Basel

Welcome to Cvent’s MICE Guide to Basel, a city guide for MICE professionals. Widely known as the cultural center of Switzerland, as well as a vibrant university town rich in history, economy, and theatre, Basel is also a major transportation hub and home to the largest conference center in Switzerland. The third-largest city in Switzerland, Basel's scenic positioning along the Rhine, and at the northwest area of Switzerland near the French and German borders, puts visitors within easy reach of a variety of major European cities. Basel's accessibility, fantastic cultural offerings, and excellent meeting infrastructure make this Swiss city an ideal meeting and tourism destination.
Basel's central location makes it a first-class transport hub, integrated in the European high-speed train network and within a 15-minute drive of the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg. Jointly owned by France and Switzerland, EuroAirport operates 690 weekly scheduled flights, with a scheduled flight network of more than 90 airports in 30 countries. Aside from EuroAirport, Basel is situated within a 75-minute train trip from Zurich Airport via direct rail connection. Further, Basel is an important hub in international rail travel with excellent direct connections within Switzerland as well as direct ICE connections from Germany (Frankfurt: 2 hrs 40 min) and TGV connections from France (Paris: 3 hrs 3 min). Direct trains also travel to and from Italy (Milano Centrale).
Once in Basel, visitors can hop aboard the city's public bus and tram system, which consists of nine tram routes and 13 bus routes. Thanks to the city's Mobility Ticket, traveling within Basel is not only simple, but also extremely economical. All guests staying in Basel hotels receive this pass, which ensures free public transportation within Basel for the duration of the stay, at a maximum of 30 days.
Speaking of convenience, the city's Congress Centre Basel, the largest conference center in Switzerland, is situated within 10 minutes of all three railway stations and accessible by public tram. Located in the center of Basel, next to first-class hotels, restaurants and shops, the center houses 25 meeting rooms, including the 42,000-square-foot Hall, 34,444-square-foot Event Hall, 12,917-square-foot Event Hall Foyer and meeting rooms ranging from 398 to 13,272 square feet. Congress Centre Basel with 25 rooms is located next to Messe Basel with an exhibition area of 141,000sqm in 5 halls and offers capacities for up to 10,000 people.
In addition to its sprawling Congress Centre Basel, the city is also home to a number of unique venues that not only serve as fantastic gathering spaces, but also immerse guests in Basel's culture and heritage. Groups can reserve private tours of the historic Old Town and learn about its history. For a more wild experience, groups can take a private tour of the award-winning Basel Zoo. Opened in 1874, the zoo houses 600 indigenous and exotic species in scenic exhibits and grounds.
Another option is a tour in one of Basel's famous museum, like the Fondation Beyeler, the Kunstmuseum Basel, or the Museum Tinguely.