Barfüsserplatz and around
The focus of the Old Town is Barfüsserplatz, crisscrossed by trams and surrounded by terrace cafés. Rubbing shoulders with the fast-food joints and raucous pubs, on the corner with Steinenvorstadt, is the Yellow House, designed by Roger Diener, a yellowish concrete building adored by architects but ignored by the general public.
Walk up Steinenberg on the south side of Barfüsserplatz to Theaterplatz, to admire Tinguely’s Carnival Fountain, where the spluttering sculptures were created from parts of the city’s old theatre. Just behind, Intersection is a fine example of American artist Richard Serra’s rusting walk-in sculptures.
Marktplatz and around
Shop-lined Gerbergasse and Freiestrasse, as well as a dense network of narrow, sloping medieval alleys such as Schneidergasse (Tailor Street), Sattelgasse (Saddle Street) and Imbergässlein (Ginger Alley), run north from Barfüsserplatz to Marktplatz, the Old Town’s other main square, crowded every morning with fruit-and-veg stalls.
Lighting up the broad rectangular space with a splash of eye-catching colour is the elaborate scarlet facade of the Rathaus (Town Hall), its central arcaded section sixteenth-century, the tower and side annexe both late nineteenth-century. Feel free to wander into the frescoed interior courtyard.
Kleinbasel
On the north/east bank of the Rhine is down-to-earth Kleinbasel (Lesser Basel), more residential and less historical than its neighbour, with some laidback nightlife around Claraplatz diluting the weighty presence of the giant Messe conference centre nearby.