The Basle Tourism Office offers four walking tours that last 90 minutes to two hours. The Old Town tour is a guided trip through historic parts of the city, some of which date back to the Middle Ages. This tour visits Tinguely Fountain, Munster Hill and City Hall. The Novartis Healthcare Campus tour explores the area's redesign, the importance of Novartis to the city and visits some of the offices and research facilities. The Meet the Roman's tour is guided by experts on the city's Roman past, and explores ruins of an amphitheater, temple, trading house and a reconstructed residence. Visitors will also have the chance to go through the Roman Museum. In addition to the guided tours, the city offers five self-guided "iGuide" tours which are enhanced with an interactive guidebook. Tickets or iGuide rentals can be purchased at the Tourist Information office or on-site for the Roman tour. The Novartis tour must be reserved in advance. All tours are appropriate for children.
Private or semi-private tours are available on Segways. Tours must have a minimum of four participants and a maximum of six. Choose from three available tour routes: a tour of the Old Town area, a tour along the Rhine to the "Three Countries Corner" at the border, or travel through the "Little Venice" neighborhood of Basle. The Old Town tour begins and ends in Messeplatz (Exhibition Square) and visits City Hall and the Marktplatz, the Rhine and a historic orphanage. The Three Countries Corner tour explores the borders of France, Germany and Switzerland, and the city's port. The Little Venice tour explores a historic residential area with streams and small canals, and a 500-year-old half-timbered house and historic craftsmanship demonstrations. Each tour lasts approximately 90 minutes to two hours. Tourists must possess a valid driver's license in order to operate a Segway in Switzerland. Reservations are required at least a day in advance.
The tourism office offers three different running or "sightjogging" tours of the city every Saturday morning at 11 a.m. The tours are usually held in German, though with prior arrangements, can be given in English or French. Each tour is between six and 10 km long, and last approximately an hour. The first tour is of the city center and Old Town, in addition to major shopping and business districts. The second tour is of the Gundeli neighborhood, which is behind the train station and is one of the largest residential areas in the city. The jog includes a trip up a large hill behind the neighborhood, with views of Basle and the Black Forest in Germany. The third tour is of the harbor and the "Three Countries Corner" area, with excursions through industrial areas and the docks. Joggers will need to bring identification, as they will travel through France and Germany on this tour.
