Basel – A City of Architecture: From the Old Town to the Present

How does architecture shape the face of a city?

The tour begins at the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum at Theaterplatz, a central hub of Basel’s cultural life. Located betweenthe Kunsthalle, the city theater, and the Elisabethenkirche, this area brings together diverse architectural eras and urban functions.

From there, the tour continues to the Stadtcasino Basel, whose extension by Herzog & de Meuron demonstrates how contemporary architecture can be thoughtfully integrated into a historic urban context.

The walk then proceeds through Basel’s old town toward the Münsterhügel and the Basel Minster. Along the way, you will encounter buildings from various periods—from postwar modernism to recent renovations and transformations.

This guided tour illustrates how historic, modernist, and contemporary architecture intersect in Basel’s cityscape and shape its public spaces.

As part of the tour, you will hear from museum experts as they share insights on architecture, urban history, and contemporary urban development.

The architecture tours are a collaboration between Basel Tourism and the S AM Swiss Architecture Museum.

Dates

• Sunday, May 17, 2026, 2:00 PM (German)
• Sunday, September 20, 2026, 2:00 PM (English)
• Sunday, November 29, 2026, 2:00 PM (German)

Language:       German and English

Duration:          90 minutes

Meeting point: Main entrance S AM (Schweizerisches Architekturmuseum) at Steinenberg 7, 4051 Basel

*Price reductions apply to:

• Members of S AM
• Persons under 18
• IV disability pension recipients (with valid ID) and one accompanying person
• People with disabilities and their accompanying persons
• Persons in need of protection, asylum seekers, and provisionally admitted persons (Status F, N, S & B with refugee status)
• Holders of the Museums-PASS-Musées
• ICOM members