Geneva Airport (GVA) to Geneva
The station is at the terminal, Cornavin is six minutes away, and the ride costs 3.00 CHF unless your hotel has already paid for it.
- A 60-minute Zone 10 ticket is 3.00 CHF and covers the airport to Cornavin leg on either the train or a tpg bus.
- Your hotel probably makes it free. Staying at a Geneva hotel, hostel or campsite gets you a Geneva Transport Card, free travel in Zone 10 including the airport to Cornavin leg. Ask for it at check-in.
- Do not count on the famous free arrivals ticket. The airport's own public transport page no longer describes the free 80-minute Unireso ticket that half the internet still tells you to collect in baggage reclaim.
- There is a railway station at the terminal. Bus stops and the CFF station are both at check-in level, so the city is a very short ride, not a coach trip.
- The tpgAerobus is free between 03:30 and 06:00 on presentation of a same-day flight ticket, which solves the pre-dawn departure.
What it costs
Geneva prices the airport as an ordinary stop inside Unireso Zone 10, which covers the whole canton.
| Ticket | Validity | Full fare |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 10 ticket | 60 minutes | 3.00 CHF |
| Short hop | 3 stops, one way, tpg lines only | 2.00 CHF |
| Day pass | to 05:00 next day | 10.00 CHF |
| Day pass from 09:00 | to 05:00 next day | 8.00 CHF |
The Zone 10 ticket is the one you want. It is valid on the CFF train and on tpg buses alike, so it does not matter which you end up taking. The short hop does not reach the city and is not valid on the train.
The card that makes it free
The Geneva Transport Card is the thing to know about. Anyone staying in a Geneva hotel, youth hostel or campsite gets one, and it covers Zone 10 free of charge for the duration of the stay, including the journey between the airport and Geneva-Cornavin. It is issued by the accommodation, so ask at check-in, or before you arrive if they can send the digital version.
The free ticket question
Geneva's free arrivals ticket is one of the most repeated travel tips in Europe: a machine in baggage reclaim dispensing an 80-minute Unireso ticket. The airport's own public transport page no longer lists it. Treat the machine as a bonus if it is still there, not as your plan, and have the 3.00 CHF ready.
Tickets are sold at machines at the bus stops, which take Swiss francs, euros and cards, in the CFF railway station, and through the tpg and unireso apps.
Getting into town
Unusually for a low-cost gateway, Geneva has both a railway station and bus stops at check-in level, right at the terminal. Twelve tpg lines serve the airport, running every 8 to 15 minutes during peak hours on urban routes and every 20 to 30 minutes on regional ones.
The very early morning
If your flight leaves before the network starts, the tpgAerobus runs free between 03:30 and 06:00 on six routes, A1 to A6, from Geneva and neighbouring France, for passengers holding a same-day flight ticket. It is the answer to the 05:30 departure that every other guide tells you to take a taxi for.
The French sector
Geneva Airport has a French sector with its own road access into France, which is what makes it the gateway for Annecy, Chamonix and the ski resorts. No airport bus stops there. If you land on the French side and need Geneva itself, you need to be on the Swiss side of the terminal before you look for transport.
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