Fasnacht is the most important date in the Basel calendar and one of the the best times to visit the cultural capital of Switzerland.
72-hours of festivities commence at 4am on Monday morning with Morgenstreich, a procession of lanterns and piccolo players, through the streets of Basels Old Town. I know early morning in Feburary in Basel can be cold but get to Marktplatz or Barfusserplatz early (3am-ish) to get yourself the best place.
Pick up some Mehlsuppe (a traditional flour soup) to keep yourself warm.
Basel Fasnacht - display of Fasnacht lanterns - Lanterns of Basler Fasnacht being displayed in Münsterplatz
Basel - great things to do - 8 of the best things to do in and around the city of Basel
Switzerland - sacred destinations - Nine of the finest churchs, cathedrals and monastries in Switzerland
Basel Fasnacht - lanterns at Münsterplatz - Lanterns displayed in front of the Basler Münster on the second day of Basler Fasnacht
Basel - Van Gogh exhibition 2009 - A visit the Van Gogh Exhibition at the Kunstmuseum in Basel
Basel SBB - Deutsche Bahn train - A Deutsche Bahn train sits at the Basel SBB train station
Switzerland - festivals not to miss - Fantastic Swiss festivals to visit through the year
Liestal - Chienbaese 2013 - The Chienbaese procession through the central Altstadt of Liestal
Liestal - Chienbäse - Chienbäse being paraded through the old town of Liestal
Liestal - Chienbäse fire - Chienbäse fire being paraded in Liestal
Basel Tourismus - Official website of Basel City Tourism
Mark Sukhija is a travel and wine blogger, photographer, tourism researcher, hat-touting, white-shirt-wearing, New Zealand fantatic and eclipse chaser. Aside from at least annual visits to New Zealand, Mark has seen eclipses in South Australia (2002), Libya (2006), China (2009) and Queensland (2012). After twelve years in Switzerland, Mark moved back to London in 2012. You can follow Mark on Twitter or Facebook