Fondation Beyeler in Riehen: tickets, time slots, 2026/27 exhibitions and getting there from Basel

The Fondation Beyeler is the most talked-about museum in the region, and it is not in Basel but in Riehen. From Basel, tram 6 runs to Riehen Dorf, and from there Baselstrasse 101 is a few minutes' walk.

Since 18 October 2026 admission has cost 30 CHF, and anyone aged 25 or under gets in free. This page explains tickets and time slots, the programme until 2028, how to get there and what is actually accessible in the new, expanded complex.

How much is admission to the Fondation Beyeler?

Free entry up to 25 is made possible by the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation, and goes well beyond the age of 16 up to which most Basel museums are free. Free tickets can also be reserved online with a time slot, which is the safe choice on busy days.

Older guides, and even one of our own research sources, still give 25 francs for adults. That was the price before 18 October 2026. We found no confirmation in the sources of whether the Swiss Museum Pass is valid and on what terms, so ask before your visit.

How do the time slots work?

Tickets bought online are valid for a 30-minute time slot: you must enter within that half hour, after which the length of your visit is not limited. The ticket works printed on A4 or on your phone, as long as the QR code is readable.

Tickets are only sold at the desk as long as they have not sold out online. The museum itself recommends booking online to avoid waiting, which means, conversely, that without a booking you risk not getting in on a busy day.

The ticket does not promise genuine fast-track entry. The Fondation does not say whether there is a separate queue for online buyers; the slot only governs when you enter.

Which exhibitions is the Fondation showing in 2026 and 2027?

Visitors between 26 September and 17 October 2026 saw Constellations but not yet Ruth Asawa. The 2026 exhibitions on Cézanne, "Sensations", Pierre Huyghe and the late-summer collection display are over, even if some websites still list them as upcoming.

The Bourgeois exhibition opens in the week before Art Basel 2027, which runs from 17 June 2027 to 20 June 2027. Expect that week's rush; details of the fair are in our guide to Art Basel.

What do you actually see in the expanded complex?

The Fondation is known for Ernst and Hildy Beyeler's collection, but a visit in 2026 and 2027 is more than a fixed collection display. Constellations is designed as an exhibition across the whole expanded site: Peter Zumthor's new Wyss Museum, Renzo Piano's building, the enlarged park and converted historic buildings.

Depending on when you go, you therefore see a selection from the collection within a temporary exhibition, not a permanent, unchanging hang. The museum does not publish how many works are on view on a given day or what share comes from the collection.

One point the pictures of the new building leave out: the Wyss Museum has special opening hours during its preview phase. Check on the day which rooms are open before travelling for a particular building.

Why has admission cost thirty francs since October 2026?

The new price has applied since 18 October 2026, the day Ruth Asawa joined the programme. The sources do not say whether the increase is linked to that exhibition, to Constellations, to the opening of the expanded complex or to a general price reform.

Nor does the Fondation publish a table separating the collection, special exhibitions and combined tickets. For 2026 and 2027, it is best to see the Fondation as a package of collection, exhibition, architecture and park, whose value depends heavily on the current show.

Is there a discount for arriving by tram and train?

The museum's 2026 FAQ described a discount for visitors arriving by public transport: 50 percent in July 2026, 30 percent in August 2026 and 10 percent for the rest of the year, subject to the conditions of the museum and the transport operators. Whether and how the scheme continues in 2027 has not been published.

The discount shows how strongly the museum discourages driving: it explicitly recommends public transport and publishes no information about its own car park. Ask at the desk and keep your tram ticket handy. With the BaselCard, admission is reduced to 23 CHF anyway.

When is the Fondation open, and when is it quiet?

During Constellations the Fondation is open daily from 10am to 6pm, Mondays included. On Wednesdays it is 10am to 8pm, the only late opening of the week.

A full list of closing days, for example at Christmas or New Year, is not published in the sources. That does not mean there are none.

There are no visitor figures by day or hour, so no guarantee of a quiet moment either. Weekends, holidays, public holidays and the first weeks of a major exhibition tend to be busy, and a weekday morning is the better choice.

How do you get from Basel to Riehen?

Take tram 6 towards Riehen to the Riehen Dorf stop, then walk to the Fondation. According to the museum's FAQ, the ride takes about 10 minutes from Badischer Bahnhof and about 25 minutes from SBB station.

• From SBB station: go to the tram stop in front of the station, then take tram 6 towards Riehen. Allow time for the change and waiting.
• From Messeplatz: tram 6 towards Riehen is the most direct route, with no change.
• By car: the address is Baselstrasse 101, 4125 Riehen. The museum recommends public transport, and the sources give neither the capacity nor the rate of any car park.

Whether a Basel city ticket covers Riehen depends on the zone, which the machine shows. BaselCard holders ride free in zones 10, 11, 13, 14 and 15; tickets and zones are explained in getting around Basel.

Photo: Wsieber, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What else is there to do in Riehen?

A museum visit easily becomes half a day. The complex includes the enlarged park with its water-lily pond, the Berower Park is next door, and Riehen's village centre is pleasant for a stroll.

The Naturbad Riehen is a separate natural pool with its own season and admission, not part of the museum ticket. The Fondation does not state conclusively in the sources which parts of the park are open without a ticket.

What might disappoint on the day?

The biggest risk is the gap between the image of an intimate museum in a park and the reality of a major exhibition with time slots. At weekends, in the holidays and in the first weeks of a well-known show, the Fondation is full, which is exactly why the museum recommends booking.

If you expect a large permanent collection, 30 francs will seem a lot. Take architecture, park and a strong exhibition together and the picture changes: check before you travel which exhibition is on and which rooms are open.

Is the Fondation Beyeler accessible?

According to the museum's 2026 FAQ, there are step-free entrances, lifts, wheelchair-accessible toilets and wheelchairs on request, and guide dogs are welcome. That is the most precise information we found for any museum in the Basel area.

Equally precise details are missing for the new Wyss Museum during its preview phase and for a step-free route from the Riehen Dorf stop. Reserve a wheelchair in advance if you need one.

Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How does the Fondation fit into a stay in Basel?

Allow three to five hours including travel: the Fondation is an outing in its own right, not a quick stop between two Old Town lanes. With two days, put it on the morning of the second day, as in our plan things to do in Basel.

In the city, the Kunstmuseum Basel with its historic collection and Museum Tinguely with its machines make good counterpoints. All the sights are gathered in things to see in Basel, and Riehen's location is on the map of Basel.

If you are coming during fair week, read Art Basel hotels: prices and booking deadlines first; for the rest of the year, the right district is in where to stay in Basel.

Sources: Fondation Beyeler (tickets, valid from 18 October 2026, visit, exhibitions, Constellations page, 2026 to 2028 programme), Fondation Beyeler, FAQ 2026 (archive, journey times and accessibility), Art Basel (2027 dates).