Super Easy Day Excursions

It's so easy to get around Switzerland, especially when you have a GA (General Abonnement) Rail Pass which is good on all Swiss rail including trains, trams, and even most funicular and cable car routes within the country for a year. It made sense financially for me to get one because my course is in Zürich so I'm travelling quite frequently, but Juna decided to get one, too and it has really been convenient. They certainly are expensive, but there are a few big discounts they offer. Juna got 1,000 francs off with the student discount for being enrolled at the University of Basel and then on top of that, they also gave me 1,000 francs off of my GA with the couples discount (we just needed to prove we both lived at the same address). So we each paid 2,500 CHF instead of the 3,500 it normally is for an adult second class pass. Apparently you have to buy an additional rail pass for your bike anytime you want to take it on public transport, which I think is a bummer, but you can also get a GA for your dog for reasonably cheap, which I think is awesome.

Some memorable places we've been that are just a stone's throw away from Basel:

Bottmingen. I stumbled on this adorable village by picking a tram line at random--the 10--and riding it to the end. I am told that the 10 is the longest tram line in all of Europe. We walked through yellow flower meadows, sunflower fields and apple orchards and found a pumpkin stand where you can take what you like and pay by the honor system.

Dornach. Home of the Goetheanum and a whole campus designed by Rudolf Steiner where you can still study anthroposophy or see performances of eurhythmics accompanied by recitations or haunting music. Only 8 minutes by train from Basel SBB.

Leymen. Actually over the border into France, Leymen can be reached by the 10 tram by taking it all the way to the end, Richtung Rodersdorf. Then a reasonably short hike up a steep hill leads to castle ruins which are fantastically experienced by twilight, in my opinion, even though it was an accident that we were attempting the hike so late in the day (we decided spontaneously to do it around 4pm, I think).

Tree house in someone's backyard--the trail leads through some residential areas