BASEL, SWITZERLAND
Basel is located along the Rhine river in northern Switzerland, at the intersection of France, Germany and Switzerland. It is a relatively small, attractive city with a good arts scene. The city is a centre of the pharmaceutical industry, home to pharma giant Novartis and Hoffmann-La Roche. The city is also emerging as a software cluster and is also joint head-quarters with Zurich for UBS AG - Switzerland's biggest bank.
Basel is served by Euroairport which is actually in French territory 5km north of the city, shared between Basel (Switzerland), Mulhouse (France) and Freiburg (Germany). Taking a taxi is easiest and is economic given the short distance. Note that your hotel will give you a Basel Mobility Card, free with your hotel stay -- this card will allow you free transportation on trams and buses.
At business meetings you will quickly notice that the Swiss take great pride in their work, no matter what their profession, this is reflected in day to day life throughout Switzerland. Don't mistake the Swiss fondness for privacy and coolness as indifference. The Swiss are generally very earnest and interested, if perhaps reserved, this is except during Fasnacht Festival, when once a year the city's residents truly let their hair down.
Quick facts --
Country Code: 41
City Code: 61
Money: Swiss franc, the only version of the franc still issued in Europe.
Voltage: The current used throughout Switzerland is 230 V. Adaptors are available at most hotels.
Time: Switzerland Time is in the Central European Time Zone. Central European Standard Time (CET) is 1 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+1).
Basel is served by Euroairport which is actually in French territory 5km north of the city, shared between Basel (Switzerland), Mulhouse (France) and Freiburg (Germany). Taking a taxi is easiest and is economic given the short distance. Note that your hotel will give you a Basel Mobility Card, free with your hotel stay -- this card will allow you free transportation on trams and buses.
At business meetings you will quickly notice that the Swiss take great pride in their work, no matter what their profession, this is reflected in day to day life throughout Switzerland. Don't mistake the Swiss fondness for privacy and coolness as indifference. The Swiss are generally very earnest and interested, if perhaps reserved, this is except during Fasnacht Festival, when once a year the city's residents truly let their hair down.
Quick facts --
Country Code: 41
City Code: 61
Money: Swiss franc, the only version of the franc still issued in Europe.
Voltage: The current used throughout Switzerland is 230 V. Adaptors are available at most hotels.
Time: Switzerland Time is in the Central European Time Zone. Central European Standard Time (CET) is 1 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+1).