Art Basel, Alsace & Black Forest Tour

Package Overview

Art Basel is one of the world’s premier art events. Almost 300 leading commercial galleries assemble for a single week to showcase their best contemporary artists and recently acquired 20th-century masterpieces. In addition, there are halls dedicated to large-scale sculpture, special exhibitions and installations and performances around the city. This new 8-day tour takes you to Art Basel and then surveys the excellent collections that have accumulated along the Upper Rhine. It then continues to Strasbourg to explore this beautiful Gothic city, enjoying the countryside, cuisine and small towns of Alsace and the Black Forest.

Experience
Art Basel: exceptional contemporary art at one of the world’s leading and largest contemporary art fairs
Private collections and special exhibitions in Europe’s ‘Art Valley’, where Switzerland, Germany and France meet
The distinctive Upper Rhine region and its diverse cuisines and landscapes, from the rolling hills and hamlets of Alsace to the mountains of the Black Forest
The development of contemporary architecture, from Zaha Hadid to Frank Gehry, Mario Botta and Renzo Piano
Gothic art and architecture in the well-preserved cityscapes of Strasbourg and Colmar
HIGHLIGHTS

Mind-boggling displays of modern and contemporary art at Art Basel over three days, including exceptional displays of large-scale sculpture and public art
Excellent private collections, such as the Fondation Beyeler and Würth Collection, and special exhibitions at the recently renovated Kunstmuseum
The natural beauty and distinctive cuisines of Alsace and the Black Forest: vine-covered hills, medieval hamlets, Michelin stars and simple country inns
Soaring Gothic architecture at Strasbourg’s cathedral
Beautiful medieval towns, including Obernai and Colmar, with the new Unterlinden Museum and Isenheim AltarpieceReturn international/domestic air travel unless those flights take place during the tour
Special taxes and airport levies that can only be paid in cash at the destination. We will advise you of these charges (if any) before you depart
Costs involved in obtaining visas for countries visited, where required
Travel insurance. We require all participants to have comprehensive travel insurance. A typical policy for one of our tours will cost from $160 upwards, depending on your age, pre-existing medical conditions, the countries you are visiting and the overall length of your trip
Lunches and dinners not specifically mentioned as included in the itinerary
Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
Costs associated with any activity mentioned as “optional” in the itinerary, or any suggested free time activity

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Day wise Itinerary

• Day 1 : Art Basel

  This morning there is a group transfer from Zurich Airport to Basel. In the early afternoon we make our first visit to Art Basel. We begin in the main exhibition, a five-hectare venue designed by Herzog & de Meuron in which close to 300 of the world’s best commercial galleries showcase pieces from their modern and contemporary collections. Our visit continues to the adjoining exhibition space, where large scale sculptures and installations by leading contemporary artists are displayed. In the early evening, we strolling through the old town of Basel, where we have a welcome dinner. Overnight Basel

  • Meals & Drinks : Dinner

• Day 2 : Art Basel & the Kunstmuseum

  This morning we return to Art Basel for a private guided tour of the abundance of art on display in the main exhibition. In the mid-afternoon, we visit the Basel Kunstmuseum, which reopened in 2016 after extensive renovations and the addition of a new wing. The museum has a fine collection of medieval and Renaissance art from the Upper Rhine Region, including masterpieces by Hans Holbein, and an excellent collection of classical modernism, with masterpieces by Picasso, Van Gogh, Mondrian, Kandinsky and Matisse. It is also a major venue for exceptional special summer exhibitions. The evening is at leisure, and you may wish to stroll through the historic centre of Basel to enjoy the installations and sculptures in public spaces on display during Art Basel. Overnight Basel

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 3 : Modern Art in Basel

  Basel’s modern art collections are exceptional. This morning we visit the Fondation Beyeler – a villa designed by Renzo Piano specifically to house the private collection of Ernst Beyeler, one of the founders of Art Basel. After a break for lunch, we visit the Tinguely Museum, another of Basel’s wonderful combinations of art and architecture. The museum, set in a park overlooking the Rhine, was designed by Mario Botta to house the playful moving sculptures of Jean Tinguely, which were donated to the city by the artist Niki de Sainte Phalle. The late afternoon is free and there is an optional visit to the Schaulager, a high-security art-storage space designed by Herzog & de Meuron. Evening at leisure. Overnight Basel

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 4 : Colmar and Vitra Design Campus

  The Upper Rhine Valley is home to numerous art collections, because it is at the crossroads of Germany, France and Switzerland. This morning we depart by coach for Strasbourg, stopping first to visit the Vitra Design Campus, which is still the centre of production of Vitra, the company that continues to produce designer furniture by mid-century icons. The campus is more than a factory, however: it’s an open-air architecture museum, with buildings by Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, and Alvaro Siza. After a guided tour of the site, we visit its museum of modern design. In the afternoon, we continue on to Colmar, one of the best preserved medieval cities in the Rhine region. After enjoying the city’s ambience, we visit the Unterlinden Museum, set in a medieval monastery with a contemporary extension, most famous for the Isenheim Altarpiece by Mattias Grunewald. In the late afternoon, we continue to Strasbourg, driving through the beautiful scenery of Alsace’s wine regions. Dinner and overnight Strasbourg.

