Basel is different from the other days out of Zurich.
I would not start with a list of monuments.
I would start by checking what is hanging.
If Fondation Beyeler has an exhibition worth travelling for, I build the day around it. If you love Picasso, Holbein or contemporary art, I choose differently.
Basel has far too much art to try to see everything.
Two museums properly is better than five badly.
Start with the art
Fondation Beyeler is usually one of my first choices.
It sits just outside Basel in Riehen, in a beautiful Renzo Piano building surrounded by gardens. The architecture, natural light and art work together so well that I enjoy being there even before deciding what exhibition I have come to see.
In the centre, there is the Kunstmuseum Basel, with one of Europe’s great collections, from the Holbein family through modern and contemporary art.
And if I have a family with me, or somebody who tells me they don’t really like museums, I might choose Museum Tinguely instead.
The machines move, shake and make noise.
It is difficult to be bored there.
But I choose according to the guest.
I don’t send everybody to the same museums because they happen to be famous.
Then get outside
After a few hours of art, I want you outside.
Walk through the Old Town towards the Münster and the Pfalz terrace above the Rhine.
Then take one of Basel’s little ferries across the river.
They have no engine. The current does the work.
It takes a few minutes and it is one of my favourite small things to do in Basel.
In summer, you will also see locals floating down the Rhine with their clothes inside the brightly coloured waterproof Wickelfisch bags.
Basel lives with its river rather than simply looking at it.
Have lunch and decide what happens next
This is where I deliberately leave some space.
Have a proper lunch.
Then decide.
Another museum?
A walk through the Old Town?
A smaller gallery?
An aperitif beside the Rhine?
Maybe you have seen enough art for one day.
That is fine too.
A private tour does not need to become a competition about how many places we managed to enter.
A few places I keep for the right guest
There are small galleries I would choose for somebody genuinely interested in contemporary art.
There are courtyards and streets in the Old Town that I prefer to the obvious sightseeing route.
There are places beside the Rhine where I would happily lose an hour over a drink.
And because France and Germany sit right beside Basel, I can even take the day across the border if there is a reason to.
I don’t need to publish every stop.
Tell me what interests you and I choose from there.
And then there is Art Basel
During Art Basel in June, this becomes a completely different experience.
A private art guide takes you through the fair according to what you actually want to see, whether you collect, want to buy, already know the art world or simply want somebody knowledgeable beside you.
I can also work through my network for tickets, previews, openings, private events and exclusive access around Art Basel, including premiere and gala access when available.
I don’t promise access before it is confirmed.
But I know who to ask.
Hotels, restaurants, private transportation and the rest of the stay can all be arranged around the fair as well.
If Art Basel is the reason you are coming to Switzerland, tell me early.
From Zurich and back again
Basel is around an hour from Zurich, making it an easy private day.
Your private driver collects you at your hotel; the exhibitions are checked before you come and the day is built around what is actually worth seeing.
Usually that means one or two museums, the Old Town, the Rhine, a proper lunch and enough space to enjoy all of it.
Tell me what you love.
Or tell me you know absolutely nothing about art.
Both are good places to start.
Then I build Basel around you.
This is one of the private days we arrange from Zurich. Begin the conversation.