Basel-Laufen

Schifflände Basel: Amazon with horse

Basel: Old town at the «Rheinsprung»

Along the "Dalbedych," a picturesque old industrial canal, we leave the city, passing under a number of heavily trafficked traffic arteries until we reach the border to Baselbiet at the St. Jakob football stadium. Here the two route variants separate until Soyhières just before Delémont.

Our path to Laufen follows the Birs to Aesch, mostly on natural paths, then goes via Pfeffingen Castle and ruin to the flank of the Blauen ridge, from where we can enjoy harmonious views over the Laufental. Via the town of Blauen, we return to the valley floor to Zwingen, and then follow the railway line to Laufen. In Zwingen, the water-surrounded castle catches the eye, now used by the municipal administration, and Laufen fascinates with its picturesque old town. Those who wish to shorten this stage can take the tram from Basel to the terminus at Aesch; our path passes very close to it.

Basel: Old Town at the «Rheinsprung»

Note(s)

Since summer 2011, the Juraweg (officially "Connecting route Basel-Jura-Drei-Seen-Land") has linked the Jura and the "Regio Basiliensis" (and thus also neighboring southern Germany and Alsace) with the Romandie, where it merges at Payerne into the "Way of Romandie," which continues via Geneva to France. From Basel to Delémont there are two variants: the one via Mariastein runs more northerly near the French border, the other runs more southerly more or less along the Birs.