Best Christmas Things To Do in Basel, Switzerland

Basel Christmas Market Map and Other Holiday Activities

9 Favorite Christmas Things To Do in Basel

1) Go to the Christmas markets in Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz

Let’s start with the big one: the Baseler Weihnachtsmarkt. Basel is home to the oldest and arguably best Christmas market in Switzerland. Approximately 900,000 visitors stroll through the 150+ stalls annually. If you’re headed to Basel at the holidays it’s probably because you’ve heard good things about the markets . . . and rightly so.

Like in most European Christmas cities, Basel holds multiple markets around the city. There are two main markets – Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz –  located in the city’s Old Town section.

You’ll find a lot of references to a Claraplatz market located across the Rhine in the New Town area, but there are only a handful of food booths in Claraplatz proper. The main New Town market is Advantgäss located just across Mittlere Brücke (middle bridge). This market only offers food and drink and is primarily open after dark.

The focal point of Basel Christmas markets is Barfüsserplatz where dozens of markets fill the plaza and wind around the Barfuesserkirche. (This old church is now the Basel Historical Museum.) You’ll know you’re in the right place when you spot the distinctive Christmas pyramid next to the church.

My favorite Basel market was the one in Münsterplatz, located about a five-minute walk up the hill from Barfüsserplatz. While it is much smaller, it’s also much easier to navigate and decide what to buy or eat. This market features a children’s area called the Märchenwald (fairytale forest) with rides, activities, and workshops too.

Basel Christmas markets which are open every day from November 27 – December 23, 2025. The markets are open from 11 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. every day, with the exception of December 23 when the markets close slightly earlier.

5) Visit the Spielzeug Welten Museum (Toy World)

If it’s too far to pop up to the North Pole this holiday season, just pop over to the Spielzeug Welten Toy World Museum off of Barfüsserplatz. I guarantee it’ll be almost as good as visiting Santa’s workshop!

I’ll admit, I didn’t have high hopes for this museum, despite its many glowing reviews. After all, four stories of toys (especially teddy bears and miniatures) definitely runs the risk of being creepy.

But I was pleasantly surprised to find a ton of interesting toy history. The interactive tablet you use to navigate the museum makes your visit playful and entertaining. As cliche as it sounds, Spielzeug Welten really does spark childlike wonder and delight.

When we visited in 2024, their Christmas special exhibit featured advent calendars through the years. In a cozy, festively decorated nook, you could browse (and open!) dozens of digitized advent calendars. The exhibit also included a large advent calendar in the museum’s front windows. Since you pass by the museum frequently as you go to and from the Christmas markets, we made it a point to swing by and see what that day’s advent calendar window held every day of our visit!

The museum’s 2025 Christmas exhibit is “Wings Flap and Bells Ring: Christmas Messengers Between Heaven and Earth.” The exhibit runs for three months starting on November 8, 2025.

While you only need about 30-45 minutes to do the museum justice, it’s the perfect place to connect with your inner child. Obviously, if you have any littles in your group, the Spielzeug Welten Museum is a Basel must see and but I think it’s just as nice for adults, especially at Christmastime.

Tip: Remember to show your Basel pass at the front desk to receive discounted admission.

6) Get fancy hot chocolate at Hotel Les Trois Rois

You’ll find plenty of stands offering favorite Christmas market drinks like gluhwein, kinderpunsch, and hot chocolate in the Christmas markets, but I still highly recommend ducking out of the elements into the luxurious Hotel Les Trois Rois for an elegant hot chocolate pick-me-up.

Located on the banks of the Rhine, Hotel Les Trois Rois is said to be one of the oldest hotels in Switzerland. (I do love a posh Swiss hotel!) Not only are the hotel’s public spaces beautifully decorated for the holidays, the hotel’s name also has a Christmas connection since it’s believed the Three Kings referenced are the three magi from the Christmas story.

While the bar offers a full drink menu, for our festive purposes, we’re skipping the alcohol in favor of the hotel’s hot chocolate made from an exclusive house blend from Basel’s famous (and oldest) coffee house, Confiserie Schiesser. You can order L’Originale (milk chocolate), Purete Noire (72% dark chocolate), or the Marie Antoinette.

I opted for the Marie Antoinette which blends dark and milk chocolate with a little cinnamon and salted caramel. It really took the edge of a cold, rainy Saturday. (Pro tip: remember to pack an umbrella for the Christmas markets!) We especially enjoyed the little touch of a truffle on the side.

Seating is quite limited, so it’s best to make a reservation if you don’t want to wait for a seat at the bar. But if you’re feeling spontaneously like us, you can just wait in the lobby for the next opening.

We probably waited about 25 minutes before being squeezed in at the bar next to another American. Honestly, chatting with her while sipping hot chocolate is one of the coziest memories I have of our entire Christmas market trip.

7) Watch for special events like the Santa Niggi Naggi

While the destination Christmas markets mean there’s always something festive happening in Basel, the city also hosts several holiday events.

For example, the holiday seasons kicks off with the annual “Basler Stadtlauf,” or Basel City Run. This 5.5 km race sends participants sprinting through the decorated city center.   The 2025 race will be November 22. A 1k family run is also held.

You’ll definitely want to check out the Basel calendar of events to see what happenings overlap with your visit.

I definitely did NOT which meant we quite literally stumbled upon Santa costumed Harley Davidson motorcycle riders crossing the Mittlere Brücke bridge. As it turns out, we timed our exit from Hotel Les Trois Rois perfectly for the annual Harley Davidson Santa Niggi-Näggi.

What’s a Niggi-Näggi, you might ask? I wondered too!

