Basel (CH)

Border curiosities on the Swiss Rhine:

a. The stations:

Swiss Basle has three main railways stations, all three operated by a different national railway carrier:

From Swiss Bahnhof Basel SBB the domestic Swiss trains depart and arrive.
In the western part of the building lies Bâle SNCF,a French exclave railway station operated by the French railways SNCF.
Also the station boards on the quais say in two languages Bâle/Basel.

If you want to exit the French station, you go through some corridors, pass customs and immigrations, and after the automatic blind door, you find yourself in Swiss station Basel SBB.

To make the listing complete: on the North banks in 'Klein-Basel' we have the Badischer Bahnhof, a railway station which is operated by German railways 'Deutsche Bahn' DB, a German exclave.

b. Tripoint (=Dreiländereck)

Continuing to the tripoint which is situated in the middle of the river Rhine. On the Swiss side we find the restaurant and terrace with the same name: "Dreiländereck" (='Tripoint'), The restaurant does not only call itself 'tripoint' but has also claimed the resp. Swiss internet location: www.dreilaendereck.ch

c. Airport Basel-Mulhouse:

The airport of Swiss Basle located outside the Swiss borders on French territory: an exclave. The airport calls itself Euro-Airport Basel (=CH), Mulhouse (=F), Freiburg (=D)

From those three cities, Basle is closest to the airfield.

Take the ring-road Luzerner Ring and then the Flughafenstrasse (=airport road), which leads (toll free and without connection to the French road network) to the airport. You can also take Swiss Neudorfstrasse and then the French motorway A35 within France to the airport.

	Basel/Bâle SNCF: left door exit Switzerland - enter France right door enter Switzerland - exit France EU-border! (foto by U. Metz)
	Basel/Bâle SNCF: Waiting room of the French station in Switzerland, through the automatic door you pass immigrations and customs. (foto by U. Metz)
	A border crossing in Basle: View from France to Swiss side.(Rue de Bâle) (foto by U. Metz)
	Tripoint: The Restaurant "Dreiländereck" in Kleinhüningen harbour at the end of the Westquaistrasse.
	Tripoint: On the Rhine: view from Swiss side to the French side. Westquaistrasse
	Tripoint: View towards the north east and German customs area Friedlingen.
	Tripoint: View towards the north and the German side: in the far background the German shopping area 'Rhinecenter' with parking lot.
	Tripoint: In Basel-Kleinhüningen on our way to the tripoint: French town Huningue in the background (and its quay street 'Quai du Rhin') on the other shore of the river Rhine.
	Tripoint: The monument at the end of the Westquai with the flags of the three countries in question. The real tripoint is located north though in the water.
	View of French border town Huningue from the Swiss side.

(32) - Basle/Rhine