Getting around Geneva

Public transport

Transports Publics Genevois (TPG) (tel: 00800 022 021 20, in Switzerland only; www.tpg.ch) operates Geneva's superb bus and tram network. Services in general operate between 0500 and 0030, with Noctambus (tel: 00800 022 021 20, in Switzerland only; noctambus.ch) night buses then kick in until the small hours.

Ticket vending machines are situated at all bus and tramway stops and accept coins and credit/debit cards. These provide a variety of tickets including the ‘Tout Genève’ ticket, which allows unlimited travel for one hour, or cheaper ‘Saut de Puce’ tickets for three-stop trips on bus or tram or one lake crossing on a ‘Mouette’ boat.

Every visitor receives a Geneva Transport Card upon check-in at their hotel, hostel or campsite, which is valid for the entire duration of their stay. The card covers buses, tramways, boats and trains. If you’re just passing through, you can buy a one-day pass for buses, trams, trains and Mouette boats at CFF stations, TPG sales offices and tourist information offices.

Travellers coming from the airport can pick up a free ticket for transport into the city centre from the machine in the baggage claim area.

There are plans for Geneva to have its own suburban railway Léman Express (lemanexpress.ch) with 45 stations and six lines. Léman Express is expected to begin in December 2019.

Taxis

You can order taxis in Geneva by phone, hail them in the street, or pick them up at authorised taxi ranks around the city.

Taxiphone (tel: +41 22 331 4133; taxi-phone.ch), Geneva's central taxi service, provides cabs 24-hours a day. Or you can try Geneva-taxi.ch (tel: +41 22 707 0425; geneva-taxi.ch) or Taxi reservation (+41 22 707 0420; www.taxi-reservation.ch).

The fare is shown on the meter, which includes VAT and may already include a tip (rates rise at night and on Sundays and holidays).

Driving

The roads in Geneva are good. There are speed limits on narrow sections of road, such as in the Old Town. White markings with a meter signify pay to park for a limited period of time, while white markings without a meter signify free parking for unlimited time. Blue markings indicate free parking for a limited time with a parking disk. You can obtain parking disks from police stations. Once in possession of this disk, parking is free of charge in designated zones.

If you're driving outside Geneva and want to use the motorways, you'll need to buy a vignette (sticker) to attach to your windscreen, available online switzerlandtravelcentre.co.uk or at the border. All hire cars come with this included.

Car hire

You can hire cars at the airport, railway station and hotels. A national driving licence and credit card are required. Drivers must be at least 20 years old.

Providers include Avis (tel: +41 848 811 818; www.avis.ch), Sixt (tel: +41 848 884 444; www.sixt.ch) and local firm Auto Location Leman (tel: +41 22 732 0143; www.vipcarspartner.com). Hire cars are generally equipped with snow tyres during the winter period.

Bicycle hire

Rental bikes are available from Rentabike (tel: +41 41 925 1170; www.rentabike.ch) at Cornavin railway station or Genève Roule (tel: +41 22 740 1415; www.geneveroule.ch), which has several locations open throughout the city centre between April and October. To hire, cyclists must show ID and leave a small deposit.