Coworking Space Basel – The Best Places to Work Remotely

The world becomes more mobile every day, so working remotely is no longer a rarity. The demand for coworking spaces is rapidly on the rise. Across the globe, there are already several hubs for digital nomads, like for example Chiang Mai or Prague, and more are popping up every year.

We’ve worked in many coworking spaces around the world, which led me to wondering about finding a coworking place in my hometown of Basel in Switzerland. After undertaking some thorough hands-on research, I’d like to show you how you can find the best coworking space in Basel.

Basel is a very innovative and international city with great charm. It attracts about two million tourists a year and is home to many expats. Especially in summer, when it’s warm enough to enjoy a swim in the Rhein River, Basel becomes very lively and offers a huge amount of activities.

In this article, you’ll find six places to work remotely in Basel. Because Switzerland is known for its high costs of living, I’ve also included two places where you can work for free. Let’s jump into six of the best coworking spaces in Basel!

Universitätsbibliothek Basel (Basel University Library) – Our Favourite Coworking Space in Basel

Our personal favourite coworking space Basel is not a coworking space in the usual sense. The Basel University Library is the official public library of the canton of Basel, which means that you can enter without paying an entrance fee. The library has more than three million items in its collection, making it one of the largest libraries in Switzerland. Furthermore, it’s also one of the oldest libraries in Europe.

The Basel University Library offers around 500 spacious workstations, and pretty much every seat comes with its own power socket. The chairs are comfortable and the tables have generally a good height.  As it’s a library, silence is of utter importance. This is perfect if you need to stay concentrated on your work, but less than ideal if you need to be on the phone. 

You’re not allowed to enter the library with coats, jackets, or bags. This is not a problem though. In the entrance of the building, there is a staffed cloakroom where you can store your jacket for free. Furthermore, there are many lockers to keep your bags and other belongings safe while you work. You can put your laptop and other kit you need for work into one of the handy shopping baskets provided at the entrance, and take it with you into the library.

Amazingly, WiFi is also completely free. Just connect to the “unibas-visitor” WiFi and you’ll be guided through the registration process. All you need for this process is a mobile phone for the code they will text you, which is then valid for six months. You can find the exact process if you click this link. International phone numbers are no problem. 

Scanning is free and prints start with a price of CHF 0.10 per black and white page

In case you get hungry…

Eating at your workstation or anywhere in the reading rooms is completely forbidden. If you’re hungry, there’s a cafeteria on the top floor. The prices for food and drinks are very reasonable for Swiss standards. You can get a main dish plus a salad for around CHF 7.50, and they also serve hot and cold drinks and a few snacks.

It is permitted to drink water in the library and tap water is safe to drink. Our tip is to bring a reusable water bottle and fill it up with tap water.

If you’d like to know more, you can check out the official homepage of the Basel University Library. Unfortunately, the page is only available in German at the moment.

unternehmen mitte

This is another place where you can work remotely for free. The unternehmen mitte is a cafe in the centre of Basel. You don’t even have to buy anything to just sit down and work on your computer (although their coffee is pretty good!). We recommend this unusual coworking space Basel for when you only have to do a few hours of work. The usual clientele is a mix of remote workers, students and digital nomads sitting on their computers. 

However, it is a public place and especially when there are kids running around inside, it can get quite loud and busy in the unternehmen mitte. While it’s not the perfect coworking space, it is still a great alternative to the other places, especially because it’s free and centrally located in the old town of Basel. Wifi is also free, and there are some power sockets although most of them are located along the right-hand wall. 

The unternehmen mitte now also offers a paid coworking space upstairs from the cafe. Day and week passes are unfortunately not available, but you can get a monthly pass for around CHF 300. 

Dreispitz Coworking

Dreispitz coworking offers 25 coworking workspaces with comfortable chairs and height-adjustable desks. Good WiFi, coffee/tea, lockers, use of a fridge/microwave, and free mineral water are all included in the entrance price.

The Dreispitz coworking space Basel is the most versatile coworking space in terms of available packages. The offers range from a day pass to year pass. The 10-day pass is worth checking out. With this special offer, you can use the Dreispitz coworking space on 10 non-consecutive days within a year.

With only CHF 20 for a day pass, the Dreispitz Coworking is one of the cheaper coworking spaces in Basel. This, and the fact that you can easily reach this place via public transport makes it one of the best coworking spaces in Basel.

Kleinhafen

The Kleinhafen coworking space Basel is situated in a spectacular location: the harbour of Basel. It’s close to the German border and can easily be reached with the tram line 8.

This coworking office in Basel also offers rooms for team meetings and fixed spots with a minimum rental time of six months. Another great reason to work there? Coffee and snacks are for free!

LifeHub

The LifeHub coworking space Basel is part of the bigger co-living project called Hyve. It is connected to a hostel and therefore offers a perfect base for digital nomads and everyone who wants to discover all the great things you can do in Basel.

Because of its tie-ins with the hostel, you get extra advantages when working in this co-working space in Basel. Some of these advantages are access to a gym and a pool table, usage of bicycle rental and shared use of the kitchen.

The LifeHub coworking space also offers private offices and team offices on a monthly basis (CHF 700/1’400 a month) and meeting rooms on hourly basis (4-person meeting room CHF 20/h and 6-person meeting room CHF 25/h). We think that the LifeHub is one of the best coworking spaces in Basel.

bluespace

Bluespace is a coworking space in the centre of Basel. The location is perfect if you want to go for a summer swim in the Rhein after a long day of work. In Bluespace you’ll find ergonomic chairs, a shared kitchen, and free coffee. Furthermore, you can use the printer and scanner for free.

Alongside the normal packages, you can also rent a dedicated workspace or your own office. Meeting rooms are also available and even included in some of the packages.

Final Thoughts

There are more and more coworking spaces popping up in Basel, so remote working is never going to be a problem here. Some places offer a free tour of the coworking space, so always make sure that you use this offer to see if the place is right for you before signing up for a week or a month. We didn’t cover every coworking space in Basel here, but you can find more on one of our favourite resources for digital nomads: Coworker.

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If you know any other great coworking space in the city which you think should be on this list, then let us know in the comments.

 

Featured image and Pinterest image by Mia Baker on Unsplash