BaselCard and Mobility Ticket: free public transport in Basel, discounts and what pays off

Anyone staying in Basel accommodation and paying the visitor tax gets the BaselCard. It includes the Mobility Ticket: free trams and buses in zones 10, 11, 13, 14 and 15, in other words the city, the surrounding area and the EuroAirport.

The card is not a pass for all of Switzerland, does not cover journeys across the border and gives discounts at museums rather than free entry. This page explains exactly what it covers, how to get it, how much you save and what day visitors without an overnight stay should buy.

What does the Mobility Ticket cover?

It is valid in second class on trams and buses for your whole stay, up to 30 days according to Basel Tourism and a secondary source. The sources differ on whether it also covers regional trains within the zones: tourist sites talk of "trams and buses", while TNW's fare logic covers all transport in the zones purchased.

Basel SBB station is in the city zone, and the airport journey on bus 50, in zone 13, is covered. A train journey beyond the zones, on the other hand, needs its own ticket; bus 50 and the airport are explained in EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg.

What does the BaselCard not cover?

• Journeys to France or Germany: even if the tram starts in Basel. BVB publishes separate fares for these.
• The Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein: outside the area of validity, see Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein.
• The Reigoldswil-Wasserfallen cable car: also outside it, according to a Basel hotel.
• Extra zones and private services that are not part of TNW.
• Art Basel: neither free entry nor a discount.

One exception confuses many people: on the whole of tram line 3 to Saint-Louis, the U-Abo and the GA travelcard are valid according to BVB. That is a rule for those passes, not for the BaselCard, and it does not extend to the Mobility Ticket.

Photo: Alf van Beem, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

How do you get the BaselCard?

From your accommodation, not at a ticket office. It is included in the visitor tax of 4.20 CHF per person per night, and we found no separate purchase price for day visitors.

1. Check when booking that the accommodation takes part. The official sources talk of hotels, while a secondary source includes holiday flats, so ask your host.
2. Ask whether the ticket is digital or printed and whether it already appears on the booking confirmation.
3. Check that zone 13 with the EuroAirport is listed.
4. Open the hotel's activation link or app before you arrive, if the hotel works that way.
5. Carry your booking confirmation and ID.

The most common trap is arrival: if you only get the card at check-in, the journey from the airport or station to the hotel is not covered. A screenshot of your hotel booking is no substitute for an activated ticket, and a card whose validity has not yet started does not cover an earlier journey.

How much are the discounts worth?

The sources contradict each other on the amount. A partner hotel and an expat guide quote 25 per cent at several museums, the zoo and Theater Basel, while Basel Tourism talks of half price at most museums.

The three confirmed examples come to 25 per cent, with the Fondation Beyeler slightly below. For any other venue, check the discount at the ticket desk; it often cannot be combined with other offers or can only be used once per attraction.

The Fondation Beyeler requires a BaselCard-rate ticket to be shown with a valid card. One partner hotel also mentions an e-bike for 25 CHF a day, a special offer rather than a general rate.

What should day visitors buy?

The "Basel" day pass covers the same zones as the BaselCard, airport included. According to a secondary source it is valid until 5am the following day, so check this on the ticket you buy.

For the whole-network day pass, the TNW site gives 18.20 francs and another source 20.20 CHF, with nobody explaining the difference. It only pays off for a trip into the region, not for a day in the city, as day trips from Basel shows.

The U-Abo is designed for locals and does not pay off for a weekend. According to TNW, the annual pass is 20 per cent cheaper than twelve monthly passes.

Which pass suits a longer stay without a hotel?

If you are spending several days in Basel without staying in local accommodation, with friends for instance, you have three options. Six "Basel" day passes cost 64.20 CHF, exactly six times the single price of 10.70 CHF, so they save no money, only trips to the ticket machine.

For the whole network there is a 2-day pass for 29.10 CHF and a 7-day pass for 48.60 CHF, reduced 19.60 CHF and 32.60 CHF. If you spend a week on trips around the region, the 7-day pass is far cheaper than seven day passes.

The U-Abo is meant for residents of the fare network, and its price depends on where you live and your age. For visitors it only comes into question for a stay of several weeks.

