The best museums to visit in the city of Basel

The Haus zum Kirschgarten was built for the silk ribbon manufacturer and army colonel Johann Rudolf Burckhardt between 1775 and 1780. The mansion designed by the architect Johann Ulrich Büchel attests to his client’s wealth and status and is a tour de force of early Neoclassical style, influenced in part by Masonic concepts. It has been a museum of domestic culture since 1951. Most of the interior is devoted to the 18th- and 19th-century period rooms formerly inhabited by Basel’s bourgeoisie. But the museum also houses several special collections and hosts mini-exhibitions, such as that on Sheikh Ibrahim.

Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday 11 AM to 5 PM

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No matter whether it is driving in a car race, going to school or playing in the park, these dolls and teddybears from the past would like to take you on a journey of discovery. The collection with over 2,500 old teddybears is the largest of its kind in the world. This diversity is enhanced by the special exhibitions on selected themes that are held in a continual basis.

The Ristorante La Sosta is the perfect place to recharge your batteries after viewing the exhibitions. The museum shop has a wide range of souvenirs and gifts for sale. There is wheelchair access throughout the museum.

There are three departments in the toy museum in Riehen: Technology in the Nursery, Wooden Toys, and The World of Dolls. In each of these areas, visitors have the chance to answer such fun questions as: What do boys love and what do girls dream about? What did toys look like a century ago? How can you build the most stable tower of blocks? The display includes toys spanning two centuries such as tin cars, railways, magic lanterns, clay animals, dolls, stoves, shops and doll houses. Famous toy brands such as Steiff and Märklin are on display as well as Swiss brands like Stokys and Carlit. Changing special exhibitions ensure that imaginations, both young and old, are stimulated.

The building and home of toys from top to bottom is located on the Barfüss Platz in Basel. Dolls, doll houses, old little shops, carousels and the world’s largest teddy bear collection: Over 6000 exhibited objects warm children’s hearts and recall the good old days and awaken nostalgia in adults. In particular because the collection appears live - in the form of real settings such as seated in a classroom, on the racetrack or even playing in the park.

The entire building is wheelchair accessible - and a digital listening device is available to those with hearing difficulties. Furthermore, the Basel Toy Worlds Museum now offers a new service to its visitors. The own smartphone or tablet may be used as an interactive Museum guide.

Diverse exhibitions of varying themes also take place inside the toy world museum; such as the story of umbrellas and precious eggs from the Russian empire. And if you feel like a break between toying around... take a seat in the Ristorante La Sosta!

As one of the five large public museums of the canton Basel-Stadt it was placed in buildings of historical importance in the center of town (in front of the Kunstmuseum). The permanent collections date mainly from the Egyptian, Greek, Italic, Etruscan and Roman cultures, thus covering a period of time from the 4th millennium B.C. to the 6th century A.D. Sculptures and pottery (Greek vases) occupy a central position within the museum, but gold jewellery, bronze statuettes and clay figures are also worthily represented. The dialogue between antiquity and the present time is broadened by an additional facet, the Museum of Ancient Art not only acting as a trustee of cultural possessions but also as a dynamic place in the cultural scene. The special exhibitions which have been arousing considerable public attention even beyond the Swiss borders, are part of the museum's marked commitment.

The Schaulager is a quite unique place. Here, art is seen and considered in a very different way. The Schaulager is primarily aimed at a scientific audience with a research and teaching focus. With exhibitions and special events the Schaulager is occasionally open to the general public and hence offers the opportunity to become familiar with its work.

Natural objects - the largest as well as the smallest - are there to be discovered, inspected and contemplated. A memorable experience. The exhibitions cover virtually all aspects of the natural sciences: from the history of the earth to indigenous minerals, from extinct to living mammals, from mammoths to insects.

The series is made up of remains of prehistoric pile dwelling settlements from the period 5000 to 500 BC. Although they lay dormant beneath numerous layers of sediment, it’s possible to "view" this natural phenomenon thanks to the iPhone or Android “Palafittes Guide” application. And there’s plenty of interesting information worth reading on the app. At many locations, the app shows you what treasures from the past slumber under your feet - or in front of you - at the bottom of the lake. Remnants from the pile dwellings and lakeside dwellers who once lived here. In addition to a map of the sites from the lacustrine age you also find lots of useful information and texts on topics such as tradition, settlements, scientific methods and the importance of the prehistoric pile dwellings as world cultural heritage.These settlements are found under water, by lakes and rivers and in wetlands. Pile constructions provide exceptional conditions for the preservation of organic materials such as wood, textiles as well as plant and bone remains.

The five pile dwellings on Lake Biel are among the finest prehistoric sites in the world. And amazingly enough, despite them having laid dormant beneath many layers of sediment since time eternal, thanks to the iphone and Android “Palafittes Guide“ App, one can actually "view" them today. The valuable App provides a wealth of interesting facts and information worth reading!

In addition, numerous special exhibitions, museums, private collections and archaeological parks provide visitors an opportunity to immerse in history and reconstructed pile dwellings of times long gone by.

UNESCO World Heritage ticket

Attractive offers associated with Switzerland’s natural and cultural treasures
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Palafittes Guide
Laténium, Hauterive: Switzerland’s largest archaeological museum, with a focus on the pile dwellings.
Pile-dwelling village Gletterens