Although the country’s flattest region, the Rhine’s green belt and surrounding landscape of forests and villages provides tempting diversions for nature lovers and explorers. Here are some destinations you won’t find in many guidebooks.

Lange Erlen
Bus 36 heads east to this free botanical park adjacent the Wiese River. This is family-friendly territory, where kids get hands-on with a variety of farm animals and birds while many different species of deer roam larger enclosures throughout the park.

We enjoy the animals, but the adjacent forests and river are impressive, boasting 70 varieties of indigenous trees and encouraging romance with their winding paths and secret nooks. There’s a fine restaurant and kiosk too, but Lange Erlen is tailor-made for picnics. It’s open every day from dawn to dusk.

Arlesheim
Rows of vines line the hills, promising a bounty of cool-season Riesling gold as tram 10 rocks into sleepy Arlesheim village, south of Basel.

There’s little activity on an overcast, spring morning and the medieval town square echoes our gasps of approval at its 17C baroque cathedral, a stark contrast to warm summer nights when this same square buzzes to the excitement of popular amateur theatre productions. The interior frescoes are beautiful, muted morning light highlighting grand scenes of mythical wonder.

Outside, a series of trails lead through fringing forest, exploring a fairyland of creeks and caves and ending with a short climb to Castle Birseck. Photo opportunities abound on the (different) return route as we pass a grand, 19C residence in a secret pocket of forest. A cat opens one eye, sprawled on a rug atop a suspended basket of firewood. Just another postcard moment in Switzerland.

Green 80
Basel’s reputation for gardens is well deserved and tram 10 passes one of its finest green spaces, just south of the city. Green 80 was founded in 1980, hence the name, and today’s spring sunshine showcases rambling displays of seasonal colour explored through a myriad of easy walking trails.

Today is Saturday and Basel is playing hard. Teams of young and old crowd the sports fields; kites pepper the sky; families picnic on vast check rugs. Kebabs, pretzels and schnitzels are the fuel of choice. Ice cream runs a close second. We eat, drink and party with what feels like half the city, then eat ice cream under a 40-foot dinosaur called Dino.

Rheinfelden
Bisected by the Rhine and straddling the German border east of Basel, Rheinfelden’s rail station is the gateway to an interesting town, combining a charming, medieval centre on the Swiss side with extraordinary shopping bargains on the German side.

We stock up on whiskey, wine, smallgoods, cheese and chocolate, easily accommodating the 100-euro limit, before boarding a boat for the two-hour Rhine cruise home. Now that’s a day trip – leisure, culture and indulgence in one enjoyable shopping expedition!