Airport Guide to Geneve-Cointrin (GVA)

Airport Overview

Terminal Transfer | Getting into Town | Car Parking | Information Desks | Airport Facilities

Located just 4km (2.5 miles) from the centre of Geneva, Geneva Cointrin International Airport offers excellent rail and bus connections. A quirk of its location on the French-Swiss border is the separate French and Swiss sectors of the airport, each of which maintains their own customs channel.

Queues for check-in and security are notoriously long and frustrating, especially at peak periods. Unfortunately, once you get past it there isn’t much to do, as there are only a couple of shops and restaurants.

Flights to Geneva Cointrin International Airport are easy to find from destinations all over Europe and the Middle East, including London, Glasgow, Paris, Vienna, Madrid, Moscow, Rome, Casablanca, Dubai, Tel Aviv, Bahrain, Amsterdam, Athens and Lisbon. There are also a handful of inter-continental flights to Montreal and Washington DC.

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Terminal Transfer

Terminal transfers are easily walkable. The only hassle comes if you transfer from the Swiss to the French sector, which is a long walk and not well-signposted.

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Getting into Town

Train: There is a train station with direct access to both the arrivals and departures areas, with a train to downtown Geneva every 12 minutes at peak times. You can pick up a Unireso ticket from the information centre in the arrivals hall that will entitle you to free public transport via train, bus, tram or boat for a period of 80 minutes. Many hotels, hostels and campsites in Geneva also offer these cards.

Bus: There are several public buses that service the airport, stopping at the check-in level near the train station. Bus No. 10 goes to the Geneva city centre. A Unireso ticket (free public transport for 80 minutes) can be picked up from the information centre in the arrivals hall. Lots of hotels, hostels and campsites in Geneva also distribute these cards.

Taxi: With Geneva’s fantastic public transport system it’s hard to believe anyone would take a taxi, but if you want to catch one, they are located outside the arrivals area. There is a basic charge of CHF 6.30 plus CHF 3.20 per kilometre, and there are additional charges for nights and public holidays, luggage and animals, long-distance fares, and more than four passengers. Basic fares to Geneva are about CHF 30-35.

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Car Parking

There are several parking options at Geneva Cointrin: P1 is covered long-term parking adjacent to the terminal, costing CHF 2 for an hour, CHF 15 for four hours, CHF 32 per day and CHF 170 per week; P20 is long-term parking for the French Sector with similar rates. P31, P32, and P33 serve the CFF station and cost CHF 8 for four hours, CHF 32 per day and CHF 170 per week (the first hour is free). P51 is the cheapest long-term option about 1,600 feet (500m) from the terminal, charging CHF 2 for an hour, CHF 13 for four hours, CHF 27 per day and CHF 93 per week. There are two short-term car parks, P2 and P3, serving the arrivals and departure areas respectively with a maximum parking time of an hour. P2 allows ten free minutes, and then charges CHF 2 for up to 30 minutes, thereafter it’s CHF 3. P3 also allows ten minutes free, then charges CHF 1 for up to 20 minutes and CHF 2 after that.

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Information Desks

There are information desks throughout the airport.

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Airport Facilities

Money and communications: The airport has banks, ATMs, currency exchange facilities, a post office, Internet kiosks and telephones available to travellers.

Luggage: There are left luggage facilities on the railway level and luggage porters available to help passengers.

Conference and business: Business facilities such as photocopying, fax and Internet are available in the terminal. The Altitude Lounge offers conference facilities for up to 300 people, with catering and audio-visual facilities.

Other facilities: Other airport facilities include a smoking lounge, dry cleaning, beauty salon, hot showers (for CHF 15), tanning beds, travel agencies, pharmacies, mother and child rooms and a mediation room.

Wi-Fi: Geneva Cointrin has free Wi-Fi.

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