Basel EuroAirport: Cheap Flights, Transport and Terminal

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg lies a few kilometres northwest of Basel, but entirely on French soil in Saint-Louis, Alsace. Based on a Franco-Swiss state treaty from the post-war years, it is run as a binational public body with a board of French and Swiss members and serves three countries: Basel in Switzerland, Mulhouse in France and the Freiburg region in Germany. That is why it carries three codes: BSL for the Swiss side, MLH for the French side and EAP for the airport as a whole. The single terminal is split into a Swiss sector and a French sector, each with its own customs and exit.

easyJet is by far the largest airline at the airport. Turkish Airlines flies to Basel from Istanbul Airport and Pegasus from Sabiha Gökçen, while SunExpress and holiday airlines serve Antalya and other Turkish resorts in the summer season. Other airlines link Basel with Spain, Portugal, the Balkans and North Africa, which makes the airport a convenient alternative to Zurich for northwestern Switzerland, Alsace and southern Baden.

The cheapest flights from Basel usually come up between November and March, outside Christmas and New Year, and on midweek dates; school summer holidays and the Eid weeks call for early booking. Compare Turkish Airlines and Pegasus to Istanbul, weigh direct holiday flights to Antalya against connections via Istanbul, and add Zurich Airport to your search. Because tickets are priced one way, try outbound and return separately. The prices on this page are the current lowest Basel fares found by our searches.

After baggage reclaim you choose between the Swiss exit (for Basel and Switzerland) and the French exit (for France and Germany). Check in advance which sector your bus, taxi, pick-up or rental car is in, because changing sides afterwards means passing through customs again. Bus line 50 leaves from the Swiss sector and reaches Basel SBB railway station in about 20 minutes; from the French sector, buses run to Saint-Louis station, where regional trains continue to Mulhouse and Strasbourg. Timetables and fares change, so check the airport website for current details.

• Taxi: each sector has its own taxi rank; Swiss taxis are usually more expensive than French ones.
• Freiburg: coaches reach Freiburg in about an hour; check which sector they leave from before you arrive.
• Car: drivers from Switzerland use the customs road from Basel, drivers from France and Germany the A35 motorway; car-hire companies have separate desks in each sector.

The terminal offers shops, duty-free, cafés and restaurants, currency exchange and ATMs, free Wi-Fi and a lounge, and both euros and Swiss francs are widely accepted. As the terminal is compact, distances between check-in, security and the gates are short. Car hire, taxis and buses are organised separately for the Swiss and French sectors, so follow the CH and F signs carefully.

Car parks next to the terminal cater for short and long stays; drivers from Switzerland reach them via the customs road, drivers from France and Germany via the French-side access. Booking online is usually cheaper, and current rates are listed on the airport website.