How to Get from Geneva Airport to the City Centre (2026 Guide)
19 June 2026
Disclaimer: All prices, schedules and service details in this article reflect information available in June 2026. Transport fares and timetables change regularly — always verify the latest information on the official websites of each provider before you travel. The author and Faretus accept no liability for any inaccuracies, changes, or decisions made based on this content.
Geneva Airport (GVA) has the easiest, cheapest airport transfer of any city in this guide series, and it isn't close. The airport is under 4 kilometres from the city centre, the train takes 6 minutes, and — this is not a typo — it's free. Every arriving passenger is entitled to a complimentary public transport ticket, valid the moment you collect your luggage.
If you read nothing else in this article, read this: collect your free ticket before you leave the baggage hall. Everything else is detail.
The quick comparison
| Option | Price (one-way) | Time to centre | Hours | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train to Cornavin | Free (with airport ticket) | 6 min | 05:00–01:00 | Everyone |
| Bus 5 / 10 / 28 | Free (with airport ticket) | 15–20 min | 04:30–02:00+ | Specific destinations |
| Taxi | CHF 35–60 (zone-based) | 10–15 min | 24 hours | Groups, night arrivals |
| Uber / Bolt | CHF 25–45 | 10–15 min | 24 hours | App users |
| Private transfer | from CHF 50 | 10–15 min | Pre-booked | Families, business travel |
⚠️ Currency note: Geneva uses Swiss francs (CHF), not euros. Switzerland is not in the EU and not in the eurozone, despite being surrounded by EU countries. Card payment is widely accepted everywhere, including on public transport, but don't expect euro pricing or assume your euro cash is usable — it generally isn't accepted at machines.
Option 1 — The free ticket: collect it before you do anything else
After collecting your luggage at Geneva Airport, before you walk through customs into the arrivals hall, look for a ticket machine — they're positioned specifically in the baggage reclaim area. Insert your boarding pass (or scan the barcode) and the machine dispenses a free 80-minute Unireso transport ticket, valid on trains, buses, and trams throughout Geneva.
This isn't a promotional gimmick or something you need to qualify for. Every arriving passenger at GVA is entitled to one. The airport funds it directly because, frankly, it makes the whole arrival experience better for everyone, and it works. Eighty minutes is comfortably enough time to reach Cornavin, transfer to a connecting bus or tram if needed, and reach most addresses in the city.
If you somehow miss the machine — it's easy to walk past in the rush of arrival — a standard Unireso Zone 10 ticket costs CHF 3.00 at any vending machine, bus stop, or via the TPG+ or SBB apps. Not expensive, but free is better, so look for the machine.
Option 2 — Train to Gare Cornavin: the fastest way into the city
Geneva Airport has its own railway station, within walking distance of both terminals, directly connected to Geneva-Cornavin — the city's main station. The journey takes a genuinely remarkable 6 minutes. Trains depart every 10–15 minutes from approximately 05:00 to 01:00.
With your free airport ticket (or a CHF 3 Unireso ticket), board any train heading to Cornavin — most trains stopping at the airport go there directly. From Cornavin, you're in the heart of Geneva: a short walk to the lake, the old town, and most central hotels.
If you're connecting onward by rail — to Lausanne, Bern, Montreux, or further into Switzerland — many long-distance and regional trains stop directly at the airport station, meaning you may not need to go via Cornavin at all. Check the departure board; if your destination train calls at the airport, board there.
The honest take: This is, without competition, the best airport-to-city connection covered anywhere in this series. Six minutes, free, direct to the main station. There's no scenario where this isn't the right choice for a solo or paired traveller without urgent door-to-door needs.
Option 3 — Bus routes 5, 10, 22, and 28: useful for specific destinations
Three main bus routes connect the airport directly to Cornavin: Bus 5, Bus 10 (a trolleybus), and Bus 22. All run every 10 minutes from approximately 05:00 to 02:00, and the journey takes around 15–20 minutes — slower than the train but useful if your accommodation is closer to a bus stop along the route than to Cornavin itself.
Bus 28 runs a different route to Nations, the area home to the United Nations, WHO, the Red Cross, and other international organisations — useful if you're visiting one of Geneva's many international institutions rather than the historic centre.
All of these are covered by the same free 80-minute airport ticket. Bus stops are directly outside both terminals.
The honest take: For most visitors heading to central Geneva, the train is faster and just as free. The buses earn their place if your destination is somewhere the train doesn't directly serve — particularly Nations, where Bus 28 is the most direct option.
Option 4 — Taxi: zone-based pricing, short distances
Geneva taxis use a zone-based fare system rather than a simple meter-to-destination model. Rough estimates: Zone A (closest) around CHF 25, Zone B around CHF 35, Zone C (downtown, right bank) around CHF 50, and Zone D (downtown, left bank) around CHF 60. Given the airport's proximity to the centre, most central destinations fall in the CHF 35–50 range. Journey time is 10–15 minutes.
