My next stop on my October travels was Weil am Rhein, across the river from Basel.
I visited Basel briefly 55 years ago, and it was one of the few destinations offered from Iași heading northwestwards which gave me sensible options for a final flight back to Edinburgh.
Basel has one of those interesting airports which serves Mulhouse in France, Basel itself and Freiburg in Germany. One exit takes you into France and the other into Switzerland. I had decided to stay in Weil am Rhein, just across the Rhein in Germany. I was advised to exit the airport into France and take a local bus across the river.
It worked. And the €5 fare suited me better than a €25 taxi bill.
The hotel (Ott’s Leopoldhöhe) is lovely. It is a very traditional German family owned place. I loved it. Location was a factor too – 5 minutes walk from the railway station and the same for the No 8 tram to/from Basel itself. I used both.
The location also suited my wish to take on the Dreiländergarten Parkrun. The course is a 15 minute walk from the hotel. I enjoyed the run. It is a flat course and that always has novelty value for a Scot.
Afterwards I had a delicious brunch at Limon across the street from the hotel – cheese börek served with honey to dip them in.
For the afternoon I had planned to drop my suitcase in left luggage at Basel SBB – the mainline railway station – and do a few hours of sightseeing. The plan was thwarted by the facility being full!
Instead I ate a bit of lunch, and then had an afternoon snack, and generally chilled out while waiting for my 16.03 train.
ⓒ iain taylor, 2025
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