Basel Museums

Image of artistic star-like lanterns hanging from trees in Basel, Switzerland with text overlay, "Basel Museums: Get free admission."
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Switzerland: Basel Museums Free Admission

Switzerland has so many museums…like over 400! Basel sits on the border with Germany & France, so it makes it a great location to visit some of Switzerland’s top museums. The extra bonus is you can easily visit 3 countries in a few days! So grab your passport, let’s visit seven Basel museums for free.

To get you pointed in the right direction with your planning for Basel Museums, here a few tips:

Find out which Basel museum was our family’s favorite.
Read about the Swiss Rail Pass and learn how to get free admission to your favorite Basel museums. I’ll even show you how it’s your passport to free museums all over Switzerland.
Don’t miss out on all the other Basel museums that are free or discounted listed below.

Before we look at the museum, it important to remember that many of the websites listed below have a translation feature. But if you don’t see it, you can always use google translate to translate the page or section for you. It’s super easy. Just grab the chrome extension and keep it in a handy place on your toolbar.

Image Basel waterfront & river at night with text overlay, " Basel with Kids: Free Museums or Bust!" — Check out all these Free Basel Museums (when you buys a Swiss Rail Pass)!

Image of 2 kids at holding Marbled paper art from a Basel Museum — Basel Paper Museum

Image of signs giving directions to Basel Museums. Basel Museum-Wegweiser — This way to the Cartoon Museum

Image at a Basel Museum. Ovis aries Naturhistorisches Museum Basel 27102013_2 — Naturhistorisches Museum.

Image of Basel Museum - Pharmazie -Historisches Museum der Universität Basel; Schild Mörser — Pharmazie-Historisches Museum der Universität Basel

Image of Basel Museum- Antikenmuseum Basel — Antikenmuseum Basel

Image of Basel Museum- Doll Museum Basel — Doll & Toy Museum

Image of Basel Museum - Swiss Maritime Museum — Swiss Maritime Museum

Planning Pro Tip: Most museums are closed on Mondays, so plan your time accordingly. I think Monday sounds like the perfect day to enjoy a walking tour, or a trip down the Rhine, don’t you?

Basel Museums for Free (with your Swiss Rail Pass)

Basler Papiermühle

This was our family’s favorite Basel museum. Everyone loved it. There is so much to experience in this little museum and shop! It’s all hands on, so prepare for some papermaking, printing and bookbinding fun! You’ll even walk away with handmade souvenirs to take home and frame if you make it to the top floor bookmaking room.

Cartoonmuseum.

If you happen to be in Basel on a Sunday afternoon this might be fun. The museum organizes workshops/activities to accompany various exhibitions. Experience the astounding variety of comic art by joining an intriguing guided tour or participating in a fun workshop. For each exhibition, they offer a wide range of events and activities.

Naturhistorisches Museum.

My kids will always say “Yes!” to a Natural History Museum. This one has some amazing exhibits including a wildlife photography exhibit. Truly beautiful imagery the whole family can appreciate.

Pharmazie-Historisches Museum der Universität Basel.

If you have a budding scientist or doctor in the family, this museum is pretty cool. It has all kinds of antique pharmacological items and even an herbarium museum/shop.

Antikenmuseum Basel

This museum, dedicated to ancient masterpieces, presents 5,000 years of culture from the Mediterranean world. Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Italy from 4000 BC to AD 400. It’s a fascinating art and artifact collection with a twist. Their video will certainly pique your interest.

Spielzeug Welten Museum Basel.

Who can resist a toy museum? This one has a variety of collections that appeal to a broad audience. They even have a Neapolitan creche collection and a carousel exhibit.

Verkehrsdrehscheibe Schweiz und unser Weg zum Meer.

This museum is the Swiss Maritime Museum and the Transport Museum all in one place. It’s just out of the city center. Keep that in mind as you are planning your transportation for the day.

Grab your Swiss Rail Pass & have a great time!

There you have it! The 7 Basel museums that are free with your Swiss Rail Pass. Remember to carry your pass with you so you have it show for free entry. If you aren’t quite sure how the whole rail pass and free or discounted museum thing works, the Swiss Rail Pass post explains it in detail.