Geneva Airport (GVA)

Geneva is my hometown airport. I have used dozens of airports over the years, but I have used GVA far more than any other. (It was even one of my playgrounds as a kid - I had a pass that let me go airside whenever I wanted!)

Assuming that your first experience will be arriving, I will deal with that first. GVA has one runway, nestled up against the Jura mountains. Whichever approach you make, it is spectacular, either over the foothills ...
...across Lake Geneva and into the airport.

Taxiing doesn't take long. If you are flying Easyjet, you usually arrive at one of the small, round "satellite" buidlings, about 150 yards from the terminal, disembarking through a jetway. There are travelators in the subways leading to passport control. Don't be fooled if these are not moving as you approach them - they will start when you step on them. BA arrives at the main terminal, ... more

Geneva is my hometown airport. I have used dozens of airports over the years, but I have used GVA far more than any other. (It was even one of my playgrounds as a kid - I had a pass that let me go airside whenever I wanted!)

Assuming that your first experience will be arriving, I will deal with that first. GVA has one runway, nestled up against the Jura mountains. Whichever approach you make, it is spectacular, either over the foothills of the Alps, or over the Jura mountains themselves, sweeping across Lake Geneva and into the airport.

Taxiing doesn't take long. If you are flying Easyjet, you usually arrive at one of the small, round "satellite" buidlings, about 150 yards from the terminal, disembarking through a jetway. There are travelators in the subways leading to passport control. Don't be fooled if these are not moving as you approach them - they will start when you step on them. BA arrives at the main terminal, which has just been expanded. However, there is still a similar walk to passport control.

If you are transiting, and have your onward boarding pass, turn left before passport control, following the "transit" signs, up an unobtrusive escalator, and you will find yourself in the departure lounge.

Passport control is quick and easy. They normally just glance at your passport and wave you through. Immediately on the other side is baggage reclaim. This is glassed in, so people waiting can see who is arriving. The belt your bags will be on is listed on a screen, and they usually come quite quickly. You then walk through customs, and out into the arrivals hall.

There you will find bars, restaurants, car rental desks, newsagents, and cash machines.

Getting away from the airport if you are not being met or renting a car is very simple. There is a train station attached, with a shopping mall that is open 7 days a week (the only place in Geneva to open on a Sunday). All trains from there go to Geneva's main station. My tip though is to take the number 10 trolley bus. Go upstairs to where the check in desks are and outside. The bus stop is at the far end of the airport, next to the station. The fare for one zone valid for an hour is 2.20 francs (about £1). One zone should be all you need if you are going to most hotels. You pay at a machine, so you will need change. There are change machines, but they only change coins. If you just have notes, buy your first choclate bar at one of the newsagents in the airport. If you plan to use public transport (TPG) a lot, there you can also buy a "cartabus", which is a prepaid card. Insert it in the fare machine, choose the appropriate fare (the different fares are explained in English on the machine), and take your ticket. The service works on the honour system, and there are frequent checks. The drivers tend to be very helpful to lost souls, so if you aren't sure they will try to help, even with a language barrier.

Taxis are horrendously expensive, but worth it into town if you are two or three with lots of luggage. By road, airport to station is about 20 minutes, 10 by train.

On departure, reaching the airport is equally simple. When you arrive, however, don't go to the top floor for "departures". You need the middle floor where the check in desks are. This is more obvious if you arrive by bus or car, as you are dropped at the right place. it can get a bit confusing if you arrive by train.

Geneva is one of a very few airport I know of that physically straddles two countries, and there is a French sector, where flights to and from France arrive and depart. So make sure you go to the right bit. Especially with Easyjet, the check ins are at opposite ends of the airport. Also, if you are returning a rental car (and it is much cheaper to rent a French car) make sure you return it to the right sector, or you will be surcharged. The signage on the road isn't brilliant, but try to make sure you follow "secteur francais".

Check in depends on the airline. Easyjet now has self-service machines as does BA.

My advice is to go through passport control and security as late as you can. (Easyjet will hate me for saying this.) The reality is that there are very few services airside, and they are expensive. Here's another tip. If your flight is hugely delayed, you can go back landside. Just go down the escalators as though going to B-gates (where Easyjet usually flies from). Right at the bottom, make a U-turn and you will find yourself in front of passport control. Go through as if you were arriving. I've even done this toting the duty-free I just bought! Then you can go back the through when you want.

Speaking of duty free, it's not brilliant. On my last trip, a couple of weeks ago, I made a point of jotting down whisky prices in one of the supermarkets, and found prices in the duty free were in some cases higher!

There is far more landside, and here is yet another tip. Especially if you are flying Easyjet and want a picnic, once you have checked in, go downstairs and into the station/mall. At the far end is a good value Migros supermarket, open 8am to 8pm, where you can get all you need. It's a bit of a hike, but if you have checked in reasonably early, you will have plenty of time.

When you are ready to go through, the departure lounge is on the third floor. Go through passport control, and then head for your gate. There are A, B and C gates. A and C are in diffrent parts of the main terminal, B are the satellites. Security happens near each group of gates.

It's an uncongested airport, a great gateway for western Switzerland, eastern and southern France, and northern Italy - and of course skiing in the Alps.

 

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