There is something similar at Geneva airport where it is possible to access the French Sector from France.
What is known as Basle airport is physically in France. It has a Swiss sector (BSL) and a French Sector (MLH). From the Swiss sector there is a separate road that connects to the Swiss border.
There is a thin ribbon of road (between the casino and the airport on the map you posted earlier) that is a kind of Swiss enclave in French territory. You will drive for about 2 kilometres with fencing on either side of the road: behind the fences on both sides is France, but the road is to all intents and purposes a Swiss road, even though technically on French soil.
The regular Basel bus between the city and the airport uses the same road, there are no borders - in fact there is even an intermediate bus stop serving the cargo and airport administration facilities.
Ahhh okay. When I search for directions from Greifensee/Uster to the Basel airport, this is the map that it shows me (well, the section of the map near the airport).
Do you think this is the same route that a GPS would normally give, for getting to the airport?
I apologize for so many questions. I'm trying to gauge whether the route my husband will take there (via his GPS) will be the same route (but in reverse) that Google maps is showing me to get home.
You know you can use Google maps as a sat nav right?
there really is only one way in and out, it's not at all difficult,
Okay. Thank you for the reassurance.
There is short term parking at the airport. The first 15 minutes are free. On leaving the parking, just follow the signs for Basel and the Autobahn (direction Zürich).
If you're coming from the Swiss side, and follow signs to the airport, you'll end up on the Swiss side of the airport. No border crossing, no customs formalities. If you want to end up on the French side of the airport (with a vehicle), you must deliberately cross the French border on the autoroute, then follow the French signs to the airport.
If you are a passenger, you can easily cross from the French side of the airport to the Swiss side of the airport once you are inside the terminal. You just can't do it with a car, so you need to aim for the desired side of the airport.
Just to update the information in this thread, parking on the French side is no longer significantly cheaper than parking on the Swiss side. I was surprised to go for a day trip and return to a EUR30 parking bill. I just checked online and they seem to have adjusted the prices. It's EUR30 on the French side for a day, CHF30 on the Swiss side for a day.
If your Ticket says Basle (BSL) you want the Swiss side. If it says Mulhouse (MLH) you want the French side.
Yes, but for parking, it doesn't make a bit of difference. You may check in and depart from either the French side or the Swiss side, but you can easily walk between the two sides of the airport with no customs formalities.
People move freely between both sides of the airport. Vehicles do not. That's the important point to remember - you must take the exit for the side of the airport where you want to park your car.
Sorry to be a pedant, but I think you mean with no 'immigration' formalities. CH isn't in the single market so customs formalities are possible (although unlikely).
I've never seen any customs activity between the French and Swiss sides of the airport. It's just a sliding door. But then, I rarely see customs activity when driving into Switzerland either!
Both the French and Swiss have Immigration and Customs officials for passengers arriving from Non-Schengen including those arriving at the Swiss sector and walking to the French sector and vv.
I'll look more closely next time. During covid, we got our tests from the French side.
I do recall there being passport control in the days before schengen at the border in the arrivals hall. The first time I came to Switzerland, my driver had parked on the French side!
Well, I managed to drive myself home from there today, but it was quite the fiasco!
First, on the way there, we were using GPS (with me driving). And we missed the exit to approach the Swiss side of the airport (the exit is inside a tunnel) because the lane to that exit was blocked off due to a broken-down car blocking that lane. So that took us into France and as soon as we crossed customs into France, my phone saia "No internet signal," so I also lost my GPS.
Managed to drop off hubby and son in the express parking lot, which is free for 20 minutes. Then I began to head home, and here's where the fiasco begins.
There I am with no GPS. I had to exit the airport via a roundabout and immediately after exiting the roundabout, there is a very sudden exit to the right, toward Basel/Lorrach. I almost missed it and had to suddenly swerve so I didn't miss that exit.
Next, I accidentally took a wrong turn because none of the signs made sense and there were so many signs I didn't know where to look and be able to focus on driving. I ended up in a neighborhood area in France somewhere, having no idea where I was or how to get home and with no GPS. I just kept going and eventually began to follow signs that pointed toward Lorrach. That eventually took me over the Rhein River and then to a customs / border crossing. I waived down a police officer and laughed and said "I'm lost and have no idea where I am but please tell me I'm about to enter Switzerland." He laughed and said "yes," and I said "Okay. That's a good thing."
From there, I managed to find my way home.
But thank god I had those printed directions and had studied them a bit, since my GPS was no longer working for some reason due to being in France... or else I'd probably STILL be driving around France somewhere right now.
Ahh... You should have had data roaming turned on. Swiss networks only extend a little way into France and v.v.
Glad to hear that even in the worse case scenario you got home OK. Welcome home.
Ah ha! So THAT'S why! I got a new phone about week ago and I guess that was never turned on (still working out all the bells and whistles on it).
And thanks, dear!
Hubby and son just landed a bit ago and in my son's words, its "hot as a mo fo" there. I think the high there today is 39 degrees.
I have got lost in Basel more than once driving back from the airport to Luzern in the evening, when the motorway tunnels were closed for maintenance. Trying to follow the (rare) signposts and to look out for trams at the same time was quite a challenge, but somehow I always seemed to end up at Badischer Bahnhof, from where I know the way
If you're using google maps, you can download the map while still in Switzerland, then there's no need to roam.
Same with Apple Maps
The airport is geographically in France and has a French and a Swiss sector.
To access the Swiss sector, when coming from Bern, Zurich on the motorway, just after the Badischer Bahnhof, follow the signs for Mulhouse to the right (and not to Karlsruhe). Stay in the tunnels for a few kilometres and just before the border you'll see signs for Euroairport. That will take you on to the customs road, with high wire fences to the airport, Swiss sector.
To access the French sector, just stay on the motorway, cross into France and a couple of kilometres on you'll see signs directing you to the airport into the French sector.