TR, Türkçe

Destinations

South KoreaJejuAll travel guides

Topics

Where to stayTravel vlog

About us

AboutContactEditorial policy
Skip to content
Where to Stay in Basel: Old Town, Kleinbasel and the Station

Where to Stay in Basel: Old Town, Kleinbasel and the Station

5 areasWhere to stay guide

Last updated:

Where to stay in Basel, in short: Grossbasel old town for a first visit, the Basel SBB area if you are moving on by train, Kleinbasel for the riverside. We walked the old town one rainy night, and the Rathaus, shopping street and Minster sit close together. See Basel hotels and prices  Ad

The best areas to stay in Basel

5 areas

The price column comes from a Booking search on 3 November 2026: Tuesday 8 December, two people, one night, first results page. Live prices are behind the area links.

Grossbasel Old Town

Around Marktplatz and the Minster

Best for a first visit and for walking back after dinner. We covered the Rathaus courtyard, Freie Strasse and the Minster here on one walk; distances are short, though parts are uphill and the cobbles get slippery in the rain. Prices also came out highest here in our search.

Best for: First visit, Christmas market

Price: CHF 213-774

Getting around: Walk to Marktplatz and the Minster

Sights: Minster and Münsterplatz , Rathaus courtyard 

Watch in the video · 11:43  Marktplatz in the rain

Browse hotels in Grossbasel Old Town  Ad

Kleinbasel

The Other Bank of the Rhine

Best if you want the river close by and a walk over Mittlere Brücke into the old town. Our video shows this bank from across the water. In Advent, Rheingasse turns into the Adväntsgass food street and Claraplatz gets an alpine hut.

Best for: The riverside

Price: from CHF 298

Getting around: Walk over Mittlere Brücke

Browse hotels in Kleinbasel  Ad

Near Basel SBB Station

Best for wheeling a case straight off the train and for day trips: Zurich 53 minutes, Colmar 40, Freiburg 36 at best (Omio, 3 November 2026). Airport bus 50 ends here. This area is not in our video; we added it for rail travellers.

Best for: Rail travellers, day trips

Price: CHF 130-304

Getting around: Trains, airport bus 50

Browse hotels in Near Basel SBB Station  Ad

Around Messe Basel

Best for trade fairs. Hyperion and Basel Marriott both stand on Messeplatz. During fair weeks, Art Basel included, check availability date by date.

Best for: Trade fairs

Price: CHF 207-287

Getting around: Messeplatz trams

Browse hotels in Around Messe Basel  Ad

Where to Stay in Basel for the Christmas Markets

The market runs on Münsterplatz and Barfüsserplatz from 26 November to 23 December 2026 (official information, November 2026); dates and hours are in our Basel Christmas market guide . We walked these squares in the rain, so put walking distance first.

More about this area

Barfüsserplatz: closest beds

Motel One is on Barfüssergasse, right beside the stalls.

Rheingasse: the food street side

Krafft and Volkshaus are on the Kleinbasel bank near the Adväntsgass. Check Volkshaus Basel prices  Ad

Book early in December

Our same-day search found 124 properties for Tuesday 8 December, 88 for Saturday 12 December and 150 for Tuesday 12 January (Booking, 3 November 2026). A weeknight makes it easier.

Other areas
Airport and Saint-Louisnot measuredEarly flights · Getting around: French exit, bus 11

Best Hotels in Basel: Our Picks Area by Area

No Basel hotel appears in our video, so we chose these by location and Booking score. Scores and review counts are from 3 November 2026; prices are for 8 December, two people.

Hotel Märthof Basel

Old town · Marktgasse 19

Beside Marktplatz: 9.2 (1,966 reviews).

Check Hotel Märthof Basel prices  Ad

Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois

On the Rhine, Grossbasel

The priciest in our search (CHF 774): 9.2 (315 reviews).

Check Les Trois Rois prices  Ad

Motel One Basel

Old town · Barfüssergasse 16

Mid-range next to the market: CHF 213, 8.7 (3,792 reviews).

Check Motel One Basel prices  Ad

Krafft Basel

Kleinbasel · Rheingasse 12

Riverside: 8.7 (1,237 reviews); the Adväntsgass runs along this street.

Check Krafft Basel prices  Ad

Mövenpick Hotel Basel

Near the station

9.0 (1,778 reviews); CHF 162 in January.

Check Mövenpick Hotel Basel prices  Ad

GAIA Hotel Basel

Station side

9.1 (1,007 reviews), CHF 304.

Check GAIA Hotel Basel prices  Ad

ibis Basel Bahnhof

By the station

A cheaper rail base: CHF 149, 8.0 (3,819 reviews).

Check ibis Basel Bahnhof prices  Ad

Basel Youth Hostel

St. Alban, 1.1 km from the centre

For a hostel: 8.5 (1,771 reviews).

Check Basel Youth Hostel prices  Ad

Basel Airport Hotels and Saint-Louis

Best for early flights or for driving on into Alsace. Hotel Berlioz EuroAirport scores 8.8 on Booking (1,322 reviews, 3 November 2026). The BaselCard stops at the French border, which makes this side less handy for the city. We used the French exit ourselves.

Apartments and Hostels

Every overnight guest in Basel gets the BaselCard, whether in a hotel, hostel, B&B or apartment (official information, November 2026). If the centre is full, a flat by the station or in Kleinbasel still comes with free trams.

Is there a hotel near Basel airport?

Yes, Hotel Berlioz EuroAirport is on the French side. Otherwise bus 50 reaches Basel SBB in about 20 minutes.

How much are hotels in Basel?

Much higher in December. Our 3 November 2026 search gave first-page prices of CHF 97-774 for Tuesday 8 December, against CHF 65-261 for Tuesday 12 January (two people, one night).

What should I check before booking?

Total price: compare with taxes and fees included. BaselCard: overnight guests get free buses and trams (official information, November 2026), so a hotel a little out of the centre still works. Country: some hotels sold as Basel are really in France or Germany.

Where should I stay for the Christmas market?

Grossbasel, within walking distance of Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz. See the Christmas card below.

Our Switzerland guides
German Phrases for Travel 

Where next

Basel guides

Basel Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Hours and Squares 

Basel Christmas market 2026: 26 November to 23 December, daily 11:00-20:30 on Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplat…

Spotted a change?

Spotted something different? Let us know .

AdAbout our affiliate links

Some of the hotel, flight, ticket and car rental links on this page are affiliate links. If you book through them, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we recommend. Affiliate disclosure 

Gezginbirchef logo
Gezginbirchef

Stuck choosing an area? Let's figure it out together

How many nights, how many of you, what is your budget… Tell us and we will answer from the hotels we stayed at and checked out.

Questions and answers are public: yours may help the next traveler who gets stuck in the same spot.

No questions yet. Be the first to ask.

Hi! Ask anything about this guide and I’ll answer right away: areas, getting around, budget…

Answers are generated instantly by AI from the information on this page; Halil reviews them and publishes the useful ones. Your question is sent to an AI service (Anthropic) to prepare the answer; no name or email is required. Privacy Notice