diff --git a/include/cppast/cpp_class.hpp b/include/cppast/cpp_class.hpp
index a7a1194..c4642fd 100644
--- a/include/cppast/cpp_class.hpp
+++ b/include/cppast/cpp_class.hpp
@@ -235,6 +235,16 @@ namespace cppast
         cpp_class_kind                         kind_;
         bool                                   final_;
     };
+
+    /// \returns The type the base class refers to.
+    /// It is either a class or some form of typedef.
+    type_safe::optional_ref<const cpp_entity> get_class_or_typedef(const cpp_entity_index& index,
+                                                                   const cpp_base_class&   base);
+
+    /// \returns The type the base class refers to.
+    /// Typedefs are unwrapped.
+    type_safe::optional_ref<const cpp_class> get_class(const cpp_entity_index& index,
+                                                       const cpp_base_class&   base);
 } // namespace cppast
 
 #endif // CPPAST_CPP_CLASS_HPP_INCLUDED
diff --git a/src/cpp_class.cpp b/src/cpp_class.cpp
index 84a801d..14cad8b 100644
--- a/src/cpp_class.cpp
+++ b/src/cpp_class.cpp
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 
 #include <cppast/cpp_entity_index.hpp>
 #include <cppast/cpp_entity_kind.hpp>
+#include <cppast/cpp_alias_template.hpp>
+#include <cppast/cpp_class_template.hpp>
 
 using namespace cppast;
 
@@ -98,3 +100,82 @@ cpp_entity_kind cpp_class::do_get_entity_kind() const noexcept
 {
     return kind();
 }
+
+namespace
+{
+    cpp_entity_ref get_type_ref(const cpp_type& type)
+    {
+        if (type.kind() == cpp_type_kind::user_defined_t)
+        {
+            auto& ref = static_cast<const cpp_user_defined_type&>(type).entity();
+            return cpp_entity_ref(ref.id()[0u], ref.name());
+        }
+        else if (type.kind() == cpp_type_kind::template_instantiation_t)
+        {
+            auto& ref =
+                static_cast<const cpp_template_instantiation_type&>(type).primary_template();
+            return cpp_entity_ref(ref.id()[0u], ref.name());
+        }
+
+        DEBUG_ASSERT(type.kind() == cpp_type_kind::template_parameter_t
+                         || type.kind() == cpp_type_kind::decltype_t
+                         || type.kind() == cpp_type_kind::decltype_auto_t
+                         || type.kind() == cpp_type_kind::unexposed_t,
+                     detail::assert_handler{});
+        return cpp_entity_ref(cpp_entity_id("<null id>"), "");
+    }
+
+    type_safe::optional_ref<const cpp_entity> get_entity_impl(const cpp_entity_index& index,
+                                                              const cpp_entity_ref&   ref)
+    {
+        auto result = ref.get(index);
+        if (result.empty())
+            return nullptr;
+        DEBUG_ASSERT(result.size() == 1u, detail::assert_handler{});
+
+        auto entity = result.front();
+        if (entity->kind() == cpp_class_template::kind())
+            return type_safe::ref(static_cast<const cpp_class_template&>(*entity).class_());
+        else if (entity->kind() == cpp_class_template_specialization::kind())
+            return type_safe::ref(
+                static_cast<const cpp_class_template_specialization&>(*entity).class_());
+        else
+            return entity;
+    }
+
+    type_safe::optional_ref<const cpp_class> get_class_impl(const cpp_entity_index& index,
+                                                            const cpp_entity_ref&   ref)
+    {
+        auto entity = get_entity_impl(index, ref);
+        if (!entity)
+            return nullptr;
+
+        if (entity.value().kind() == cpp_alias_template::kind())
+        {
+            auto& alias = static_cast<const cppast::cpp_alias_template&>(entity.value());
+            return get_class_impl(index, get_type_ref(alias.type_alias().underlying_type()));
+        }
+        else if (entity.value().kind() == cpp_type_alias::kind())
+        {
+            auto& alias = static_cast<const cppast::cpp_type_alias&>(entity.value());
+            return get_class_impl(index, get_type_ref(alias.underlying_type()));
+        }
+        else
+        {
+            DEBUG_ASSERT(entity.value().kind() == cpp_class::kind(), detail::assert_handler{});
+            return type_safe::ref(static_cast<const cpp_class&>(entity.value()));
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+type_safe::optional_ref<const cpp_class> cppast::get_class(const cpp_entity_index& index,
+                                                           const cpp_base_class&   base)
+{
+    return get_class_impl(index, get_type_ref(base.type()));
+}
+
+type_safe::optional_ref<const cpp_entity> cppast::get_class_or_typedef(
+    const cpp_entity_index& index, const cpp_base_class& base)
+{
+    return get_entity_impl(index, get_type_ref(base.type()));
+}