly on vegetarian and vegan fare with a few organic meat dishes thrown in, takes place at long canteen tables, and generally comes with a side order of philosophical or left-leaning political discourse with your neighbours – a refreshing change in this most buttoned-down of burgs. Then there’s the nightlife, whose wildly varied scope includes punk and thrash bands, world music DJ sets, comedy shows, lesbian and transgender discos and good old-fashioned homo dance parties. Recently reopened after an extensive renovation, it’s a ballsy, brainy and beautiful mould-breaker.

People like to refer to it as a behemoth on Basel’s club scene, and there doesn’t seem to be too much competition if this is your style of nightlife. A gigantic technoclub, Nordstern specialises in bringing techno to the discerning masses. Even without the music, it’s an immensely cool industrial space that emerged from the underground workings of a power plant. Clubbing at Nordstern is carefully managed to try to help guests enjoy a transcendent experience – expect sound that has a profound physical effect and crowds of fellow clubbers dancing gleefully to an illustrious roll call of international artists late, late into the night. A strict door policy for over 20s only applies and is rigorously enforced.

While the location might not seem too promising, stranded in no man’s land between Basel-Land and Basel-Stadt, it’s ideal for Hinterhof and its youthful and edgy clientele. An enormous party house, Hinterhof is a huge bar-and-dance complex housed in an old fruitmarket that has truly seen better days. Punters come here primarily for the music, which ranges from big name international artists, to eclectic art projects and to local club DJs playing to a loyal following. The urban setting feels miles away from quaint and historic downtown Basel, with a landscape of carparks and train tracks visible from the roof terrace. If you don’t think you’re cool enough for a warehouse rave, you can sit up here insteads, enjoy one of the decently-priced cocktails and watch the sun go down.

Making good use of the spacious former Warteck brewery building, this cocktail bar, music venue and cultural centre has a wide range of events, from concerts and theatre to DJ nights and LGBT club queerPlanet and even poetry slams. With palm trees and a disco ball, it’s a cheerful sort of place, particularly during happy hour. It also serves delicious tapas and a decent Sunday brunch.

Located in what used to be Zurich's most beautiful cinema, Plaza club has a lot of charm and atmosphere and regularly hosts some of the best national and international house DJs. But their signature night is all about girls, not music. Their monthly burlesque show 'Oh la la Chérie' attracts a dolled and dressed up crowd and some of the best burlesque artists in Europe.