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Box office, is a three stage public theater in the city center. The Grosse Bühne (grand stage), in the theater's main building on Theaterplatz, is primarily used for operas and ballet. The Schauspielhaus, re-opened in 2002 in a new building on nearby Steinentorstr. 7, offers drama and comedy plays (in German and sometimes Swiss-German). The Kleine Bühne, also in the main building, is used for smaller drama productions or other unclassifiable genres. The repertoire of all three stages typically features a mixture of classic European canon (plays by Schiller, Chekhov, Ibsen, etc., operas by Mozart, Verdi, and the like) and contemporary, sometimes experimental, shows that may defy genre borders. Even classical plays or operas will generally be given a contemporary treatment. Not for a traditionalist's taste but enjoyable for the adventurous spectator. Both the drama and opera productions garner attention beyond Basel and are reviewed by the German speaking press all over Europe.
Basel Minster
Now a Reformed Protestant cathedral, it was built from 1019, badly damaged in an earthquake of 1356, and completed in 1500 in Romanesque & Gothic style. The Galluspforte (Gallus portal) on the western façade is a magnificent sculptural work. Figures carved on the main (south) façade include St. George slaying the Dragon. Inside, there's a sandstone lectern, and a crypt with tombs of early bishops of Basel; also buried here is Jacob Bernoulli, who discovered the mathematical constant e. You can climb either or both towers: St. Martin's is 62 m and St. George's is 65 m.
Protestant church completed in 1864 in neo-Gothic Revival style. Note the stone pulpit with wooden canopy.
Fine Arts Museum
Huge permanent collection of 19th and 20th century works, including a whole room of Picasso, and medieval and renaissance paintings from Holbein, Grien and others. Housed in two buildings: Hauptbau & Neubau.
On the same ticket but in the separate Gegenwart building at St. Alban-Rheinweg 60 (10-minute walk from the main facility) is the Museum of Contemporary Art, open Tu-Su 11:00-18:00.
No permanent collection, this is Basel's main non-commercial art space for changing contemporary art shows. Throughout the year, the Kunsthalle shows cutting edge international artists in meticulously curated shows.
Museum of Cultures
Ethnographic museum featuring exhibits from South America, Africa, East Asia and Oceania. The exhibits from the South Seas, Ancient America, Tibet and Bali are world-famous, as are its textiles.
Museum of Ancient Art and Ludwig Collection
Huge collection of antiquities: some Egyptian and Mesopotamian art, but mostly Greek art.