Basel. Switzerland

With museums abounding, a scenic place on the Rhine and one of Europe's premier winter carnivals, Basel is an excellent stopover, especially for those with a passion for art and urban design.

The year-round attractions, including Old Town, are mostly to be found in Grossbasel on the south bank of the Rhine. Over the river, Kleinbasel is a bit grittier, long home to this wealthy city’s working class. The relief bust of the tongue king Lällekeenig– closeby to the southern end of Mittlere Brücke – sticking his tongue out at the northern end, sums up the attitudes of the two sides of town nicely.