Places to Visit Around Basel

One positive thing about the recent coronavirus travel restrictions was that it forced us to explore our surroundings a little more than usual. Read on to find my recommendations on places to visit around Basel.

I have broken them down into 3 categories: castles/ruins, viewpoints and nature.

Castles / Ruins:

Ruine Pfeffingen

Where: Pfeffingen, Basel-Land
Distance from Basel SBB: 15km

Once the seat of the Count of Thierstein-Pfeffingen, the Pfeffingen Ruins are still clearly visible above the hills of Pfeffingen and Aesch to this day.

We parked our car on Vogtackerweg and slowly made the ascend as we took in the views of Basel in the distance as the kids said hello to the cows.

Seven million Swiss francs was spent to renovate the castle buildings which were severely damaged after the great Basel earthquake of 1356.

We loved our time in the castle grounds. We even crossed the bridge and did a little walk in the forest after the castle grounds where we found more barbeque spots.

We visited Ruine Pfeffingen after a walk along the Birs at Reinacherheide which you can watch later below.

Ruine Neu-Falkenstein

Where: Basthal, Solothurn
Distance from Basel SBB: 41km

On our third visit to Holzwegthal, we walked a different route that took us up to at Neu-Falkensein Castle, a Swiss heritage site of national significance.

There was much to love about these ruins. What especially made a mark on me was the steep stairs to get to the tower.

The views from the top are absolutely amazing and reminded me of a slightly less dramatic version of the famous Creux du Van near Neuchatel.

Check out our day trip to the Holzwegthal and Ruine Neu-Falkenstein below:

Ruine Farnsburg

Where: Ormalingen, Basel-Land
Distance from Basel SBB: 28km

Another wonderful castle complex, the Farnsburg ruins in Ormalingen included the remains of the shield wall, towers, several buildings and the ring wall.

We parked our cars at Landgasthof Farnsburg and enjoyed the short but slightly steep climb to the ruins with the kids.

Ruine Gilgenberg 

Where: Zulwill, Solothurn
Distance from Basel SBB: 27km

The Gilgenberg castle was built by the barons of Ramstein at the beginning of the 14th century.

Also badly damaged in 1356 by the great Basel earthquake, the castle was last restored in 2015.

Despite small and understated, it had its own charm. We then hiked all the way down through the forest and into the village.

Ruine Dorneck

Where: Dornach, Solothurn
Distance from Basel SBB: 13km

One of my favourite castles near Basel, Ruine Dorneck is easy to get to. You can combine it with a visit to Ermitage Arlesheim and/or Aussichtsturm Gempen (see more below).

This Swiss heritage site of national significance is the perfect place to let the kids loose with their imaginations. You can also have a barbeque there while taking in the views of Basel in the distance.

Schloss Wildenstein

Where: Bubendorf, Basel-Land
Distance from Basel SBB: 22km

Surprisingly, there was no one else in the castle grounds while we were there. Perhaps it was because it was a good 30 minutes to hike up (even longer at the kids’ pace) to the castle.

Another Swiss heritage site of national significance, the hike up was particularly memorable. We spent a great amount of time sitting around this amazing campfire site as the kids were mesmerised by the worms and bugs they found in the earth.

Ruine Landskron

Where: Leymen, France (two minutes from the Swiss border. Reachable from Basel with tram no:10)
Distance from Basel SBB:  14km

I first saw Ruine Landskron from Ruine Sternenberg (it is really poorly taken care of so I would rather recommend not visiting it) just across the border in Switzerland after we had explored Chälengrabenschlucht (see more below).

When the borders finally reopened, we decided to pay a visit to Ruine Landskron and what a great day outing it was.

We crossed the border at Tannwaldweg and parked at the corner of Rue du Landskron. From there it was a short and easy hike up to the castle which had great views of the 3 countries. This is definitely one of the best castles to visit on this list.

Burgruine Rötteln

Where: Lörrach, Germany
Distance from Basel SBB: 19km

Thanks to a shout out from someone on the Basel Expats Facebook Group, we paid a visit to this castle ruins in nearby Lörrach in Germany.

Situated 422m above sea level, you get a really good view from the top of the tower. After exploring the ruins, we drove into town and had a great lunch at the Asian Restaurant Bao Bao which we’d highly recommend.

View Points:

Sissacherfluh

Where: Sissach, Basel-Land
Distance from Basel SBB: 23km

Located at 700m altitude, Sissacherfluh offers a fantastic view far beyond the region of Sissach.

On weekends, you are not allowed to drive all the way up to the viewpoint where the restaurant is – and this can be quite a hike for families with small kids. We chose to visit this place on a weekday after work instead.

We took a picnic with us and flew a kite after walking along the walls of the castle ruins. Alternatively, come up and dine at the cozy restaurant Sissacherfluh where various events regularly take place.

Aussichtsturm Gempen

Where: Gempen, Solothurn
Distance from Basel SBB: 18km

Located at 753 meters above sea level, the Gempenturm is a wonderful viewing platform from which you can view Switzerland, Germany and France. On a clear day, we have seen the Swiss Alps from here.

In the summer, it is common to be able to see people doing outdoor rock climbing here.

It is also a favourite place of ours to visit in the autumn as kids can run around in the woods as we enjoy the view of the changing colours of the leaves.

