Getting around Geneva: tram, bus, train and Mouettes, lines and fares
One network, one ticket, five tram lines and yellow boats crossing the harbour: getting around Geneva is simple once you understand zone 10. The 2026 fares, the lines that take you to the places you came to see, the last services and the map to download.
You can cross Geneva on foot in half an hour, from Cornavin station to the Old Town. Beyond that, for the airport, Palexpo, CERN, Carouge or the lake beaches, a single network does it all: tram, bus, trolleybus, regional train and boats, on the same ticket.
Our own network map and the official tpg PDFs are just below. The rest of the page gives the 2026 fares, the useful lines one by one, and the times when the network shuts down.
The map below was made by Genève365 from OpenStreetMap data: the main lines, their termini and their connections. You can download it and keep it on your phone.
Download the network map (JPG, 108 KB) ↓
The official, complete and up-to-date map is the operator's: tpg.
Download the official map: tpg network diagram (tram, bus, trolleybus), 17 August 2026 (PDF) ↓
Download the official map: unireso fare zones, December 2025 (PDF) ↓
How does the Geneva network work?
The canton uses the unireso fare system. It brings together the tpg buses, trams and trolleybuses, CFF and Léman Express trains within the canton, and the Mouettes genevoises, the small yellow boats that link the two banks of the harbour.
For a visitor, only one zone matters: zone 10, Tout Genève. A zone 10 ticket is valid on all these vehicles for its validity period, connections included. There is no separate ticket for the boat or for the train to the airport.
The heart of the network is made up of five tram lines. We recorded them from OpenStreetMap with their termini and the stops that matter for a stay:
| Tram | From, to | Useful stops for visitors |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Lancy-Bachet-Gare, Moillesulaz | Carouge-Marché, Place de Neuve, Molard, Rive, Genève-Eaux-Vives-Gare |
| 14 | Meyrin-Gravière, Bernex-Vailly | Gare Cornavin, Bel-Air, Servette, Jonction |
| 15 | Nations, ZIPLO | Nations, Butini, Gare Cornavin, Cirque, Plainpalais, Uni-Mail |
| 17 | Lancy-Pont-Rouge-Gare, Annemasse-Perrier-Aubrac | Plainpalais, Place de Neuve, Molard, Rive, Eaux-Vives, Moillesulaz |
| 18 | Palettes, CERN | Carouge-Marché, Place de Neuve, Bel-Air, Gare Cornavin, CERN |
Remember three hubs. Gare Cornavin for trams 14, 15 and 18 and all trains, Bel-Air on the Rhône to switch banks, and Rive for the lakeside edge of the Old Town and the trams to Eaux-Vives and the French border.
How much is a ticket in Geneva?
The official 2026 fares, second class, zone 10:
| Ticket | Validity | Full fare | Reduced fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saut de puce (short hop) | 3 stops | 2 CHF | not recorded |
| Zone 10 ticket | 60 minutes | 3 CHF | not recorded |
| Day pass | the whole day | 10 CHF | 7.30 CHF |
| Day pass from 9am | from 9am | 8 CHF | 5.60 CHF |
The maths is quick. From the fourth one-hour journey in a day, the day pass wins, and if you do not set off before 9am, the 8 CHF pass wins from the third.
The reduced fare depends on a traveller category (children, young people, seniors under tpg conditions): an adult visitor should not assume they qualify. First class exists, at 17 CHF a day, and is pointless in the city.
The monthly Tout Genève pass costs 70 CHF for an adult and 50 CHF for juniors or seniors. It only beats the day pass after around seven days of heavy travel.
Do you have to pay if you stay in a hotel?
Often, no. Anyone staying in accommodation that is approved and registered with Geneva Tourism receives the Geneva Transport Card. It is free, personal, on your smartphone, and gives unlimited access to unireso for the whole stay: tpg, trains within the area, Mouettes.
Your accommodation normally sends a link about three days before arrival. The official pages also describe automatic sending on the day itself, which leaves a gap if you need the train straight after landing: ask the hotel for the link before you travel, and screenshot the card before leaving its Wi-Fi.
A private rental or unregistered accommodation does not entitle you to the card. If you cannot get it, the question becomes which ticket to buy, which we cover alongside the Geneva City Pass in which pass to choose for visiting Geneva.
Free transport starts when you book. A hotel or hostel registered in Geneva gives you the Geneva Transport Card for the whole stay: check the listing or ask the property before you confirm.
See accommodation in Geneva →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.Which lines go to the places you came to see?
