Eurovision 2025 host city contest: Geneva vs Basel

Eyes are already on the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest and the question on the tip of everyone's tongues is - who will be the host city?

Official bids for host cities officially opened up in late-May and closed in mid-June. Four official bids were received, but recently it was announced that Bern-Biel and Zurich were not shortlisted.

With many expecting Zurich would win, we now have an intriguing two-horse race between Basel and Geneva.

Some of the criteria for a host city include arena size, roof height and the ability to host a media/delegation centre plus have enough accommodation, plus good public transport options and an international airport close by.

We've done the research so you don't have to so let's take a look at what we know about the two cities in the running to host next year's Contest.

Geneva

The basics

City population: 640,000 (full urban area)

Arena: Palexpo Convention Center

Arena capacity: 15,000

Nearest airport: Geneva Airport

Total hotels: 108 hotels + other accommodation options such as hostels and Air BnBs. (Data: hotelchains.com)

Geneva is Switzerland's second-largest city and it ticks all the boxes to host a Eurovision Song Contest.

it also the headquarters of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) who run the Contest.

Arena, transport and accommodation

Geneva's proposed venue is the Palexpo Convention Center which has already hosted some large events including the Davis Cup tennis. Palexpo has a capacity of 15,000 people (although this will drop to make room for the Eurovision stage) plus an extra 2,000 for delegation/media.

Next year's event is already mentioned on Palexpo's website.

To get to Palexpo, it is approximately 10 minutes by train from the city centre and is also reachable by multiple bus routes. When staying in Geneva, buses are a good way to get around the city.

Also, Palexpo is only 40 minutes from Lausanne which is makes it one other accommodation option.

Credit: XWD (Flickr)

Flying in

There are multiple ways to get to Geneva. Singapore Airlines has a codeshare agreement with the Swiss carrier, Swiss Air. Singapore Airlines flights from most capital cities in Australia multiple times a day. Two other good options that fly into Geneva are Emirates (via Dubai) and Qatar (via Doha). It is only six minutes from the airport to Geneva's city centre.

The Swiss Rail system is also brilliant should you wish to come from other locations in Swizerland (or further).

Basel

The basics

City population: 575,000 (full urban area)

Arena name: St Jakobshalle

Arena capacity: 12,000

Nearest airport: Basel Airport (located in France)

Total hotels: 58 hotels + other accommodation options such as hostels and Air BnBs. (Data: hotelchains.com)

Basel is Switzerland's third largest city and is located in the country's north and is pretty much on the border of where Switzerland, France and Germany meet each other, making this location a central rail hub.

Arena and transport

St Jakobshalle is the proposed venue in Basel and has a 12,000 person capacity. St Jakobshalle holds the annual Basel tennis tournament and has hosted international contests in handball, ice hockey and curling.

Basel means business and is hungry to host the Contest, releasing a video about their bid.

To get to St Jakobshalle, it is between 15 and 30 minutes by train from Basel. Getting around Basel is easy as the city has the largest network of trams in Switzerland.

Zurich is also a good option for accommodation as it is a 1 hour 20 minute trip between Zurich and St Jakobshalle.

Flying in

For Aussies travelling to Basel, there are loads of options. While Basel does have its own international airport, flying into Zurich really is the way to go as Zurich is the hub for Swiss Airlines and the travel time on the train from Zurich Airport is just over an hour.

As already mentioned, Singapore Airlines is codeshare with Swiss Air, and Singapore Airlines flies from most capital cities in Australia. Some other good options that fly into Zurich are Emirates (via Dubai), Qatar (via Doha), Korean Air (via Seoul) as well as many airlines from China.

It is expected we will know in August where the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest will be held.

Which city do you want to host Eurovision 2025?

• Geneva
• Basel

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