April 2013
(16 Sankt Alban-Graben, tel: 061 206 6262) Who knew one little city could have so many Picassos? See with your own eyes at Kunstmuseum Basel, whose show The Picassos Are Here! combines the artworks held by the gallery with those of Fondation Beyeler, as well as those from Basel's private owners - some of which have never been on display before. Runs until 21 July. kunstmuseumbasel.ch

January 2013
Petra: Wonder in the Desert, at the Basel Antiquities Museum celebrates the 200th anniversary of the discovery of the ancient city by a Basel native, JL Burckhardt. With many treasures on loan from Jordan (antikenmuseumbasel.ch).

April 2013
This year's Baselworld, the world's leading watch and jewellery show, will be the inaugural event at the new exhibition halls of the revamped Congress Centre (25 April - 2 May). A glittering day of diamonds and gold awaits. baselworld.com

January 2013
Ice-skaters should head for one of Basel's public skating rink in the centre of the city at St Margarethen (10 Im Margarethenpark) or in Lesser Basel at Eglisee (85 Egliseestrasse). Adults pay CHF7, kids CHF4, and skates hire costs CHF5.

January 2013
Several smaller ski lifts zip up the hills of the nearby Black Forest or Jura mountains, but more likely than not you'll find little more than grass on the pistes. An alternative is Feldberg, about an hour's drive into the Black Forest, and at 1493 metres, it's the highest peak in the Black Forest.

December 2012
Strasbourg's Christmas market is no longer Europe's largest (lost to the metropolises), but it is still the oldest. Originating in 1570, it predates Santa and his reindeer, and the modern advantage is that the train from Basel takes only an hour-and-a-half.