Basel Airport by Bike

Basel Airport is located in France but right on the three-way border between France, Switzerland and Germany. It’s a great starting point for bicycle adventures in three of the world’s finest cycling destinations: the Swiss Alps, the German Black Forest, and Vosges mountains and Alsace Wine country in France.

Basel airport – gateway to top cycling in three different countries

It’s very possible to ride to and from the airport by bike, but the route is not at all obvious and if you don’t know how and where to go you can waste a lot of time or ride risky routes along highways not designed for bikes. I’m going to show you the simplest way to get to and from the Airport by bicycle because it isn’t at all obvious otherwise! I’ll describe the ‘from’ portion – the ‘to’ is the same in reverse.

**TL;DR – follow this blue line for the best cycling route away from the airport.** Exit the Swiss side at ground level. Ignore the road, follow the footpath. Wiggle across the car park to the roundabout, then find the cycle-path heading south east parallel to the road. Follow it all the way to Switzerland (15-25 minutes).

Because of its unusual historical status as a Swiss airport physically located in a different country, the main roads to and from the airport go directly into Switzerland without connecting to France – blocked off by verges and fences – so that there is a contiguous Swiss customs zone from the city to the airport despite it being in France. This makes life difficult for cyclists trying to ride to the city, whether the French side (Saint-Louis) or the Swiss side (Basel, also known as ‘Bale’).

If you don’t find the cycle path, you will be on a massive highway that you really, really don’t want to be cycling on (especially at night). You want to follow the below instructions whether your end destination is France, Switzerland or Germany.

Step 1 – Exit the Airport

Inside the airport there are signs directing you to Germany, France or Switzerland – FOLLOW THE ONE FOR SWITZERLAND even if you are going to one of the other two.

Step 2 – Go outside and turn right

Make sure you are on the ground floor. Ignore the roads for now – turn right (aka head south) and follow the path – you are heading towards one of the car parks.

Look for this little entrance, then follow the path.

Step 3 – Head South-South-East across the car park

Cross the zebra crossing, continue south on the pavement on the left hand side of this road

Follow the path south and left and head towards the massive building labeled

Step 4 – cross the road and head for the massive “Swiss International Airlines” building

Cross over, head left then right, tracking towards the left edge of this long grey building

Step 5 – get to the roundabout

Step 6 – just follow the bike path

That’s the hard bit done. Now you just follow the safe, simple bike path along the road all the way to Switzerland.

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Step 7 – You’re in Switzerland

When you get to a roundabout with yellow zebra crossings and a shiny black box building (Basel Casino) you have now just crossed into Switzerland. Turn LEFT here for Basel centre, and for France. (Or you can go straight ahead for Eastern Basel)

Step 7 – on to France

After heading left at the roundabout, follow the yellow bike path over a large bridge (over the highway) and then continue to follow it under a railway bridge.

Step 8 – Elsasserstrasse – on to France

At this junction, take a sharp left onto Elsasserstrasse and you will head on to Saint-Louis in France (passing the old border post), head straight ahead or right and you will head into Basel itself.

Common Sense Cycles