Getting Around Geneva by Public Transport
Geneva packs trams, trolleybuses, little yellow lake-shuttle boats and cross-border regional trains into a compact, lakeside network. Many visitors ride it all for free.
If you stay in a Geneva hotel, hostel or campsite you get a free Geneva Transport Card covering buses, trams and the mouettes for your whole stay, ask at check-in.
The network in one minute
Geneva’s network is small and easy: trams and trolleybuses handle the city, the famous yellow mouettes shuttle across the harbour, and the cross-border regional trains connect the suburbs and reach into neighbouring France.
- Trams, fast lines through the centre and out to the suburbs.
- Buses & trolleybuses, dense coverage of the old town and the lake shore.
- Mouettes, short, scenic boat hops across the lake, covered by normal tickets.
- Regional trains, the cross-border train spine, useful for the airport and trips into France.
The free transport card
Geneva does something rare: every overnight guest gets a free Geneva Transport Card. Hotels, hostels and campsites hand it over at check-in, and it covers unlimited buses, trams and mouettes for the length of your stay. Don’t buy tickets before you’ve asked for it.
From the airport
Genève-Aéroport is one train stop from the main station (Gare Cornavin), about 6 minutes. There’s also a free ticket machine in baggage claim that prints an 80-minute public-transport ticket to get you into town.
See it live
The Swiss Transport app shows live departures and platforms for trams, trains and the mouettes from your current location, handy when you’re deciding between a tram and a boat to cross the city.
See Geneva departures live
Get the free Swiss Transport app for live times and platforms.