It’s an annual Basel Christmas event that falls on the Saturday closest to St. Nicholas Day (December 6). The event features dozens of Harley Davidson motorcycle riders dressed like Santa and Mrs. Claus. The Santas and their holiday festooned bikes gather in New Town’s Messeplatz then ride across the Rhine via Mittlere Brücke to Marketplatz in front of City Hall where they distribute gifts.

8) Eat a Grättimanner or Grittibänz

Before I visited Basel, I knew all about gingerbread men, but I definitely wasn’t familiar with bread men. But the window of every bakery we passed in Basel, from high-end boulangeries to grocery stores, were piled high with bread men in all sizes.

Known as Grättimanner or Grittibänz, these sweet rolls are especially popular in Switzerland around St. Nicholas Day. Made from a simple enriched dough, the bread men range in size from abut 7 inches tall to 16 inches. The smaller, individual size definitely seemed the most popular. They’re coated with an egg wash and sometimes decorated with raisins (for eyes), pearl sugar, or even a chocolate stick that they “carry.”

Not only are they charming to look at, they’re also delicious. They reminded me a lot of hot cross buns which are very popular in the United Kingdom around Easter. One of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t spend my whole time in Basel stuffing my face with them. It was the last night of our stay before I finally broke down and bought one!  

Tips for visiting Basel at Christmastime

I truly believe Basel is at its very best for the year-end holidays, but these tips will help you get even more out of your holiday visit.

Use your Basel card and street cars to get around

No reason to pay for expensive cabs or wear out your feet just getting to Basel’s Christmas markets. The city has an extensive tram system that will whisk you to your destination.

If you’re staying in Basel proper, your lodging (whether hotel, hostel, or vacation rental) should set you up with a Basel Card which gives you free travel on the city’s public transportation. Since our apartment was just a block from a tram stop, it was so easy to come and go from the markets on a whim.

Take advantage of discounted museums admissions

Even if it is Christmas in Basel, you really can’t spend all day browsing market stalls and sipping gluhwein. Definitely carve out some time to visit at a couple of Basel’s more than three dozen museums. (The Kunstmuseum is a must for art lovers!) Happily, your Basel Card gets you half-priced admission to all Basel museums.

Make dining reservations

The Christmas markets draw a lot of visitors to Basel. If you have your heart set on fondue or another specific dining experience while you’re in town, be sure to make dinner reservations well in advance. Happily, even if you aren’t an A+ dinner planner, you can easily feed yourself from the plentiful food stands in the Christmas markets. Still, sometimes a girl just wants to sit down and be waited on, you know?!

Try to shop early in the day

With about 35,000 daily visitors, the Basel Christmas markets are definitely crowded affairs! If you don’t want to jostle elbow to elbow through the stalls while you shop for Christmas presents, go to the markets right when they open at 11 a.m. The markets are decidedly less magical in the daytime, but that also means no lines and time to carefully browse and circle back if needed.

Don’t worry (too much) about having cash

I went into our Christmas market trip assuming I would need cash to pay market vendors, but that simply isn’t the case in Switzerland. We paid exclusively with card or mobile pay at every single booth we visited in Basel. I felt very foolish for insisting we run to an ATM as soon as we arrived at the Barfüsserplatz Christmas market on our first day!

Still, it’s a good idea to have a little cash on hand just in case a vendor’s credit card terminal is acting up which we did see happen. Remember, you’ll always get the best exchange rate at an ATM. To save on fees, be sure to make sure you have the cash withdrawn as local currency; don’t let the machine convert it to USD!

Consider using the city as a launching point for other Christmas markets

Tucked right between France and Germany, a stay in Basel puts you in an excellent position to explore some of Europe’s best Christmas markets. You’re only about an hour’s train ride from Colmar in France’s Alsace region, Freiburg on the edge of Germany’s Black Forest, and other popular Swiss market towns like Zurich, Lucerne, Lausanne, or Bern.

Getting to Christmas in Basel

If I’ve convinced you to visit Basel, Switzerland for a Christmas visit, you’re probably wondering how to reach this fabulously festive Swiss City!

It’s worth noting that Basel is a small city of only about 150,000 residents. While you can fly directly into the small Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg International Airport located just across the border in Saint-Louis, France, you can avoid some layovers and save on airfare by flying into a large European airport. From there you can use Europe’s excellent rail system to reach Basel.

Conclusion: Why You Should Definitely Add Basel to Your European Christmas Market Itinerary

Basel might not be a top 10 European destination, but something magical happens to this small city in the days leading up to Christmas. With some of the best Christmas markets in the region, holiday festivities basically take Basel by storm during the advent season from late November through December 23.

But there’s a lot more to a Basel Christmas than just photogenic markets. The real Christmas magic is found in the enormous wish book in the City Hall foyer or nativity scenes tucked in Old Town shop windows.

If you’re lucky, your visit will coincide with some of the city’s special winter events like the City Run that quite literally kicks off the holiday season on the third Saturday of November or the Santa Niggi-Näggi motorcycle parade held near St. Nicholas Day.

You can also check out special art installations at Claraspital Christmas Park and other special Christmas museum at Basel museums like Haus zum Kirschgarten or Spielzeug Welten Museum (Toy World). Don’t forget to budget plenty of time (and let’s be honest, a few extra francs!) for a gourmet hot chocolate at Hotel Les Trois Rois or Confiserie Tea Room Schiesser.

I hope this post’s activity suggestions and tips for visiting Basel at Christmas helps you have the holiday visit of your dreams!

If you loved this round up of the Best Christmas Things to do in Basel, Switzerland, check out my other European Christmas market posts.

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