Trips in Basel with children 

There are so many activities and museums with exhibitions especially for children – in Basel and in its region you will never run out of ideas for family outings. But if you do, here are a few tips for leisure time activities in north-western Switzerland. 

Trip highlights

Adventure tour

Adventure tours with Basil

Beloved Basil, one of the last living staffs of the city of Basel (known as a “Baselstab”), takes the whole family on a playful journey of discovery through the city or Basel Zoo. The documentation is only available in German and English.

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Erdmännchen Zoo Basel

Zoo

Basel Zoo

The people of Basel have known and loved their “Zolli” since childhood. The oldest zoo of Switzerland encompasses a spacious park and a large number of native and exotic animals. 

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Augusta Raurica_Das Theater im Sommer_Foto_Susanne_Schenker

Roman settlement

Augusta Raurica

A range of guided tours and events offer visitors the unique opportunity to experience the best-preserved ancient theatre north of the Alps and an extensive Roman settlement.

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Theatre

Theater Basel

The programme for the current season at Theater Basel includes an exceptionally large number of shows for families with children aged six and above.

theater-basel.ch
aquabasilea-schwimmbad[1]

Swimming pool

Aquabasilea

Seven slides and two white-water rides with a total length of 824 metres – at Aquabasilea in Pratteln, you can plunge into the most diverse water and wellness world in Switzerland. 

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EP18_Eurosat_CanCan_Coaster_Halloween_02_109893_110262

Theme park

Europa-Park

A great idea for a day trip while you’re in Basel – Europa-Park in Rust (Germany) has over 100 attractions and shows, 13 roller coasters and 18 themed areas that are sure to thrill both young and older visitors.

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Oldtimer 181 und Sommerwagen 1077

City tour

Vintage tram

The vintage tram tours Basel every Sunday from June to August, departing from the Swiss SBB railway station. Young children who sit on an adult’s lap ride free of charge.

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Family experiences

Carnival in Basel
Highlight

Carnival

Carnival in Basel

Basel • Basler Innenstadt

Mon, 23 February 2026 — Wed, 25 February 2026

04:00

6 museums that will delight children too

Children will have all kinds of things to talk about after a visit to a museum in Basel: for example, how they came face-to-face with a life-sized mammoth at the Naturhistorisches Museum Basel, how they saw art come alive at the Museum Tinguely, or how they made their own paper at the Basler Papiermühle. Makes you wish to be a child again!

Papierherstellung in der Papiermühle Basel, Schweizerisches Museum für Papier, Schrift und Druck. / Paper production in the Basel Paper Mill, Swiss Museum for Paper, Writing and Printing.

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Basler Papiermühle

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Naturhistorisches Museum Basel
Dauerausstellung im Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel.

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Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel

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Museum Tinguely

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MUKS Museum Kultur & Spiel Riehen

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Museum der Kulturen Basel
All museums

Touring Basel with children

Basel is a child-friendly city. Everything is close to each other, and you can get from one place to another quickly by public transport, by bike or on foot.

From CHF 40.00

Basel by Bike

Ferry ride

Spielaue Lange Erlen
Der Rehberger-Weg verknüpft über eine Länge von rund fünf Kilometern zwei Länder, zwei Gemeinden, zwei Kulturinstitutionen – und unzählige Geschichten. Er verläuft zwischen Weil am Rhein und Riehen, zwischen der Fondation Beyeler und dem Vitra Campus. /// The Rehberger Trail, which is around 5 km long, links two countries, two communities and two cultural institutions – and tells countless stories along the way. It connects the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein with the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen.

Rehberger-Weg

CHF 12.00

Explorial Basel
Neustes Schiff der Basler Personenschifffahrt

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Boat trips on the Rine

Good to know.

  • The “whispering arch” of the Basel Cathedral (Münster), the round arch forming the door frame at the bottom of the Georgsturm on the left-hand side, is especially popular with children. If you whisper something on one side, your listener will hear every word clearly at the other side of the arch. The reason for this is what is known as an “acoustic mirror”, which focuses the sound and relays the sound waves in this concentrated form.

    The children’s map of Basel shows you all of the city’s exciting attractions for children, including playgrounds, swimming pools, barbecue spots and places of interest.

  • Several of Basel’s pharmacies, cafés and shops have quiet places for breastfeeding mothers, some of them with a dedicated breastfeeding room including a changing table. Besides Unternehmen Mitte, the Zum Isaak restaurant and Klara, you’ll find other favourite breastfeeding places in Basel at mamamap.

  • You can hire prams adapted to your child’s needs at Kinderwagen3laendereck. On request, the pram can be delivered to your accommodation in Basel-Stadt and then collected again after your stay. For prices and further information, please visit www.kinderwagen3laendereck.ch-rent-a-stroller.