What applies with several places to stay and at ticket checks?

If you change accommodation during your stay, each place gives you its own ticket, with its own dates and rules. When you move, check that the validity periods follow on without a gap.

At a ticket check, show the ticket, the personal card if there is one, and ID. The end of validity is printed on the ticket, not in the hotel booking, and that is the date that counts.

When does the day pass pay off?

One secondary source gives a rule of thumb of around three journeys a day. It cannot be calculated precisely, because our sources lack a complete, confirmed list of 2026 single tickets by duration and zone.

• One journey there, one back, the rest on foot: single tickets are often enough, as Basel's Old Town is compact.
• Airport, hotel, museum and back: the day pass.
• Riehen, the Messe and the Old Town on the same day: the day pass.
• Several days with an overnight stay: the BaselCard, which costs nothing extra.

If you travel little, the day pass means paying more than you need to. How far you get on foot in Basel and which lines go where is in getting around Basel.

Where do you buy tickets, and how do you pay?

At the machines at tram stops and through the network's digital channels. At the machine you choose "Tageskarte Basel", the zones and the adult fare; we could not check the languages on every generation of machine, so expect German and keep a translation app handy.

Swiss transport apps can be awkward for foreigners: account, Swiss address, identity check or payment may fail. Have a plan B ready, such as a ticket machine, ticket office, physical card or buying through your accommodation.

Cards and contactless payment are widespread, but there is no definitive list for every point of sale. Do not board without a ticket hoping to buy one on board: that is not possible everywhere, and a missing machine is no excuse.

What are the traps?

• Travelling without a valid ticket: checks do happen, with ticket, personal card and ID, and the surcharge is CHF 100 the first time.
• Crossing the border: Saint-Louis or Weil am Rhein need a cross-border ticket.
• The wrong zone: an extra zone is not automatically included.
• Paying for a free card: a BaselCard from a participating hotel costs nothing extra. Beware of websites or QR codes asking for a fee for it.
• Public holidays: on 1 August and other public holidays, trams often run to the Sunday timetable.

The card makes trams and buses convenient, but not step-free. Whether stops, vehicles and stations are step-free is shown in the timetable service, and at major events such as Art Basel crowds and queues are often a bigger obstacle than the journey itself.

What changes in 2027?

The fares for 2027 had not yet been published in October 2026, neither for day passes nor for the U-Abo. All prices on this page are 2026 prices, and we will not write a figure for 2027 until TNW announces it.

Nothing has been announced for the BaselCard itself for 2027 either. If you book for Art Basel in June 2027, still check that the Mobility Ticket appears on the confirmation, precisely because every journey from the airport counts then.

Photo: Kurt Rasmussen, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons

What applies in Basel-Landschaft?

If you stay in Basel-Landschaft rather than Basel-Stadt, you get the Gästepass+ instead of the BaselCard, for 3.80 CHF per person per night. According to Baselland Tourism it is valid without limit on regional public transport during your stay, including arrival, departure and the EuroAirport.

During Art Basel week, when the city is full, that makes Liestal and other places in the canton worth considering. Districts and towns are compared in Where to stay in Basel?, and fair week in Art Basel hotels: prices and deadlines.

Is the BaselCard worth it for museums and trade fairs?

For museums, yes, as soon as you visit two: the Kunstmuseum and the Fondation Beyeler together save 13.25 francs per person. If you are planning lots of museums across the region, compare it with the Museums-PASS, worked out in museums in Basel.

For trade fairs, the card covers the journey to Messeplatz but gives no discount on admission, neither for Art Basel nor for other fairs. How to get to Messeplatz is in Messe Basel, and what a whole stay costs in Is Basel expensive?

Sources: Tarifverbund Nordwestschweiz (day pass, U-Abo, 2026), Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (journeys to Germany and France, U-Abo), SBB (Northwestern Switzerland fare network), Hotel Schweizerhof Basel (BaselCard), expat.com (transport in Basel), Fondation Beyeler (FAQ 2026, archive), Baselland Tourism (Gästepass+), Basel Tourism, EuroAirport.