Cheap Public Transportation to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport

Getting to Basel Airport (BSL / MLH / EAP ) is easiest by public transportation bus and train from Switzerland, Germany, and France.

Getting to Basel Airport (BSL / MLH / EAP ) is easiest by public transportation bus and train from Switzerland, Germany, and France.

Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport (BSL / MLH / EAP ) is inside France, just a few kilometers from the border with Switzerland and Germany. It is usually referred to simply as Basel Airport (BSL), named after the Swiss city closest to the airport itself. Getting to Basel Airport by public transportation usually involves an easy bus ride from downtown Basel. Most railway users should change to the bus at Basel Hauptbahnhof SBB train station but other options are also available to travelers arriving from Germany and France. Driving is easy and a few airport shuttle bus services go to Freiburg and Europa Park.

Taxis charge by the meter if not booked in advance. Suntransfers gives online quotations for private airport transfers without first requiring personal details or flight numbers. If not booked in advance, taxis to non-Swiss destinations are often cheaper from the French sector (but still not cheap).

Public Transportation to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport in Switzerland / France

Public transportation to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport almost always involves a bus journey from Basel. However, privately-run Flixbus buses are available directly from the airport to Freiburg and Europa Park in Germany, or Strasbourg and St Louis (Haut Rhin) in France and are often the cheapest option.

By Bus 50 from Basel City Center and SBB Train Station to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport

BVB 50 EuroAirport Getting to Basel Airport (BSL / MLH / EAP ) is easiest by public transportation bus and train from Switzerland, Germany, and France.

Basel municipal bus BVB 50 connects Basel SBB Hauptbahnhof (main train station) with Basel Airport (EuroAirport) in around 15 minutes. Bus 50 runs up to 8 times per hour with services available from around 4 am to just past midnight.

Bus 50 uses several stops at the airport – the most useful to passengers are “Euroairport Abflug” (departures) and “Euroairport Ankunft” (arrivals). Don’t use the “Cargo” and “Verwaltung” stops.

The bus fare required is for three zones, currently CHF6.10 one way (CHF4.20 for children under 16), which allows for transfers to other lines and trams, if necessary to reach the final destination. Tickets are available from vending machines or directly from bus drivers. The three-zone ticket fare is also valid for travel to St Louis in France and nearby stops in Germany, including Basel Badischer Bahnhof.

A day ticket (Tageskarte Basel) is CHF 10.70 (CHF 7.50 for children), while multiple-day tickets are also available. (A first-class day ticket is also available but only useful if trains will be used.)

By Public Transportation Bus from St Louis to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport

The Metrocars Distribus Navette EuroAirport shuttle bus service (Ligne 11) connects St Louis Gare SCNF (train station) with Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport in only ten minutes. Two to four shuttle buses per hour operate on this route. These airport shuttle buses run from around 5 am to just after 10 pm.

The one-way fare is €2.50 – tickets available from the driver.

By Bus from Freiburg and Europa Park to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport

Freiburger Reisedienst operates a shuttle bus service between Freiburg Hauptbahnhof in Germany and Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport via Neuenburg. This bus runs around 14 times per day with the journey taking around an hour. Tickets are easiest to buy through Flixbus — use the French exit for bookings (and boarding the bus).

The one-way fare from Freiburg to Basel Airport is around €25 (€13 for children 6 to 14) – reserve in advance or pay the driver in cash only. Return fares are slightly cheaper and discounts are given for groups – reservations are essential. An alternative to the bus service is to take a train via Basel but that is usually more expensive.

This bus to Freiburg, as well as services to Karlsruhe and Zurich, may be reserved through Flixbus, which often has very good deals and transfer options to almost any destination in Germany and France.

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By Train to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport

Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport cannot be reached directly by train. The best connections are generally via Basel Hauptbahnhof (SBB main station), which has many connections to the rest of Switzerland, France, and Germany. Basel Hauptbahnhof is used by trains operated by Swiss Railways (SBB) and long-distance trains operated by German Railways (DB) and French Railways (SNCF). Trainline is often easier to use for international online train reservations.

Basel Hauptbahnhof is easiest reached from Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport by bus 50 as described above.

Some local German trains only go as far as Basel Badischer Bahnhof – this train station, as well as the Basel Messe Exhibition Grounds, is easily reached on tram line 2 from Basel Hauptbahnhof. (A single through ticket is valid for travel by bus from the airport to the main train station and on to Messe or Badischer Bahnhof.)

Fast ICE trains from Basel to Freiburg take around 35 minutes and cost around €30 one way. Slower German regional trains from  Basel Badischer Bahnhof take 45 min to almost an hour to Freiburg but cost around €13 while other savings passes may also be used such as the Baden-Württemberg Ticket (€26.50 for solo (€34.50 first class) and add €8 per person (€16 first-class) up to €58.50 for five for unlimited travel on local trains after 9 am on weekdays / all day on weekends. Three children 6 to 14 years old may travel for free on this ticket.).

German train tickets and public transportation timetables are available from Deutsche Bahn.

For local trains in France, it is best to use the SNCF train station in St Louis (Haut Rhin).  (See the bus to the airport above.) Further connections and long-distance trains are available via Basel. Traveling times from St Louis (Haut Rhin) are around 15 to 25 minutes to Mulhouse, 40 minutes to Colmar, and 1h15 to Strasbourg (Straßburg), or 8 minutes to Basel Hbf.

Travel by Car to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport

It is easy to get to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport by car but note the French and Swiss sides of the airport. The code MHL is used for Mulhouse Airport, which is on the French side and is mostly used for French domestic flights only. BSL and EAP refer to the Swiss side of the airport.

Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport is on the French Autoroute A35 but the Swiss side may be reached on toll-free roads. To use the toll-free road, leave the Autobahn and follow the Basel-Euro Airport signs directly from the border in the north of Basel. From Germany, use the Weil am Rhein exit on the Autobahn A5 and follow the Euro Airport signs.

Driving times to Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Euro Airport is around:

  • Basel – 5 min
  • Zürich – 60 min
  • Bern – 60 min
  • St Louis – 5 min
  • Mulhouse – 30 min
  • Colmar – 50 min
  • Strasbourg – 75 min
  • Freiburg in Breisgau – 50 min
  • Europapark – 50 min

There are no connections between the Swiss and French sector parking lots at Basel Airport. Travelers finding themselves on the wrong side of the airport may cross between sectors inside the terminal building itself on level 3 (Departures). Crossing is possible without a flight ticket but customs checks may be made at any time.

Cheap flights to Basel Airport are available on many low-cost airlines including EasyJet and Air Berlin. Many regular airlines also fly to Basel Airport including Swiss, Lufthansa, British Airways, KLM (UK / USA), and Air France (USA / UK). Domestic French flights are sold as flying to Mulhouse (MLH) while most other flights go to Basel (BSL).

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About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance travel writer with over 20 years of experience writing online. He is particularly interested in history, art, and culture. He has lived most of his adult life in Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark. In addition to European-Traveler.com, he also owns a travel website on the Lake Geneva region of Switzerland and maintains statistical websites on car sales and classic car auction prices. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Development Finance from the University of London.

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