Stories of Basel's Old Town
Badge of Excellence
Basel, Switzerland
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore Basel’s historic Old Town, hear stories from the dim and distant past and discover what makes the city special on this 2-hour Basel walking tour. Follow a guide through Basel’s pretty Old Town and gain insight into its 15th-century history. Take in top city attractions such as Basel Minster, the Barfüsserkirche, City Hall, the Museum der Kulturen and Tinguely Fountain. Along the way, admire the city’s bold and modern architecture, and see how the centuries have shaped the Basel of today.
- 2-hour walking tour of Basel
- Explore Basel’s historic Old Town with a guide, and gain insight into the city’s history and heritage
- Discover top landmarks including Basel Minster, the Barfüsserkirche and the Museum der Kulturen
- Admire the modern construction and bold architecture for which Basel is famous
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Commentary in English and German
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Tinguely FountainKlostergasse 7, 4051 Basel, Switzerland
Tinguely fountain at Steinenberg / Theatre square
End point
- Spalenberg, Basel, Switzerland
Itinerary
1
Tinguely Fountain
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Basel Historical Museum - Barfuesserkirche
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Basel Minster
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Museum der Kulturen Basel (Pass By)
4
Marktplatz
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Town Hall
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Andreasplatz
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Service animals allowed
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- Near public transportation
- Depending on the composition of the group, tour commentaries may be given bilingual from Sunday to Friday.
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.4
based on 206 reviews
Brid_O, Feb 2026
Interesting tour. It's nice to get a grasp of a city in a fun way. Our guide was very friendly. Some beautiful sights.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you very much for your kind words!
We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed discovering the city in a fun and engaging way. It’s wonderful to know that your guide made the experience even more enjoyable and that you appreciated the beautiful sights along the way.
We hope to welcome you back for another tour in the future!
Maxim_D, Dec 2025
Somewhat superficial introduction to Basel, but also checks all the boxes. Would be nice to cover some places beyond Old Town. Props for nice small details about the sightseeings to keep tourists engaged. Recommend the tour to people that have never been to Basel before.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you very much for your feedback. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the small details that make the tour engaging. We also appreciate your suggestion to include places beyond the Old Town and will keep that in mind for future tours.
We’re happy to know you would recommend the tour to first-time visitors to Basel!
Kind regards,
Melissa_M, Nov 2025
This was a lovely tour! Doris our tour guide was very engaging and sweet. Learned a lot about Basel.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback!
We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and that Doris made it such a special experience for you. She will be very happy to know that you found her engaging and kind.
It’s wonderful that you were able to learn more about Basel, and we hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
Alan_G, Nov 2025
We have booked multiple tours with Viator but this one was the absolute worst. While this tour was described as being in German and English, the time spent on providing information in English was extremely short compared to the German explanations. On top of that it seemed that our guide kept apologizing to the German speaking people often saying to us "and now I need to talk in English". At the end of the tour she even noted that the tour went over time because she had to repeat things in English. My recommendation to tourists...only book a tour in your native language. My recommendation to Viator...only offer tours in one language.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Dear Guest,
Thank you very much for sharing your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. Our bilingual tours are designed to accommodate both German- and English-speaking guests equally, and we regret that this balance did not come across during your tour.
We will follow up with the guide to ensure that both language groups receive the same level of information and attention in future tours. Your comments are very valuable to us, and we will use them to improve the experience for all our guests.
We hope you still enjoyed discovering our city and would be happy to welcome you again on a future visit – perhaps on a tour conducted entirely in English to ensure a more comfortable experience.
Kind regards,
Sandy_S, Sep 2025
This tour should be offered for 12.50 CHF because all guest staying at the hotel will be given a Visitor card which them the discount.
The tour uses the same guide as the one offered by the city with the discount
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for your suggestion regarding the tour price.
Please note that bookings made through booking platforms generally cannot include this type of discount, because guests only receive the Basel Card when they check in at the hotel. The discount is therefore only applicable on-site and cannot be applied in advance for online bookings.
We appreciate your understanding.
Maureen_M, Sep 2025
Our tour guide, Susannah, was superb! Everything was explained in wonderful detail, her humour was delightful and her knowledge was excellent .
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your fantastic feedback! We’re thrilled to hear that Susannah made the tour enjoyable with her knowledge, humor, and detailed explanations.
Mark_L, Sep 2025
Guide was very good. Pleasant and very knowledgeable.
Interesting histirical sites of old town area of Basel.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! We’re glad you enjoyed the tour and appreciated both the historic Old Town of Basel and our guide’s expertise.
Sandy_K, Aug 2025
You take time at each spot and hear the history. Very well done. Bea did the English version and her book of photos and stories were exemplary.
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for your kind words! We're glad to hear you appreciated the thoughtful pace and the rich history shared at each stop. Bea will be happy to know her photo book and stories made a great impression.
Ann_T, Aug 2025
Soooooooo interesting, really!