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 5 : Alsace

  Alsace is renowned for its landscapes, hamlets, wine and history, which we explore today by coach. Our first visit is to the Wurth Collection – one of the largest corporate art collections in Europe, amazingly still in the hands of the family and not a foundation. We continue to Obernai, one of Alsace’s best preserved medieval towns, which we tour and then enjoy lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant. After lunch, we continue to Mont Sainte-Odile, the site of a Celtic settlement and medieval monastery in the Voges mountains, with fantastic views across Alsace, and visit Selestat, a small town whose Renaissance library holds manuscripts from the 8th-16th centuries. Returning to Strasbourg through the hamlets of Alsace’s premier wine region, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Strasbourg

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch

• Day 6 : Strasbourg

  Strasbourg Cathedral is a landmark of Gothic architecture, and its spire, visible across Alsace, is a testament to the wealth and power of Strasbourg throughout the Middle Ages. This morning we take a walking tour of the medieval city, exploring its history and architecture, including the stunning cathedral, ending with the fine collection of Old Masters in the Musée des Beaux Arts. In the later afternoon, there is an optional visit to Strasbourg’s gallery of modern and contemporary art, whose masterpieces including Kandinsky’s Music Room, an excellent collection of Hans/Jean Arp and Sophie Tauber Arp, and Gustave Dore. Overnight Strasbourg

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast

• Day 7 : Baden Baden & the Black Forest

  In addition to its natural beauty, the Black Forest has the highest concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe. We begin the day at Baden Baden, a 19th century spa town and gateway to the Black Forest. After visiting the Freida Burder Museum – the private collection of a German printing magnate with a passion for modern art, housed in a building designed by Richard Meier – we drive into the Black Forest, enjoying its panoramic views, forests and lakes, and dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant. In the evening, we return to Strasbourg. Overnight Strasbourg

  • Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 8 : Departure

  There is a transfer from Strasbourg to Zurich this morning. Please consult your individual travel documents for details of your journey.

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Inclusions

• Hotel
• Sightseeing
• Any flights mentioned in the itinerary that take place during a tour
• Land travel by private air-conditioned coach. Where appropriate public transport is also used for short distance travel on some tours
• All accommodation in hotels or apartments as stated in the itinerary
• Breakfasts, lunches and dinners specifically stated as included in the itinerary
• Drinks at welcome and farewell meals. Other meals may not have drinks included
• Background talks on tour, site notes and online resources
• Services of tour leader throughout tour
• All entrance fees to sites mentioned in the itinerary
• Local guides at some sites
• Tips for drivers, local guides and restaurants for included meals
• Airport Transfers
• Tours begin either at the arrival airport or the first hotel, depending on the itinerary. If you have booked your international flights with Academy Travel and arrive before the tour commences, we will provide airport to hotel transfers to the closest main city on your arrival, and to the closest airport at the end of the tour. These may be either individual or group transfers.

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Exclusions

• Return international/domestic air travel unless those flights take place during the tour
• Special taxes and airport levies that can only be paid in cash at the destination. We will advise you of these charges (if any) before you depart
• Costs involved in obtaining visas for countries visited, where required
• Travel insurance. We require all participants to have comprehensive travel insurance. A typical policy for one of our tours will cost from $160 upwards, depending on your age, pre-existing medical conditions, the countries you are visiting and the overall length of your trip
• Lunches and dinners not specifically mentioned as included in the itinerary
• Personal expenses such as laundry and phone calls
• Costs associated with any activity mentioned as “optional” in the itinerary, or any suggested free time activity

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Terms & Conditions

Payment Terms & Methods :
* Some Advance Percentage of total booking amount
* Airfare/Transport fare to be paid full at one time in advance.

Cancellation & Refund Policy :
* Upon cancellation, refund will be made after deducting the Retention Amount.
* Retention Amount varies as per the number of days left before your package start date.

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

This Tour is Offered by

Academy Travel View Profile

0 / 5

• Level 1, 341 George St Bank of New South Wales Building, NSW, Sydney, Australia
• XXXXXX0023 View Contact
• XXXXXXXXXX@academytravel.com.au View Mail ID

About Academy Travel

Contact Agent Plan A Trip Text Me

Interested in This Tour?

• Requests are send directly to the tour operator
• We recommend to request quotes from 3 operators