The taxi rank is outside the arrivals hall, clearly marked. Geneva taxis are licensed and the zone pricing is regulated, so there's little risk of being overcharged at the official rank.
The honest take: Given that the train and bus are both free and take 6–20 minutes, the taxi only makes sense if you specifically need door-to-door service — arriving very late, travelling with substantial luggage, or simply preferring not to navigate a station with bags. For most people, the free train is simply the better option on every metric except direct delivery to your exact address.
Option 5 — Uber and Bolt: similar pricing to taxis, more transparency upfront
Both Uber and Bolt operate at Geneva Airport. Pickup is from the designated rideshare zone — the app provides directions. Fares to the city centre typically run CHF 25–40, broadly comparable to or slightly below the taxi zone fares, with the advantage of seeing the price before you commit.
The honest take: If you want door-to-door without the zone-fare ambiguity of a taxi, ride-hailing apps are a reasonable middle ground. But again — for most travellers, the free 6-minute train is simply better.
Option 6 — Private transfer: for groups and certainty
Pre-booked private transfers meet you in arrivals with a name sign and take you directly to your destination at a fixed price. Rates in Switzerland are higher than in most of Europe — typically CHF 50–80 for a sedan to the city centre, reflecting the general cost level in Geneva.
The honest take: Switzerland is expensive across the board, and private transfers here are priced accordingly. For business travellers attending events at Palexpo or international institutions with fixed schedules, the certainty is worth it. For most leisure travellers, the free train delivers nearly the same outcome at zero cost.
Which option is right for you?
- Almost everyone → Train to Cornavin. Free, 6 minutes, direct to the main station. There is very rarely a good reason to choose anything else.
- Heading to Nations / UN district → Bus 28. Free, direct route.
- Arriving with a lot of luggage and want door-to-door → Taxi or Bolt. CHF 35–50, 10–15 minutes.
- Arriving very late at night → Trains and buses run until around 01:00–02:00; outside those hours, taxi or pre-booked transfer.
- Connecting onward by rail to Lausanne, Bern, or elsewhere in Switzerland → Check if your train stops directly at the airport station — many do, skipping Cornavin entirely.
- Business travel to Palexpo or an international organisation event → Confirm the most direct bus or pre-book a transfer if timing is tight.
Things people get wrong at Geneva Airport
Walking past the free ticket machine. This is the single most common mistake — people exit baggage claim, head straight for the taxi rank or an Uber, and never realise they could have travelled into the city for free. The machines are in the baggage reclaim area, before customs. Look for them.
Assuming euros work everywhere. Geneva is in Switzerland, not the eurozone. While many tourist-facing businesses near the airport and in the centre do accept euros informally (usually at a poor exchange rate, with change given in francs), it's far simpler to use a card or withdraw francs. Don't assume.
Confusing the zone-based taxi pricing. Unlike a simple metered fare, Geneva taxis price by zone, which can be confusing for first-time visitors trying to estimate a fare. If precision matters, ask the driver to confirm the zone and approximate price before you set off, or use Uber/Bolt where the price is shown upfront.
Missing the 80-minute window. The free ticket is valid for 80 minutes from validation — plenty for the airport-to-Cornavin trip, but if you dawdle through customs, browse the airport shops, and then try to use the same ticket two hours later, it will have expired. Validate it close to when you're actually going to travel.
A note on the Geneva Transport Card
If you're staying at a hotel in Geneva, most properties provide a Geneva Transport Card at check-in — and it's worth asking for if it isn't offered automatically. This card gives free unlimited public transport for the duration of your stay, covering trains, buses, trams, and even the small ferries (Mouettes Genevoises) that cross the lake. Many hotels also issue it digitally before arrival. If you're staying multiple days, this removes any further transport cost from your trip entirely.
Final thought
Geneva makes the airport transfer almost embarrassingly easy. Six minutes, a free ticket, and you're standing at Cornavin looking at Lake Geneva and the Jet d'Eau in the distance. No other airport in this series gets close to this level of convenience, and it's worth knowing about before you land so you don't accidentally pay for something that's included.
Collect the ticket. Take the train. Save the taxi fare for something better — Geneva is not a cheap city, and every franc saved on the transfer is a franc available for a coffee on the lakefront or a proper Swiss meal somewhere with a view.
And if you haven't found your cheap flight to Geneva yet, check the Faretus deals page. GVA is well connected across Europe, and as a major business and diplomatic hub, fares fluctuate more than you might expect.
All information in this article is based on publicly available data from official transport providers as of June 2026. Prices, schedules and service arrangements may change without notice. Always verify directly with the relevant provider — TPG (tpg.ch), SBB (sbb.ch), Geneva Airport (gva.ch) — before travelling. The author and Faretus bear no responsibility for any decisions made based on the content of this article.