Basel

Basel is on the banks of river Rhine, one of the longest rivers in Europe. Rhine originates in Switzerland, and then passes through Austria, Liechtenstein, Germany, France, Luxembourg and Netherlands. It finally drains into the North Sea, close to Rotterdam. It is navigable and goods are transported from Switzerland and a few other countries to the port of Rotterdam from where the goods are transferred to ocean-going ships.

Basel borders Germany and France and is part of the TriRhena region. Basel is considered part of the German speaking part of the country and the people here mostly speak Swiss German, a dialect of the standard German.

Basel is the hub of the Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Companies like Novartis and Hoffman-La Roche are headquartered here. The Bank of International Settlements is also situated here.The University of Basel is one of the oldest in Europe.

It is quite easy to get around in Basel. Like many European cities, Basel has a well-connected network of trams and buses. Trains operate from Basel to almost every city in Switzerland and many Western European cities.

I currently stay in a hotel in Basel and I get a Mobility Ticket, which I use to travel in the trams for free. I am using this offer to explore the city. Off I go now.

More on Swiss transport, later.