Basel boasts what real estate agents would call 'prime location'. Flanking one of Europe's great rivers, the Rhine, it lies at the crossroads of France, Germany and Switzerland. For scenery junkies, this means it's got the French Vosges range, the German Black Forest and the Swiss Jura Mountains on its doorstep.
But this is beauty with brains, a famed university town which in centuries past attracted heavyweight philosophers such as Erasmus and Nietzsche, and the painter Holbein the Younger. It's packed with museums (a whopping 27 of them) and art galleries, while living a double life as a centre of serious banking power.
At the core of historic Basel stands its imposing red sandstone cathedral, the Münster. Wander through the peaceful cloisters down to a terraced bastion, the Pfalz, for sweeping views of the Rhine and the Black Forest.
In bustling Barfüsserplatz (Barfüsser Square), the Historiches Museum provides a trip through Basel's golden age. The highlight - besides its setting in a 600-year-old, arch-windowed church - is its stunning collection of vast 15th-century tapestries.
From here, a maze of atmospheric medieval alleys invites exploration. You will eventually emerge in the Marktplatz, whose scarlet Rathaus (Town Hall) makes a colourful backdrop to the busy fruit, veg and flower market that spreads out over the cobbles every morning but Sunday.
Basel's museums cater for every taste, from elderly relics in the Antikenmuseum, to teddy bears and doll's houses in the Puppenhausmuseum. But it is the Kunstmuseum that really takes the cake, combining a dazzling array of 20th-century greats - Dali, Picasso, Klee, Munch and Braque - with an equally compelling medieval collection.
Although culture plainly scores far more highly than fun in Basel, the city has enough restaurants, taverns and clubs to go around, with liberal licensing hours ensuring that no-one need hit the sheets before they're ready.
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