Switzerland’s third-largest city is enchanting long-time citizens, new talent and curious visitors like never before. Its appeal may be due to its relative obscurity, tucked on the banks of the Rhine River in the country’s north (its northern city limits are minutes from the French and German borders). The natural boundary of the Jura Mountains has also left the city to evolve over the centuries with moderate influence from Bern. From the second-best biking on the continent to centuries’ worth of daring architecture, few cities with this few people leave you as breathless as Basel. Locals certainly savour their city’s special blend, and, given Basel’s Top 3 GDP Per Capita Spot, they’re spreading the word to fellow high-performers. Talent here is not only scooped up by the deep culture sector (anchored by the planet’s most influential art fair) but also by “Europe’s BioValley”—a tri-nation life sciences cluster stretching from Basel into France and Germany. Basel Area Business & Innovation is leading the way, securing major wins like Johnson & Johnson’s 2024 Innovation Hub opening at the Switzerland Innovation Park Basel Area. The region is now home to 700+ life sciences firms and 1,000 research groups, supported by renowned accelerators like DayOne and BaseLaunch.