City break
Europe’s best crossroads city, Basel, is a short tram ride from both Germany and France. Every person who stays in a hotel or guest house here gets free public travel – from the moment you arrive, your reservation counts as your ticket from the airport. Basel isn’t just brilliant for transport nerds, it’s also an art-filled, leisure-focused haven, especially in the summer months. Locals can swim home after work, or more likely drift thanks to the current of the Rhine, keeping their clothes and belongings dry in a locally made, waterproof Wickelfisch bag. This might be Switzerland, but Basel’s art student vibe helps to keep the costs down. The university botanical gardens are free to visit, including the tropical house. Chill at Café Zum Roten Engel at Andreasplatz for kaffee und kuchen or at the Fischerstube, home of the locally acclaimed Ueli beer. Basel’s upmarket youth hostel on the banks of the Rhine was revamped by the highly hip Buchner Bründler design group and has double rooms with their own en suite.
B&B with en suite from £70pp; youthhostel.ch
