Art Basel 2027 transportation and chauffeur service from Zurich

Art Basel 2027 takes place in Basel from 17 to 20 June 2027, at Messe Basel. The fair brings together over 280 leading galleries and more than 4,000 artists from five continents, according to Art Basel, and the exhibitions that open around it in Basel and the region turn the whole week into an art week. Collectors, advisers, museum directors and gallery teams arrive from around the world, and many of them find that the hotel they want in Basel is already full.

That is where Zurich comes in. Messe Basel is about 85 km (53 mi) from Zurich's Bahnhofstrasse on our routing, roughly an hour and ten minutes on a clear road, and many visitors base themselves in Zurich and travel to the fair each day. Elly8.net plans Art Basel from Zurich, the city on our network: fixed-price airport transfers at Zurich, a chauffeur for the day to Basel and back, and a desk that keeps the schedule moving between the fair, private views and dinners. Prices are all-in and do not change for the fair.

How do you get from Zurich to Art Basel?

The train is excellent and, for a single traveller on a simple day, often the right choice; timetables are on SBB. A car earns its place when the day is not simple: a breakfast meeting in Zurich, a morning at the fair, lunch with a gallery, a private collection outside Basel in the afternoon, and dinner back in Zurich. On a full-day booking the chauffeur stays with you for all of it.

See Zurich prices and reserve

Art Basel 2027 at a glance

Dates come from Art Basel and the venue from Basel's tourism office. Guests with VIP access should check the access days and times on their own invitation, and buy public tickets through the official ticket page.

Arriving: Zurich Airport or EuroAirport

Zurich Airport (ZRH) has the widest choice of long-haul flights and is the natural arrival point if you are staying in Zurich. It is about 15 km (9 mi) from Bahnhofstrasse, around 21 minutes on a clear road. An Elly8.net chauffeur tracks your flight and meets you inside arrivals with a name board, with complimentary waiting after a tracked landing.

EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (BSL) is the closest airport to the fair and the nearest arrival point for guests flying privately. It serves both Switzerland and France; the airport's transport page notes that bus line 50 runs from the Swiss side of the arrivals forecourt to Basel SBB station every 7 to 10 minutes from 04:30 to midnight, in about 20 minutes. For a car from EuroAirport to a hotel in Basel or Zurich, or for a private aircraft arrival at the FBO you name, enter the details in the web booker for a fixed quote; see private jet and FBO transfers.

For how airport pickups work, read airport transfers.

The plan: a day at the fair from Zurich

Morning. The chauffeur collects you at your Zurich hotel or residence. The drive to Basel runs on the motorway; at peak hours allow more than the clear-road time. Tell the desk which entrance or meeting point you need at Messe Basel, and the chauffeur drops you at the closest point permitted on the day.

At the fair. On a full-day booking the car waits nearby while you work the halls. Message the chauffeur when you are ready to leave, or to move between the fair and exhibitions elsewhere in the city.

Afternoon and evening. Art week is full of private views, foundation visits and dinners in Basel and the countryside around it, and many guests end the day back in Zurich. The car follows the schedule and brings you home.

On the Zurich price list, the full-day chauffeur (8 hours) is from US$740 in a business sedan to US$1,475 in an Executive Sprinter, and the corporate roadshow day (10 hours) from US$900 to US$1,800. For a Zurich-Basel day with dinner, the 10-hour package is usually the right fit. For a single run from Zurich to Messe Basel or back, the web booker quotes the exact transfer. See also hourly chauffeur service and city-to-city car service.

Book any address

Staying in Basel, or across the border

Guests who do find a room in Basel have a different problem: the fair is close, but the week's appointments are scattered. Foundations, private collections and dinners sit on both sides of the Rhine and, a short drive away, in France and Germany. A car by the hour avoids juggling trams and taxis between them, and the chauffeur can collect you at EuroAirport on arrival, about 9 km (6 mi) from Messe Basel on our routing.

Others stay further out, in the countryside around Basel or in Zurich's lake towns, and commute. Whatever the base, the principle is the same: give the desk the full list of stops for each day the evening before, with the times you must arrive, and the chauffeur plans the order and the drop-off points. Basel addresses and cross-border journeys are quoted in the web booker before you pay.

Evenings in Zurich during art week

Some of the best evenings of the week happen back in Zurich: dinners in the old town, gallery openings and private events by the lake. The evening out and event night package (5 hours) is from US$500 in a business sedan to US$1,000 in an Executive Sprinter, with the same chauffeur from the first stop to the last. The chauffeur follows local rules on drinks in vehicles. For galas and private events, see event transportation.

Collectors, galleries, advisers and family offices

Art week guests have particular needs. Collectors want a car that is there when the conversation ends, not ten minutes later. Gallery teams move people and materials between the fair, hotels and dinners. Advisers and family offices often host several clients in one day.

An Executive Sprinter keeps a group together from Zurich Airport at US$355 per vehicle, or US$200 per hour in town, and sedans can follow individuals. The desk books several vehicles under one reference. For privacy, chauffeurs are briefed only on what the route requires and the desk signs NDAs on request. Elly8.net provides transportation, not security or fine-art shipping; artworks and valuables should travel with specialist art handlers and insurers.

Galleries, advisers and family offices can open a corporate account with monthly invoicing, and luxury travel agents can book for clients through travel-agent accounts. Hotels arranging cars for guests can use hotel accounts.

Train, taxi, bus or chauffeur: an honest comparison

The taxi figure is EuroAirport's published approximate flat rate from Zurich city centre on the Swiss side, and Basel city centre is listed at about 50 CHF. For a single person going straight to the fair and back, the train is fast and simple. A chauffeur wins when the day has several stops, when you are hosting, when you carry documents or purchases, or when children travel with you (child seats are provided on request). For the general comparisons, read chauffeur vs taxi and chauffeur vs renting a car.

Before and after Art Basel

June is a good month to stay on in Switzerland. The signature day trip from Zurich is Lucerne and Mount Pilatus, an 8-hour package from US$740 in a business sedan to US$1,475 in an Executive Sprinter, and the private city highlights tour is from US$400. Zurich Tourism lists what is on in the city that week. Guests travelling on can book cars to Geneva, St. Moritz, Lake Como, Milan, Courchevel or Frankfurt. Flights and hotels can be arranged through our travel partner BookingWorldwide.net; Elly8.net books the car.

How Elly8.net works in Zurich

Rides in Zurich are operated by licensed, commercially insured local chauffeur partners vetted through the Limousine Worldwide network; Elly8.net takes the booking, fixes the price and runs the 24/7 desk. Partner vehicles are four model years old or newer, and seven or newer for Rolls-Royce, Maybach and Bentley. Elly8.net is a member of LWD, LAI, HWD and VWD: LimousineWorldwide.Directory, LimousineAssociation.International, HotelsWorldwide.Directory and VacationsWorldwide.Directory.

Booking takes three steps:

1. Enter the pickup and drop-off, with your flight number for airport legs and Messe Basel or your Basel address for fair days.
2. Choose the vehicle: business sedan or SUV, first class sedan or SUV, or Executive Sprinter.
3. Press Reserve now on the Zurich price list, or use the web booker for any address not on the list, including Basel and EuroAirport. Confirmation arrives by email.

Prices include the chauffeur, vehicle, taxes, standard gratuity and airport meet and greet. Tolls, parking and waiting beyond the included time are billed at cost.