Bern to Basel and Lucerne: Private day trip

Settled since antiquity, Basel’s position along the Rhine at the meeting point of the French, German, and Swiss borders solidified its status as an important trade and transportation hub, often making it the site of international peace negotiations and meetings. Today, it’s still retained that station, with visitors flocking from all over the world to attend its ART Basel festival. Home to the country’s highest concentration of museums, visitors have over 40 options, ranging from the world famous Basel Art Museum, to the Museum of Cultures, or the museum devoted to the iron sculptor Jean Tinguely. At the heart of the city’s historic old town, visitors can enjoy the the large market square, faced by the vibrant red sandstone town hall and the late Romanesque-Gothic cathedral.

Beginning as a Benedictine monastery around 750 AD, the city proper didn’t begin to develop until 1178, when Lucerne became independent from Murbach Abbey. In the 14h century, Lucerne was one of the four original cities to form the Swiss Confederacy, which put an end to Austrian rule. Following this victory, the city flourished, and was a popular place to settle in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today, its 17th century Jesuit church is regarded as Switzerland’s first sacral Baroque building. Many of the buildings in the car-free old town are decorated with frescoes, as exemplified in the picturesque ‘Weinmarkt’ square. The town’s defensive wall has been almost perfectly preserved, with only one tower not in its original state. The 14th century Chapel Bridge was constructed as a part of the city's fortification system, and is now the symbol of the city.