Best Museums in Basel

Objects from the Neolithic era, furniture from the 18th century, a rich weapon collection, and much more are displayed here.

Everything you need to know about footwear from antiquity to the present.

Basel's Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel honors and exhibits every child's first playmate and best friend- dolls and teddy bears. With over 6000 on display at this museum, everyday scenes from the life of dolls have been recreated with love and fantastic flair. At Puppenhausmuseum the exhibits certainly inspire the same magical fascination as in childhood. The four floors with around 1000 square meters (10,763 square feet) of dolls will make anyone feel nostalgic. After visiting this museum, you'll go home, throw out the new computer game, find your old teddy and return him to his rightful place.

Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig is entirely devoted to the historical origins and the development of art in the Mediterranean region. A range of special displays and temporary exhibitions make for a worth trip back into the history of the region. You will find a range of exotic displays ranging from 4B.C to 6 A.D that will allow you to delve deeper into Roman, Egyptian, Greek and Etruscan cultures.

Who knows if Jean Tinguely would have believed, had you told him that his creations would once be housed in such noble rooms? The museum building was opened by Mario Botta in 1996 and is sponsored by the local chemical company, Hoffman La Roche. Even the garden of the tower houses works of Tinguely in the shape of a fountain. A bigger version can be found on the Theaterplatz. Tinguely loved to make things, and the museum is full of his moving machine sculptures and sculptures that you can sometimes walkthrough. Children and adults alike love this museum and various exhibitions which highlight works by other artists similar to Tinguely complement the permanent exhibits.

Basler Papiermühle is a veritable delight for lovers of art! This unique museum is also a paper factory that churns out a huge variety of paper on a daily basis. The printing and writing mill is home to a multitude of colorful paper sheets that come in all shapes, sizes and patterns for your viewing pleasure. Children will love to leisurely explore the passel of paper creations on offer that makes for a great gifting option. Take calligraphy lessons or get involved in the process of making envelopes, there's some course or the other to keep all of you interested. You can purchase a hoard of notebooks, files and other paper creations at the mill as you take a tour of this exotic museum.

The foundations for the Kunstmuseum were laid when the city of Basel purchased the Amerbachsche Kabinett. This private collection, which boasted works by Holbein among others, was the world's first publicly owned one. Works by Witz, Schongauer, Cranach, Grünewald and others showcase renaissance's rich artistic traditions. 19th-century art is also featured here with Arnold Böcklin's work at the forefront. He did after all come from Basel. Marble steps take visitors to the museum's upper floors. 20th-century art by greats such as Leger, Braque and Picasso can be found here as well as abstract expressionist and pop artworks. The building itself is almost cubic. Located near the Wettsteingbridge, it also houses a library and copper-plate engraving cabinet.

This collection of instruments seemed like the poor relation of the Historical Musem for many years - a lack of money and space that only a few of the more than 2000 instruments were on display. Anonymous donors made the dream of a building for the museum possible - instruments from over the ages are now exhibited in this former prison. The instruments all come from civil collections, which makes this museum slightly different to those in Paris and Vienna. Drums, trumpets, horns and many other lesser-known instruments are all on display. They have 255 examples of music being played on the instruments on display, and the touchscreen technology insures an educational visit.

A treasure trove of heritage and historical finds, the Musee Chappuis-Fahndrich is located in the Jura canton of Switzerland. Housed within Develier, the museum is home to many artifacts dating back to the period between the 17th and 20th century. The collection has been personally put together by Marc Chappuis along with his wife. From housewares to tools to farm instruments, the museum opens up a galore of day to day life knick-knacks. However, entry to the museum is solicited and needs special permission. Check website for more information.

A prominent landmark in Solothurn, Waldegg Castle is found in a scenic location surrounded with baroque lawns, offering spellbinding views of the landscape. One of the most splendid aristocratic estates of the town, the castle now serves as a popular museum exhibiting the history and tradition of Solothurn. The various exhibits at the museum portray the life and times of Solothurn during the 18th Century. Exhibition at the Waldegg Castle museum focuses on the castle's construction apart from chronicling the Besenval family history.

Discover the history of the Jura from prehistoric times to the 20th century.

Cartoonmuseum Basel numbers a collection of over 3000 original drawings, which was first started in 1979 by the Basel caricaturist Jürg Spahr at the request of Dieter Burckhardt. Although there are not a large number of them, the mainly 20th-century drawings are all of high quality. The collection at Caricature and Cartoon Museum Basel has been located in a building with late Medieval roots in St. Alban Vorstadt since 1996. The museum shop has an excellent stock related to cartoons and caricature.