The Toy Museum

Basel is supposed to have a top-notch art museum, but since I had already been to four art museums on this trip I didn't feel like doing another one.  My cousin recommended the toy museum for a change of pace.  It turned out to be a delightful option.  It has four floors of teddy bears, dolls, doll houses and miniatures, and is the largest museum of its kind in Europe.

Many of the teddy bears were manufactured by Steiff, a German company that has been making plush animals since the late 1800s.  Their antique bears are collectors' items.

 

There is a large collection of dolls from all over the world.

The best part of the museum was the collection of doll houses and miniature scenes which were incredibly detailed.

There are miniature scenes of all kinds of shops and village scenes.

If you are tired of visiting art museums on a trip to Europe, the toy museum in Basel is a wonderful choice.