
Sports in Switzerland
Switzerland has an abundance of natural playgrounds and is a paradise for sports and outdoor enthusiasts. Whether water, air, or earth is your preferred element or you live for the adrenalin rush of extreme sports, Switzerland will have something for you.
There is a huge choice of winter and summer sports in Switzerland, including skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing, hiking, canoeing, mountaineering, cycling, mountain biking, golf, wakeboarding, windsurfing and paragliding. Most sports facilities are easily reachable by public transport. Season tickets and club memberships will help to reduce costs.
Sport in Basel and surrounds
- Basel Sportamt is the local government department responsible for sports activities and offers detailed information on all sports in Basel.
- The non-profit organisation Gsünder Basel (Healthier Basel) promotes a healthy lifestyle through classes, projects, activities and services.
- The nearby Jura mountain range is ideal for nature lovers, hikers, joggers, and walkers as well as aspiring alpine mountaineers and free-climbers.
- Basel Hiking Club provides information on and suggestions for walking routes, in German.
- Sports clubs and gyms and fitness studios are a good way to keep fit and meet people. Many gyms offer different membership options and some health insurances contribute towards membership fees.
- State of the art sports facilities at St. Jakob ("Joggeli") next to the new FC Basel stadium include a swimming pool complex, tennis courts, football pitches, a light athletics stadium and a new ice stadium.
- Allschwil offers excellent tennis and squash facilities.
- The nearby Black Forest region in Germany offers winter sports at moderate prices, and is reachable by car from Basel in under an hour. Most major winter sport centres in Switzerland can be reached in just 90 minutes by car or train.
Sporting events in Basel
- Highlights of the Basel sports calendar include the summer annual Rhine swimming event, the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament in October, and the Baselstadtlauf at the end of November when the city sparkles with Christmas lights.
Photo:swiss-image.ch/Andrea Badrutt