Basel – Cheese & Chocolate

26 March, 2025 

When we began our initial planning we thought we would fly to Zurich, spend a couple of days, then go to Basel on the morning of departure. As our flight planning progressed and we discovered that flying directly to Basel was significantly more economical our focus shifted. Brent's current employer is based near the Black Forrest, less than 70km as the crow flies, so he was in possession of a rudimentary knowledge of the general area. But the details remained a mystery to us all. Google Maps is an amazing tool, but you can only learn so much from maps and photos, so once again I turned to TripAdvisor.

With zero knowledge of the area I leaned heavily on posted reviews and location. We didn't have a docking location for our Viking longboat, so I used the information I could find online to come at an average location. Armed with all of that information I started comparing prices and features of hotels in the category that suited us. Hotel Gaia rose to the top of the list and they offered attractive rates for a pre-paid stay, so I booked them and hoped for the best. 

Breakfast Room

Upon arrival the front desk staff displayed Swiss efficiency, checking us in to our rooms quickly and presenting our Basel Cards (an excellent tourist perk!) before giving us the layout of the hotel. The property is architecturally quirky, but not in a Escherian way. Every area we observed on the way up to our room was spotless, walls were clean and carpets were fresh. Signage was in excellent repair and decor was thoughtful and nicely presented. We shuttled luggage up to our rooms using the lift, opened the door to our room, and entered what can only be described as an exceptional accommodation. 

Our "Gorgeous Junior Suite" was not "Junior" by our standards and left me wondering what a "Regular" Suite looked like! Coming in the door you are faced with the bathroom, which was immaculate and appointed with some of the most lush towels I've ever seen in my life. My wife was concerned about the height of the tub, but that often happens in European hotels. A large sitting area was adjacent to the bathroom, and the king-sized bed faced the sitting area. A large flat-panel TV hung on a swivel mount above a desk along the wall between the sitting area and the bed, with a large closet (replete with safe) near the foot of the bed. When I went over to examine the closet I discovered the SECOND bathroom, with step-in shower! (Worries about the height of the tub immediately evaporated...) 

To reiterate - our "Junior" suite came with king size bed, sitting area, desk, and TWO full bathrooms. I was absolutely gobsmacked. The amenities were equal to the quality of everything else we encountered, the water pressure was phenomenal, and the hot water was ample. 

The next morning, despite jet lag, I awoke rested and (fairly) energized, only to be equally shocked when I entered the breakfast room. A beautiful space, tended by friendly and attentive staff, with an assortment of delicious items and EXCELLENT cappuccino. There are croissant almost as big as your head, fresh scrambled eggs and sausages, cereals, yogurts, fruits, juices, more pastries, jams, butters – with vegan and gluten-free options aplenty.

The breakfast staff is as friendly, attentive, and efficient as the front desk staff. I am absolutely stunned at our good fortune with the choice of this hotel. It's enough to make me look for a reason to return to Basel in the future.

To get us out and about, and in an effort to overcome jet lag as quickly and easily as possible, we booked an outing through Tours of Switzerland on Trip Advisor. We chose Basel's Cheese, Chocolate, and Local Pastry Tasting Private Tour for a couple of reasons. First, our group has some mobility challenges, and we didn't want to feel rushed, nor like we were slowing others down. Second, all four of us have the capacity to see something that grabs our interest and stop or wander off, so we wanted the freedom to adapt on the fly. Jonas, our guide, made it seem as if everything we wanted to do was part of his plan. As we strolled along (and it was quite literally a stroll, Jonas didn't urge us along a single time) Jonas filled the walk with a steady stream of conversation and information. No lectures on medieval conquests and inane detail on which feudal lord overthrew another one – just history to provide context and understanding, and inspire a quest to know more. We started with an introduction to the Basel tram system. It's a simple hop-on, hop-off system, monitored by random ticket inspectors. The cost for locals is affordable, and if you're a hotel guest your pass is included with your Basel Card, which also provides discounts on entry fees at museums and the zoo, among other sites. LED panels indicate the endpoint of the line the tram is on, so navigating is as simple as finding your destination on the map, then figuring out which direction you need to go on which line. Then it's just a matter of getting off at the right place. The Basel tram is the only system in the world that services three countries (France, Switzerland, and Germany) and one of only four in the world that cross an international border. 

We took the tram to the Marktplatz (Market Plaza) and strolled up the hill to our first stop at Gilgen, an amazing bakery that's been around for just under 100 years, housed in a couple of 13th century buildings. In the pre-Easter season we were treated to a wall filled with chocolate bunnies that defies description. Signs proclaim "No Self Service" (In German, a reminder that just because you can't read a sign doesn't mean you should ignore it – break out your translation app and figure things out, the locals will be impressed with your initiative.) The chocolate work is detailed and delicate, and the wall changes seasonally. I'd love to see the Christmas display. Jonas introduced us to the local treat, Basler Läckerli (translates to "Basel Delicious") a spice biscuit created in Basel sometime in the 14th century. There are several large-scale producers, but family recipes have been handed down for generations. We're currently in the process of gathering recipes so we can make our own, if that gives you an idea of how tasty it is. The danger of Gilgen is tailoring your purchases to your travel situation. Your eyes and mouth say "buy it all" but unless you're driving a delivery truck you may face difficulty. 

We continued on towards the primary focus of our tour - cheese and chocolate!

Shamefully none of us took very good notes due to our travel induced haze. I can tell you that if you ever see an Appenzeller that has been aged for six months, try it! We tasted 8 or 10 cheese variants, different styles of cheese and different ages of the same cheeses. I've met very few cheeses I don't like, and these were no exception. Jonas explained the style the various cheeses were made in and the changes in the attributes imparted by the aging process. After the cheese we moved on to chocolate, with a similar treatment – but more focus on the variation in process and how it effects the flavor profile of the chocolate. What a wonderful, and tasty, education! 

Jonas delivered us back to the hotel and bid us safe travels. Thankfully we had a couple of hours to recharge before dinner, which was a great relief on many levels, but not before a quick trip down the street to a yarn shop!

The tram delivered us just a couple of blocks from Taverne Johann, which is a restaurant we found on TripAdvisor. We arrived on time for our reservation and were given a long table near the back of one of the dining rooms. We all enjoy good food, and usually take photos to share with family. One of our collective sons is a trained chef and the other two sons are pretty serious amateur chefs, so we like to show them what we're describing. 

 I have two photos from our meal - the wine bottle and a dessert. Not because they were the only things photo-worthy, quite the opposite. Because everything else was so tempting, and so amazing, that we completely forgot to catalog anything until the end. (Hence the dessert photo...) 

 Local, farm-to-table, unique, delicious – how much can I say without being redundant? Venison meatballs, duck, amazing ice creams. They focus on "slow food" (as opposed to mass-production suppliers) so the menu is dynamic. If you're visiting Basel put this at the top of your list. 

I would go back again without hesitation. The service was as good as the food. Need I say more? This is a place to savor and linger. If you're in a rush, perhaps you should go elsewhere, otherwise get comfortable and enjoy a magnificent experience.

The walk back to the tram stop was refreshing and we headed back to the hotel to make sure our luggage was in order to transfer to our Viking longboat in the morning. We were glad we made the decision to spend our pre-cruise time in Basel instead of Zurich.

Bahnhof Basel