Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Half Day in Basel & Bern

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Since we're back to Basel from Colmar, therefore we decided to have a brief and short trip of this town lies in the north-western corner of Switzerland. Bear in mind that the train tickets to and fro Colmar don't cover under the Swiss Travel Pass and therefore, you have to purchase a separate ticket at the ticket counter or office. 

EXPLORING AROUND BASEL
Apparently, Basel has two main railway stations and majority all the trains run from Basel SBB which is about 1km south of city centre. And when we were in Basel, we rely on the tram to get from one point to another point.  

#1: In Basel, we took tram to explore the town. 

From Basel SBB, we took tram to Marktplatz, the market square in the old town of Basel. Numerous of fresh fruits, vegetables, breads, pastries and flowers are sold in the market and on every Saturday mornings are the busiest. Situated just besides the market place is the Rathaus or Town Hall which is the home to the Basel government and parliament. Currently, it's still in official use, but visitors are allowed to wander into the courtyard, or if you are interested to know more, you can join a guided tour with Basel Tourism

#2: The Rathaus or Town Hall, home to the Basel government and and parliament 

#3: Visitors are allowed to enter and visit the courtyard for free. 

How To Get To Basel Marktplatz (Market Square) & Rathaus (Town Hall):
From Basel SBB Station, take tram T8, T11 and B30.
Opening Hours for Rathaus: 8am to 5pm (Closed on every Saturday)

We continued with our exploration to Markthalle, an indoor food market that serve wide range of international cuisines from the various stalls such as Thai, Vietnamese, Lebanese, Afghan, Peruan, Argentinian and more. Price wise, it ranges between CHF15 to CHF25 which I found it's pretty fair. 
 
#4: Markthalle, a covered market that serves various of international cuisines under the roof.

How To Get To Basel Markthalle:
3 minutes of walking from SBB Basel station. 
Opening Hours: 8am to 7pm on Monday
                           8am to 12am on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
                           8am to 2am on Friday and Saturday 
                           8am to 5pm on Sunday

There are many things to do and see in Basel but because we're pressed for time, we only managed to visit 2 places only before we move on to Bern. From Basel, it takes roughly an hour by train to Bern and this route is covered under Swiss Travel Pass. 
 
EXPLORING AROUND BERN
In order to get around Bern, we took both buses and trams. 

#5: Bahnhof Bern 

From Bahnhof Bern (the main train station), we took bus to Rosengarten, a lovely park with a view overlooking the Bern town. This place can be easily reached by bus #10 where you can catch it from the Bern railway station in direction of Ostermundigen RĂ¼ti and the bus ride takes roughly 10 minutes plus. There were lots of a group of families and friends gathered together to have picnic or even sunbathing when we're there but I still found this place to be peaceful and relaxing. Wish I could spend more time here! 

#6: Bern has officially become one of my favourite cities/town in Switzerland.  

#7: Rosengarten, a lovely park with a view overlooking the Bern town

From Rosengarten, we walked down the hill to the bear pits which is not far away - less than 10 minutes of walking. This is one of the coolest attractions that I came across cause first, it's open to public. Secondly, the bears are so adorable, though they were lazing around. Apparently, bears are the symbol of Bern and you can see this on their flag. 

#8: Bear pits right in the middle of the city where visitors can sight the bears for free

A trip to Bern is incomplete without visiting the old town which has earned a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It features 4 miles of arcaded walkways along streets decked out with fountains and clock-towers.  

#9: Bern's Old Town has been listed as part of UNESCO World Heritage 

#10: 

#11: Zytglogge, the clock tower built in the center of the old town is another thing you shouldn't miss when in Bern. 

By the way, do you know that Bern is the capital city of Switzerland?

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