Riehen offers plenty to explore during a stay focused on art, village history and landscapes. Highlights include a museum building designed by Renzo Piano, historic sites, parks and a variety of routes. Along with Basel and Bettingen, Riehen is one of three municipalities in the canton of Basel-Stadt and the second-largest municipality in Northwestern Switzerland after Basel. The theme you choose to focus on can shape your selection of experiences, from architecture and exhibitions to walks and swimming.
Art, Museums and Village History
The museum building of the Fondation Beyeler was designed by Renzo Piano. The three Riehen Art Walks offer another way to explore art and local history. Along the routes, you can discover selected sculptures from the Riehen Collection, as well as parks, gardens, studio houses, architecture, artworks and the history of the area. This way, the walks bring not only individual artworks into focus, but also their different themes.
The Museum Kultur & Spiel Riehen (MUKS) is housed in the historic Wettsteinhaus in the village center. Its activities for exploring and taking part are aimed especially at families with children and grandparents with grandchildren. The courtyard and newly redesigned historic garden are inviting places to play and relax. The building is protected as a historic monument; the entrance area, toilets and special exhibition room are wheelchair accessible. Anyone interested in the village’s long history will find another point of interest at the Church of St. Martin: it has a thousand-year history and is considered an architectural monument, the historic heart of the village and a landmark of Riehen.
The history of political life is also part of the area’s past. On June 26, 1958, the Riehen citizens’ municipality was the first in Switzerland to introduce women’s suffrage. The specific attribution to the citizens’ municipality and the exact date make this event a distinct chapter in the village’s history.
Parks and Walking Routes
In Berower Park, old trees and lily ponds are part of the landscape, alongside views of cornfields, grazing cows and vineyards on the foothills of the Black Forest. Wenkenpark offers a different kind of park: it is historic, landscaped in the English style and set around the Wenkenhof villas. The park also has a café.
For walks with different themes, try the Art Walk, the Hebel hiking trail or the Markgräfler Wiiwegli. The Hebel hiking trail is a literary tourism route following in the footsteps of Johann Peter Hebel, the Alemannic dialect poet. The Markgräfler Wiiwegli is the region’s first cross-border wine trail. These routes offer distinct themes: literature and wine. Riehen’s viticulture also has a tradition stretching back more than 1,200 years.
Swimming and Getting Around
Naturbad Riehen has more than 1,000 square meters of swimming area. Facilities include a 25-meter lap pool with four lanes and a pool lift for people with physical disabilities. The lift helps people with physical disabilities access the pool.
Riehen train station is right in the village center and about a ten-minute walk from the Fondation Beyeler; the walking time is approximate. Modern number 6 trams and buses operated by Basler Verkehrsbetriebe take visitors directly to Riehen Dorf and various neighborhoods in the municipality. Routes and schedules may change, so it’s best to check them before setting out. You can also get around by bicycle: a well-developed cycle path network connects Riehen with Basel, Lörrach and Weil am Rhein.
Discover more destinations: Bettingen, Basel.
Return to the main travel overview: Basel-Stadt.