Jasmin was sooo nice and had such great informations to share! I had a very good time 🤗
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback! We're thrilled to hear you had such a great time and that Jasmin made the experience so enjoyable and informative. We'll be sure to pass on your kind words to her
Julia_B, Jul 2025
I canceled more than 24 hrs (my time)
Flight didn’t arrive on time to make the tour.. so didn’t go..
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you for your message.
In this case, the cancellation policy of Viator applies.
Any potential refund must be requested directly through the Viator platform, as we are unable to process cancellations or refunds for bookings made via third-party providers.
We recommend reaching out to Viator's customer service for further assistance.
Kind regards,
Mimi_H, Jul 2025
Tour guide was very knowledgeable, a local of Basel, a previous teacher and wonderful to listen as she knows how to explain well.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and found the guide knowledgeable and engaging. As a local and former teacher, she truly enjoys sharing the history and stories of Basel, and it's wonderful to know that her explanations made the experience memorable for you.
John_M, Jul 2025
There might have been less talk at some locations to allow for more site visits.
Tourists should not be allowed to smoke during the tour.
It might have been better to cluster like sites together.
Ambient noise was at times distracting.
Sites we visited provided an interesting Basel City history, especially the water fountains and the various statues.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you very much for your valuable feedback.
We appreciate your comments and will take them into careful consideration as we continue to improve our tours. We understand that balancing the amount of information shared and the time spent at each site is important, and we will work on optimizing this in the future.
Regarding smoking during the tour, we fully agree that it can be disruptive for others, and we will reinforce our no-smoking policy more clearly at the beginning of each tour.
The idea of clustering similar sites together is a helpful suggestion—we will review our routes to see where this can be applied effectively.
We also acknowledge that ambient noise can interfere with the experience, and we will explore solutions such as better audio equipment or selecting quieter spots for explanations.
We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed learning about Basel’s history, especially the fountains and statues, which are indeed highlights of the city.
Thank you again for your input—it helps us provide a better experience for all our guests.
Belinda_M, Jun 2025
A great tour - well planned and interesting stories of Basel. Hugo our guide was very knowledgeable and despite the cold and rain kept up our interest with his enthusiasm and humour. A really interesting tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the tour and appreciated Hugo’s knowledge, enthusiasm, and humour – even in the cold and rain. We'll be sure to pass on your lovely feedback to him.
We’re glad you had an interesting experience in Basel and hope to welcome you again in the future!
Best regards,
Victoria_m, Jun 2025
It was a really fun experience, we learnt so much and really enjoyed the tour and our guide was really great would definitely recommend it to others if they were coming to Basel
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and found it both fun and informative. We’ll be sure to pass on your compliments to the guide. It means a lot to us that you would recommend us to others visiting Basel!
We hope to welcome you again sometime soon.
Best regards,
Maks_S, May 2025
Very good guide, very good experience. The structure of the tour let us learn a lot of Basel during 2 hour tour.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you very much for your kind feedback! We're glad to hear that you had a very good experience and enjoyed the structure of the tour. It's great to know that you were able to learn a lot about Basel in just two hours. We hope to welcome you again soon!
Suzanne_M, May 2025
This was a bilingual tour where the guide told the stories in both English and German which was fun to hear. Thomas was informative and witty. It was a nice easy stroll through Basel that ended with a lovely taste of gingerbread. I highly recommend it!
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for the lovely feedback! We're glad to hear you enjoyed the bilingual tour with Thomas – and that the gingerbread was a hit as well!
Janet_P, Apr 2025
The walking tour with Caroline was excellent! It was an easy pace and we saw lots of beautiful buildings and heard some great stories of the history of Basil
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you so much for your kind feedback – we’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the walking tour with Caroline!
It’s great to know that the pace was comfortable and that you had the chance to discover Basel’s beautiful architecture and rich history through her stories. We’ll be sure to pass along your lovely words to Caroline – she’ll be very pleased to hear them!
We hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future.
Warm regards,
Paul_M, Apr 2025
Excellent, well done walking tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and we covered all the main sights.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you so much for your kind words!
We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the walking tour and that your guide was able to provide you with an informative and well-rounded experience of Basel’s main sights.
Your feedback means a lot to us – and we hope to welcome you back again soon for more discoveries!
Warm regards,
Jay_B, Mar 2025
Francis was amazing, lively, engaged and full of knowledge. Well worth your time to wander and learn about Basel.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
It sounds like Francis made a fantastic guide! It must have been a really engaging experience to learn about Basel through his insights. What did you find most interesting about the city during the tour?
Julie_C, Oct 2024
This was the worst experience we have ever had with a Viator tour. We will NOT be using Viator again. We paid $100 EUR for four of us to have want we thought was an English speaking hour tour. The tour turned out to be a large group with both English and German. Half the time we just stood there not understanding what was being discussed, while the German group was laughing and asking questions. The guide did not attempt at all to give us the information she was giving them. After 15 minutes, we bailed on the tour. TOTAL waste of money!
Response from Host, Oct 2024
I’m really sorry to hear about your experience. It sounds incredibly frustrating, especially after paying for what you expected to be a focused English-speaking tour. It’s disappointing when a tour doesn’t meet your expectations, especially regarding language clarity. I recommend reaching out to Viator’s customer service to express your concerns and possibly request a refund. They should be aware of issues like this so they can improve their services. Thank you for sharing your feedback; it helps others make informed decisions.
