Train stations in Geneva

For most long-distance trips, choose Genève-Cornavin. Use Genève-Aéroport only for the airport or when your train is booked there.

Choose Genève-Cornavin by default

Book Genève-Cornavin for the city centre and most long-distance journeys. SBB calls it Geneva Cornavin in English and Genève in French, while booking sites may show Genève or Geneva. Read the full station name before paying. A city-wide search can also return Genève-Aéroport and smaller local stops.

Cornavin is the main interchange for Swiss long-distance trains, TGV Lyria, TER and the Léman Express. Trams and buses leave from the forecourt on Place de Cornavin. Before heading to the platform, look at the departure board, especially for a France-bound train. Engineering work can change the assigned track.

The ground-floor lockers are always accessible. A small locker costs CHF 5 for the first six hours in low season or CHF 6 in high season, with higher rates for larger sizes and extensions. The current red and grey lockers are emptied after 96 hours. Confirm the current rate and maximum rental time before leaving your bag. For a bag that will not fit, use the staffed deposit at the travel centre and check its opening hours, capacity and 23 kg limit first.

Match the named station to the journey

Use the exact Geneva station on the itinerary. Genève-Eaux-Vives, Genève-Champel, Lancy-Pont-Rouge and Chêne-Bourg sit on the cross-border Léman Express route through Annemasse. These are useful local stops, not interchangeable long-distance terminals.

Eaux-Vives works well when the train calls there and the destination is on the eastern side of central Geneva. Champel has a pedestrian tunnel to Geneva University Hospitals, which can remove a local transfer for a hospital visit. Lancy-Pont-Rouge serves the Lancy side of the city and is also used by limited L7 trains towards Annemasse and the airport.

Genève-Sécheron can suit a trip to Nations or the international-organisations district when the regional train stops there. Long-distance trains do not automatically call. Compare that short rail journey with tram 15 from Cornavin and choose the simpler final walk.

Use representative routes to plan the arrival

Swiss long-distance trains link Geneva with Lausanne and continue directly to cities including Bern and Zürich. Many start or finish at Genève-Aéroport and call at Cornavin on the way. Search the whole trip before buying separate tickets. A through train may spare you an unnecessary change.

Direct TGV Lyria trains run from Paris Gare de Lyon to Genève-Cornavin in about 3 hours 15 minutes. Direct TER trains from Lyon Part-Dieu usually take around two hours. Use these times as a guide, then check the timetable for your exact train. Engineering work can change the route or journey time.

Ticket conditions matter as much as journey time. Swiss domestic tickets, TER fares and TGV Lyria tickets have different rules for changes and refunds. Before choosing a fare that ties you to one train, read the operator, currency and conditions shown for that departure.

Allow extra time for the France sector

TGV Lyria and TER services use Cornavin's separate France sector. Its tracks were renumbered in November 2024: the former tracks 7 and 8 are now 6 and 7. Follow the live board and signs, not an old guide or saved platform number.

The France-sector platforms take longer to reach than the main Swiss platforms. Allow enough time to find the passage and buy a ticket if needed. A dedicated TER machine stands at the France-sector entrance, and official French digital channels also sell TER tickets. For help with a more complex international ticket, confirm the travel centre's opening hours before setting out.

You normally cross between France and Switzerland without a routine passport check, but police identity checks can still happen. Carry the passport or national identity card required for your nationality. Léman Express trains to Annemasse do not all leave from the France-sector tracks, so follow the train number and destination rather than the country alone.

Board at Genève-Aéroport when the itinerary allows

Genève-Aéroport is an SBB station directly beneath the terminal. Board there when the booked train starts at the airport for Lausanne, Bern, Zürich or another Swiss destination. Travelling into Cornavin first can add a change that the itinerary never required.

Read the origin and calling pattern before boarding. Most long-distance airport trains call at Cornavin, but limited Léman Express L7 trains towards Annemasse take a different route and can bypass it. This matters when the hotel is in central Geneva rather than near an L7 stop.

The walk between Arrivals or Departures and the station takes about five minutes. Leave a realistic margin for baggage reclaim and a late flight. If you are buying a ticket tied to one train, leave enough time for a delayed flight and check the exchange conditions.

Take the train between the airport and Cornavin

The airport train reaches Genève-Cornavin in seven minutes, with up to seven departures per hour at peak times. A full-fare second-class unireso Zone 10 ticket costs CHF 3 and lasts 60 minutes. Buy one before boarding unless another valid ticket or transport card covers the journey. Check the current fare and your exact departure before travelling.

Guests in approved Geneva accommodation receive a digital Geneva Transport Card for free local travel during their stay. The accommodation may send an activation link up to three days before arrival, which lets the card cover the trip from the airport. If it has not arrived or is not active, buy a valid ticket before boarding.

For the return flight, search from the real Swiss starting point to Genève-Aéroport before planning a change at Cornavin. Through trains can remove that city transfer. Match the airport arrival time to the airline's check-in guidance and leave enough time to walk from the station to the terminal.

Use Léman Express for local and cross-border trips

Léman Express has seven lines and 45 stations across the Geneva region and neighbouring France. Lines L1 to L4 share the route through Cornavin, Lancy-Pont-Rouge, Champel, Eaux-Vives and Chêne-Bourg to Annemasse, then split onto different branches. Read the destination and stopping pattern before boarding.

L7 is a limited peak-time service between Annemasse and Lancy-Pont-Rouge, with selected trains continuing to Vernier or Genève-Aéroport without calling at Cornavin. Use L7 only when its limited peak-time timetable fits your trip. For most Cornavin to Annemasse journeys, the regular L1 to L4 pattern is clearer.

A unireso Zone 10 ticket covers local travel within the Geneva zone. Beyond it, you need the appropriate Léman Pass or another ticket for the full cross-border route. Look at the zones before boarding, since a valid CHF 3 city ticket does not cover a journey into France.

Check pass and reservation rules by train

Most Swiss InterCity, InterRegio and regional trains do not require a seat reservation. Swiss Travel Pass, Interrail and Eurail users still need to confirm that the exact route and train company are covered, then carry the pass and required identity document. There is no need to buy a reservation for an ordinary Swiss train simply because the journey is long.

TGV Lyria works differently. Interrail and Eurail cover the rail journey, but the high-speed train requires a separate paid seat reservation. Pass-holder places can be limited. Secure one before arranging a flight or hotel around that departure, and read the fee, class, booking channel and refund conditions.

Léman Express and TER regional trains generally have no compulsory seat reservations, but every traveller still needs a ticket or geographically valid pass for the whole route. Confirm the operator and coverage in the pass planner. A pass limited to Switzerland does not include the French part of a cross-border journey.

Plan the final transfer from Cornavin

Walking works well when the hotel is central and the luggage is manageable. Check the address first. The Rhône, bridges and slopes can make a short map distance awkward with bags, particularly after a late arrival.

Trams 14, 15 and 18 serve Genève, gare Cornavin. Tram 15 runs directly towards Nations, while 14 and 18 cover other central, western or north-western directions. Works can divert a route, so read the live stop display and direction before boarding.

For Nations, compare tram 15 with a regional train to Genève-Sécheron. Choose the regional train only if it stops at Genève-Sécheron; otherwise take tram 15. Check the final local connection, accessibility needs and Geneva Transport Card status, then take the option with the least awkward change.