Switzerland's Host City candidates: Basel

This year, Friday 30 August becomes International 'Host City Reveal' Day. And so at 10:00 CEST we'll be finding out where in Switzerland the 69th Eurovision Song Contest will be heading to in 2025. 

It's going to be either Basel or Geneva that will follow in the footsteps of Lugano and Lausanne, getting to host a Eurovision Song Content in Switzerland. And ahead of the reveal, we're taking a look at both cities to get a little hyped up about what might be in store for us should they be selected.

You can learn more about Geneva right here. And this is just a little of what makes Basel so special:

Basel is located in the heart of Western Europe, straddling the Rhine. The city is at the centre of the idyllic area where the borders of Switzerland, Germany and France converge. It is served by the wonderfully named EuroAirport, which is totally on brand for us. And the journey from the airport to the city centre is only around a 15 minute drive.

German is the main language spoken, so be sure to memorise some useful phrases before you arrive, such as Welche Farbe hat der Sonnenschein? or Musik klingt in die Welt hinaus. You just never know when they'll come in useful!

Once you're in the city confines of Basel, you can get around using the green and yellow trams that have by now become synonymous with the cityscape. There are also plenty of buses, known for their punctuality and short waiting times.

As a hotel guest in the city, you can reap all the benefits of the BaselCard, which allows you to use the public transport network free of charge for the entire duration of your stay (up to 30 days). The BaselCard is included with every hotel stay.

You can easily explore Basel on foot or by bike, however. Historic landmarks of the city include the large market square with its richly decorated red sandstone town hall and the late Romanesque-Gothic cathedral. A walk through the city’s picturesque old town is considered essential on any visit to Basel.

Basel is known as a green city, with many parks and green spaces. The Botanical Gardens, the Merian Gärten and the banks of the Rhine are ideal spots for relaxation. And in summer, locals cool off by swimming in the Rhine while watching the rest of the city pass by.

It's a city with a cultural offering as rich as the aroma of the herb it almost shares a name with! Basel is home to over 40 museums, making it the city with the highest density of museums in Switzerland.

This includes the famous Kunstmuseum Basel, with works by Picasso, Rembrandt and Van Gogh. And if Basel gets to host Eurovision, it'll become part of a legacy that houses classic works by the likes of Zelmerlöw, Paparizou and Wurst. 

While in the city, you could always take a trip to Basel Zoo, if you were to need a break from watching Eurovision's exotic specimens through a protective screen as they perform outside of their natural habitat! The oldest of its kind in Switzerland, Basel Zoo is home to over 6,000 animals from over 500 different species. 

On the south and west bank of the Rhine, you have Basel's medieval old town to wander through and marvel at. While across the river on the north and east bank, you have Kleinbasel (Little Basel); a trendy area full of bars and restaurants, as well as a buzzing nightlife. Did someone say Euroclub?...

You can listen to all 37 songs of Eurovision 2024 via your favourite streaming service or watch the music videos on our YouTube channel.

Don't forget to download our app (for iOS / Android), sign up to the official Eurovision Song Contest newsletter, and subscribe to the official podcast!