Sheila_S, Oct 2024
Very knowledgeable guide - nice man to tour with - tour was very worthwhile - price was very good. Rained but was still very enjoyable.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear you enjoyed the tour, despite the rain. Our guides strive to make each experience memorable, and it's great to know you found it worthwhile and fairly priced. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure soon!
Jonathan_W, Oct 2024
Great stories, very nice guide. She also translated our questions from German to English and vise versa.
Response from Host, Oct 2024
Thank you for your feedback! We're glad to hear that you enjoyed the stories and found the guide helpful in translating your questions between German and English. If you have any more comments or need assistance, feel free to reach out!
JeanetteM_K, Sep 2024
This walking tour was very interesting. Isabelle was an excellent guide. She was very knowledgeable, passionate and friendly. She told us about Basel's history and what made Basel the city it is today. She took us to places in Old Town we never would have found ourselves. If I can only remember one half of what she told us, I will be one of the most knowledgeable people around.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We’re thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the walking tour and that Isabelle made such a positive impression. Her passion and knowledge truly bring Basel's history to life, and it’s great to know that she was able to show you hidden gems in the Old Town.
We’re glad you found the tour informative and engaging. If you have any further questions or need more information about Basel, please feel free to reach out.
Best regards,
Sofia_S, Sep 2024
Not worth if you are English speaking. Most time explanation goes in German. Maybe good if you understand language but for English speakers not informative at all. Choose fully English tour
Response from Host, Sep 2024
t sounds like the language barrier really affected your experience. It’s frustrating when tours don’t cater adequately to all language speakers, especially when you want to enjoy and understand the information being shared. Choosing a fully English-speaking tour would definitely ensure you get the most out of your experience. Thank you for sharing your feedback—it can help others make better choices in the future!
Judith_T, Sep 2024
Mark was personable and brought the city to life historically. We had wandered all over on our own but he brought the history and culture th share light on what we saw on our own.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you for your wonderful feedback about Mark! We're thrilled to hear that he was able to bring the city's history and culture to life for you. It’s great that he could enhance your experience and provide insights on what you had already seen during your wanderings.
We appreciate your kind words and look forward to welcoming you back for another tour in the future!
Irina_N, Sep 2024
Tour was bilingual so half of the tour you will wait. It’s not very practical for tour of two hours.
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you for your feedback regarding the bilingual tour. We understand that waiting during the translations can make the tour feel less practical, especially given the two-hour duration. We appreciate your patience and recognize that this might not have been the ideal format for everyone.
We will certainly take your comments into consideration as we work to improve the structure and pacing of our tours to ensure a more enjoyable experience for all participants.
Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with us.
Amy_S, Aug 2024
Excellent tour! Sondra was wonderful - interesting and funny and gave such great information about Basel! A perfect overview tour of the city! Bravo!
Response from Host, Sep 2024
Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that you had an excellent tour and that Sondra made your experience both interesting and enjoyable. It’s great to know she provided you with a perfect overview of Basel. We’ll be sure to pass along your praise to her. Bravo indeed, and we hope to welcome you on another tour soon!
alice_f, Aug 2024
Sabine was an excellent tour guide. Her dual language ability in English and German was amazing. She was seamless in her story telling of the old town of Basel and history that was so interesting. The tour was well laid out sequentially. A total pleasure for 2 hours.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you very much an kind regards
Susanne_R, Aug 2024
The tour guide was fine. Here’s the rub. The group included 22 English speaking and German speaking. She did everything twice. It was hard to hear in the crowd. The first few stops were right by the trams and you could not hear anything unless right next to her. She split the group at the Munster by language and we had 15-20 minutes to kill.
Otherwise, she was a delightful guide.
We bought the tour through Viator. Found out the exact same tour can be bought with the Basel card for half the price. Basel cards are given when checking into a hotel or AirBnB.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you for your time and your feedback which is very important for us. We regret to read that your guided tour experience with us was not satisfying due to the lack of listening comprehension. Our guides are very keen to speak loudly and clearly so that everyone participating in our tour can fully understand the content of the tour. We feel sorry that we could not fully provide this service on your tour due to external circumstances.
We therefore greatly appreciate your constructive feedback and you may rest assured that we will discuss your suggestion internally and take it into consideration.
We remain with kind regards from Basel
Philip_W, Aug 2024
Very few highlights, tour was in German and English with one guide for 21 people and no earpieces. Would have been better to be just one language as we would have received more information. Would not recommend in this 2 language format with one guide for 21.
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you for your time and your feedback which is very important for us. We regret to read that your guided tour experience with us was not satisfying due to the lack of listening comprehension. Our guides are very keen to speak loudly and clearly so that everyone participating in our tour can fully understand the content of the tour. We feel sorry that we could not fully provide this service on your tour due to external circumstances.
We therefore greatly appreciate your feedback.
We remain with kind regards from Basel
From $32.35
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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