Without a doubt, one of the biggest attractions in Basel these months, aside from Fasnacht that happened two weeks ago and Basel World that just ended yesterday, is the exhibition “Young Picasso – Blue and Rose Periods” at the Fondation Beyeler.

It’s the first time when you have such a big collection of early works of Picasso in one place and I’m not surprised that it brings not only locals, but also art lovers from all over the world.

The exhibition is available from 3rd of February, but we wanted to wait a bit and visit in early Spring, hoping that it will not be as crowded as it is in the first weeks (and we were so wrong, as we visited on a sunny day and the queues were extremely long, so if you visit – get a ticket online and save yourself the waiting time).

This was my first time at the Foundation Beyeler and I was impressed, because the building is actually a significant part of the museum’s pleasure. The building has huge windows, that let the light in and you can see the restful water features and gardens that surround the museum. The museum is built in a modern style and it’s landscaped into the grounds of the area and combines nicely with the forest and hills seen in the distance.

The collection is really good and is also supported with a very informative video about Picasso’s working methods. It was super interesting to see, how the events of artist’s life influenced the way he painted.

We spent over two hours there learning about young Picasso and afterwards we had planned a late Sunday lunch at the Gasthof zum Goldenen Sternen. Our idea was to spend the whole day in a beautiful way and in my head, a visit to zum Sternen was the perfect option to crown the exhibition we’ve been wanting to see for a while.

I have mentioned this restaurant multiple times on my Instagram so you might already know it by now. It quickly became one of my favourite restaurants in Basel, and even if it’s more on the pricey side, the food and pairing wines are worth every penny (or rapen :P). Additionally in the summer, you can sit under the chestnut trees outside and watch the boats on the Rhine. Everything seems to be perfect there! (And their service is always amazing!).

The restaurant is actually the oldest guesthouse in Basel and its history dates back to the fourteenth century. Since last year Zum Sternen is under new management that brings new, fresh ideas. The dishes from their current spring menu look like art and they fit the Picasso exhibition just perfectly. I feel like it’s hard to describe the beauty and taste of the dishes, so I decided to share a photo gallery with all the courses we tried (including beef tartarte, scallops, salmon, chocolate cake and some more!).

Afterwards we went for a pleasant walk in St. Alban. (This is where the restaurant is). It is one of my most beloved parts of Basel and I love strolling there as it always makes me feel like I travelled back in time.

We came back home richer in new experiences and happy. It was so nice to take things easy, enjoy the fine art and great food and wander in one of my favourite districts of the city after. I would recommend having this kind of a “Day with Picasso” to all of you, but if you guys want to spend your “post-Picasso time” differently or don’t have enough time for a visit at the Gasthof zum Goldenen Sternen, you can also go to one of the bars in Basel that offer Picasso themed drinks. There’s 12 spots in the city that participate in this cool project called “Drinking with Picasso”. I attached the map below. I haven’t done it yet, but definitely will!

I’m really curious how you would spend your day with Picasso, let me know in DM on Instagram !

The tickets to the exhibition and the lunch were gifted. All opinions are authentically my own.