Right on the trade show complex and well-situated for sightseeing

Basel Trade Show Center is Switzerland’s biggest trade show complex. Its events attract millions of visitors every year. Hyperion Hotel Basel is renowned for its immediate proximity to this major attraction. But its excellent transport links also make it very attractive: It is not even ten minutes’ walk from the Badisch Bahnhof train station to the hotel. Basel Airport is just eight kilometres away and there is straightforward access to the motorway. You can get to the city centre in a quarter of an hour on feet.

If you visit Basel, make sure you leave some time for trademark of the city. Basel Münster, or cathedral, is characterised by red sandstone, colourful brickwork and slim towers. The church was built between 1019 and 1500, and displays both Romanesque and Gothic elements. Some parts had to be rebuilt after the earthquake of 1356 and the southern Martin’s Tower, and thus the cathedral itself, was completed in 1500. It was extended in the 15th century to include two cloisters, and the Cathedral Square with two canons’ houses completes the overall picture. It takes about 20 minutes to walk there from the Hyperion Hotel Basel.

In 1977, where the City Theatre once stood, the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely created a flat asphalt fountain area to set up playful mechanical sculptures in the fountains. Powered by electricity, the move as if they’re in a play: they turn, spray and hiss. The Tinguely fountain is also very eye catching in winter, when the water freezes into bizarre ice sculptures. Then the fountain master makes his twice-daily inspection, and beats the figures free. You can get there in ten minutes from the Hyperion Hotel Basel by tram.

Basel Zoo is the oldest large zoo in Switzerland. It was founded in 1874, and still boasts a number of historic animal houses. As well as this it also delights visitors with modern facilities such as the Africa enclosure, where hippos, zebras and ostriches live together as in nature. There are around 620 types of animal in the naturally beautiful site. Successful breeding programs such as the rhinoceros or dwarf hippo have made the zoo famous all over the world. Two million visitors come here every year. You will need about 15 minutes to get to the zoo from Hyperion Hotel Basel by tram.

Basel Art Museum is Switzerland’s biggest art museum, the oldest city art collection in the world and thus a museum of international renown. The collection includes around 4,000 paintings, sculptures and installations, plus 300,000 drawings and prints from seven centuries. The museum also houses the biggest collection of the works of the Holbein family in the world. It takes about six minutes to get there from the Hyperion Hotel Basel by tram.

The Museum of Contemporary Art (Gegenwartskunst) or the Tinguely-Museum are also artistic delights. You can also look forward to 30 other museums in Basel, such as the Museum of Antiquities, the Architectural Museum or the Natural History Museum.

Augusta Raurica

To the east of Basel, you will find the biggest archaeological park in Switzerland. The Roman settlement Augusta Raurica ranks as the best-preserved Roman town north of the Alps. Sights include a theatre, a temple, the main forum with Jupiter’s Temple and basilica. You can also see private commercial buildings such as a tavern or pottery.

Around 80 percent of the area remains unresearched to this day. The most important finds are on display in the adjoining August Roman Museum. You will need about a quarter of an hour to get to the settlement from the Hyperion Hotel Basel by car.