The aroma of roasting chestnuts, and the allure of earthy wild mushrooms, bright green chard, and olives of every hue. A walk through the Basel Stadtmarkt on an autumn Saturday offers temptation at every turn, and is a magnet for tourists and locals alike. We have written about markets in nearby Alsace and Baden, Germany, but I’ve just realized we have barely mentioned our closest one!
Food and flowers
Operating under the imposing red façade of Basel’s Town Hall, the market manages to be both lively and orderly at once. Trams grind past every couple of minutes. Shoppers (mostly patiently) wait their turn, filling their bags and happily sampling cheeses, olives and salami.
The market features products from France and Germany, as well as northern Italy and Ticino, Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton. Of course, there’s plenty of Swiss cheese, bread, sausages and fruits and veggies as well. The pickings are good, albeit pricey. This is purely a food market, with a few deli items and flowers alongside. Prices are substantially higher than in local supermarkets, so my purchases tend to be smallish ones. Certain vendors area always ready with a smile–and a taste or two–which makes stopping by Marktplatz on my errands around town pleasant indeed.
From Kornmarkt to Stadtmarkt
Basel’s city market has an centuries-long history, with a market on this spot first mentioned in 1075, in a space just half the size of today’s Marktplatz. Called the Kornmarkt, or “grain market”, it was located beside the Birsig River, which flowed through the center of Basel (it now runs underground).
Basel’s Town Hall has occupied real estate on the Marktplatz since 1290, but the dramatic tower we see today arrived on the scene much, much later, after Basel entered the Swiss Confederation at the turn of the 16th century. The city celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Rathaus last year!
As in markets everywhere, the best vendors in Basel know their customers, and remember preferences. The first time I stopped at my favorite stall several years ago, the seller asked me to wait a moment, and ran off to bring me a recipe for making soup of the pumpkin I had just bought. I’ve been returning to chat with her ever since.
Swiss specialties
Food trucks offer coffee, sandwiches and grilled bratwurst; and under an arcade to one side of the Marktplatz, the Globus department store sells sandwiches, fresh bread and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Sidewalk tables in front of the Schiesser Confisserie and the Mövenpick Restaurant are good spots for a coffee break and people watching. Better yet for many people, though, are the tiny tables put onto the cobblestoned Marktplatz itself by Fumar e no Fumare, a popular nearby coffee and drinks bar.
Practicalities
Visit Basel’s Saturday market to:
- Sample Swiss cheese, meats and buy specialty locally-sourced items, like jars of barlauch pesto, and mushrooms in season
- Enjoy excellent Italian salamis, cheeses and antipasti
- Buy seasonal treats and flowers in small quantities: single-stem roses, olives, white asparagus, Alp cheese
- Top off a tour of the Old Town with a dose of three-country atmosphere
The Stadtmarkt is open six days a week. There are also quite a few Basel flea markets, Basel weekly markets around Basel.
When it comes to fresh markets, the people of Basel, Switzerland are spoiled for choice. In the Dreiländereck, or “three countries corner” along the Rhine, there are numerous local destinations for a Saturday morning’s shopping: Saint-Louis and Mulhouse in Alsace, and Lörrach across the German border.
Photos for pinning
I love these types of markets! I’m going to be meeting with Basel’s CVB later in October at VEMEX in New York City so now I can sound at least vaguely knowledgeable and hope it helps me get a trip there! It sounds like an area where renting a car would be a good idea to get to see as many of the nearby towns and markets as time (and energy) permit.
That’s super Kay. FYI, a car is handy for getting around the border region in France and Germany, and for exploring back roads in the Swiss countryside, but public transport is amazing for getting into/between many towns. Hope to see you in Basel!
Basel definitely IS spoiled for choice, as is the whole of Europe as we’ve discussed before. This is just wonderful. I know my husband would be there at least a couple times per week.
Yep, markets here are pretty fine. They are everywhere, really, but for me the added historical context makes each one special!
I’m really hungry now: one look at the “braided bread,” and I knew I had to have it. Despite the amount of time I’ve spent in Germany, I’ve not quite jumped over to Basel, although I have stepped in other parts of Switzerland. Thanks for writing about the Basel Stadtmarkt!
Oh you should definitely visit this corner of Switzerland, Henry! Basel’s Old Town is especially nice, and there is lots of cross-border influence, too.
one of the things we love to do when traveling is rent an apartment with kitchen and go to local markets buy whatever looks good to us and make a feast. The Basel Market looks wonderful. Would love to shop there.
I love markets when I travel, as well. The Basel market is a pleasure until it’s time to pull out your wallet…sticker shock!
The backdrops are as tantalizing as the market fare!