Aussichtsturm Liestal

Where: Schleifenberg, Liestal
Distance from Basel SBB: 19km

It costs only 50 Rappen to climb up the top of this 30 meters tower.

Unlike Gempenturm, this place was spacious and had a wonderful playground with lots of climbing possibilities for kids.

Many were sitting at the picnic tables enjoying some simple food like soup, cheese and sausages (ice cream for the kids of course) served by the restaurant.

There are also many grilling spots around the woods.

Nature:

Chälengrabenschlucht

Where: Hofstetten-Flüh, Solothurn
Distance from Basel SBB: 15km

We were three families with kids ages 5 and below visiting Chälengrabenschlucht. The drivers dropped everyone off at the top, the starting point where there is the beautiful Restaurant Bergmatten. Two cars went back down to the lower parking lot where our hike would end, before the drivers were ferried back up with one car.

We had a wonderful time descending through the Chälengraben Gorge. The kids loved spotting slugs and snails. They threw stones into the river, climbed dead tree trunks, scrambled over the rocky limestone rocky walls and had a great time outdoors.

I cannot recommend this place enough on a hot day as you are sheltered by the huge trees.

Had it not been for the borders being closed due to Coronavirus, we would have certainly then driven up to Ruine Landskorn. Alas, the nearby, much less exciting Ruine Sternenberg became our lunch spot.

Watch the video below to see our time at the Clälengrabenschlucht:

Ermitage Arlesheim

Where: Arlesheim, Basel-Land
Distance from Basel SBB: 8km

Created at the end of the 18^th century, Ermitage Arlesheim is the largest English landscaped garden in Switzerland, dedicated to the worship of nature.

This is a great place for kids with its ponds, caves, Birseck castle ruin and grottoes.

Tip: Hike up to Hohle Felsen – what an amazing place to explore these caves. We spent a long time here and the kids cannot wait to come back.

Holzwegthal

Where: Basthal, Solothurn
Distance from Basel SBB: 43km

The Holzweg Thal is a wonderful forest adventure trail highlighting various wooden installations in a playful way.

Located in the municipal area of Balsthal and Holderbank in canton Solothurn, there are different walks you can do including the castle Ruine Alt-Bechburg which I mentioned above.

The forest playground is a big favourite of our kids.

You can also combine this with a fun trip to Solarbob Langenbruck – a fun toboggan ride or the rope park.

Reinacher Heide

Where: Reinach, Basel-Land
Distance from Basel SBB: 7km

The Reinacher Heide lies on the Birs where Reinach and Arlesheim meet. You can park where the Gartenbad is and on a nice summer day, a visit to the public pools after this walk would be a great way to end the day.

We had fun following the Beaver Path from Heidebrüggli to Picnic-Platz. Look closely and you will see signs of wood that the beavers have gnawed on.

With over half the species of flora found in Basel-Land, Reinacher Heide is one of the most valuable nature reserves in the canton and has been recognized as a nature reserve of national importance.

You can watch our day out at Renacherheide and Ruine Pfeffingen below:

Skulpturenweg Reinach

Where: Reinach, Basel-Land
Distance from Basel SBB: 11km

If you and your kids enjoy fairytales, then this path filled with wooden witches, trolls, castles and dragons will surely be a treat!

Opened in spring 2005, the wooden sculpture path is an easy walk for the family ending with a barbeque spot which is also where there is one of Basel Land’s many giant benches.

Tip: Park your car at the parking lot on Fiechtenweg where the International School of Basel Fiechten Campus is located. There is a great playground there for kids too.

Chessiloch & Kaltbrunnental

Where: Grellingen Bahnhof, Basel-Land to Meltingen or Zulwill, Solothurn
Distance from Basel SBB: 16km

This wonderful nature trail saw us hiking along the river in the beautiful forest where we were able to explore many caves along the way. The distance is around 8 to 9km with 320 meter ascend in altitude.

Tip: Bring torch lights to explore the caves and lots of snacks for a picnic along the way. Click here for the route we took.

Belchenflue

Where: Eptingen, Basel-Land
Distance from Basel SBB: 36km

This is a very easy hike you can do from:

Restaurant Berghaus Oberbölchen
(you will need a car or a bike to get up here)
With 3 kids, it took us less than an hour to get to the top where we then started a fire and grilled some sausages.

If you’re up for a bigger challenge, you can start the hike at:

Schäferstube-Allerheiligenberg (Allerheiligenberg 5, 4615 Allerheiligenberg – reachable with a public bus from Hägendorf which you can get to by train from Basel SBB).

This area is well-known to be foggy and it was the case both times I’ve been here. The plus is when the fog clears and suddenly you have the view of the entire Alps in all its glory.

If you want a REAL challenge, you can start in Hägendorf and hike up the Tüfelschlucht (you can park your car at the Coop Supermarket in Hägendorf) and all the way up to Belchenflue. We even saw Mont Blanc from up here.

Starting from Hägendorf, it took us 3 hours to get to the top of Belchenflue – the iphone recorded 186 floors.

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These are of course only places to visit around Basel in Switzerland.
Other places to visit around Basel in France and Germany will once again be accessible once the borders reopen.

Click here to read about places to visit in the Black Forest in Germany
Click here to read on my post on best places to visit in Alsace in France.

If there are other places to visit around Basel that you would recommend, please leave a comment below.

And if you’re looking for other places to visit around Switzerland, do click here.