Photo: mpd01605, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Destination | Line | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Airport from Cornavin | Train | 6 to 7 minutes, every 12 to 20 minutes |
| Airport, by bus | 5 or 10 | about 22 minutes (5) and 28 minutes (10), depending on traffic |
| Palexpo, Watches and Wonders | Bus 5, 50, 59 | Grand-Saconnex, Palexpo stop |
| Palais des Nations, peace museums | Tram 15 | Nations terminus |
| CERN | Tram 18 | CERN terminus, from Cornavin or Bel-Air |
| Jet d'eau | Bus 2, 6, E, G | Rue du Lac stop, or a Mouette to Eaux-Vives |
| Carouge | Tram 12 or 18 | Carouge-Marché stop |
| Annemasse, French side | Tram 17 or Léman Express | check the zone: France is outside zone 10 |
The airport bus and train are compared in detail, along with taxis and the free ticket question, in from Geneva Airport to the city centre. For CERN, our visit page explains what to book before taking tram 18.
The Mouettes are the best line on the network for a visitor. They cross the harbour in a few minutes, low on the water, with an ordinary ticket: it is public transport, not a guided cruise. For proper cruises on Lake Geneva, see boat trips on the lake from Geneva.
Line M1 links Pâquis to Quai Gustave-Ador on the Eaux-Vives side: it is the shortest route between the Bains des Pâquis and the pier of the Jet d'eau. Lines M2 to M4 serve Quai des Eaux-Vives, Genève-Plage and De Châteaubriand, depending on the season.
How late do the trams and buses run?
Since 14 December 2025, the 2026 timetable has a last departure after 12:30am on all urban and regional lines, Monday to Sunday, according to the State of Geneva. From late April to late September, some last departures from the centre are extended until 3:30am on weekend nights, Thursdays included.
The City of Geneva, for its part, describes the Noctambus network, running on Fridays and Saturdays from midnight to 5am. The two sets of information do not overlap exactly and no source says which line replaces which: check your return trip in the app or on tpg.ch that evening.
For the airport, one source gives a first train to Cornavin at 5:07am and a last one at 12:51am. It is the only one to publish them: treat them as a rough guide and check the CFF timetable the day before an early flight.
Which map should you download before you go?
Two official tpg documents, checked on 22 October 2026, are worth keeping on your phone. The tram, bus and trolleybus network diagram (PDF, 17 August 2026) shows every line. The unireso fare map (PDF) shows where zone 10 ends.
The second map saves you from the most expensive mistake: taking a tram or train across the border with a Tout Genève ticket. Annemasse, Gaillard and Ambilly are served by tram 17 and the Léman Express, but they are in France.
How do you pay, and what happens without a ticket?
- Buy your ticket before boarding, from the machine or in the app. Do not count on paying on board.
- Carry two means of payment. The sources do not list which cards each machine accepts: an international card and a few Swiss francs cover every case.
- Test the app before you leave. A foreign number or a card issued outside Switzerland can block registration, and a flat phone proves nothing to an inspector.
- The Geneva Transport Card is personal. Lending it can invalidate it.
The fine for travelling without a ticket is not published in the sources consulted. We will not make it up: just remember that inspections happen and rely on a ticket that is valid at the time of the journey.
Photo: Benoît Prieur, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Is the network wheelchair accessible?
The tpg state that people with reduced mobility travel on ordinary unireso tickets, with no supplement, and that a free assistance service exists. Single tickets, day passes and Tout Genève season tickets are all included.
What is not published is accessibility stop by stop: platform heights, ramps, station lifts, access to the Mouette landing stages. For a specific journey, call the assistance service rather than relying on the general statement.
And during Watches and Wonders?
The fair ticket is valid as a zone 10, second-class transport ticket on the day or days shown, from two hours before opening to two hours after closing (2026 conditions). The free shuttles between Palexpo, the airport and partner hotels ran from 8am to 8pm, every 10 to 30 minutes depending on the day and the route.
This ticket covers neither taxis, nor journeys into France, nor hours outside its window. Everything else is in our Watches and Wonders 2027 guide.
Car, bike, taxi: when are they useful?
A car is useless in the centre: leave it at a park and ride, whose pass includes the tram, as explained in parking in Geneva. A taxi from the airport to the centre is quoted at 35 to 45 CHF by Watches and Wonders, to be confirmed before setting off.
For the journey to Geneva itself, by train, plane, coach or motorway, everything is in how to get to Geneva. And to see where each district lies before choosing your line, the map of Geneva places them all.
The best transport ticket is often your address. Around Cornavin, trams 14, 15 and 18, the airport train and the buses leave from the door: it is the easiest district for a first stay without a car.
See hotels near Cornavin station →Partner link: booking through this link supports the site at no extra cost to you.Sources
Sources: tpg (2026 fares and tickets, unireso Tout Genève pass, reduced mobility, network maps).
State of Geneva (2026 public transport timetable), City of Geneva (public transport, Noctambus), Geneva Tourism (Geneva Transport Card), Geneva Airport and gvaairport.com (bus, train and taxi from the airport), Watches and Wonders Geneva (practical information and 2026 shuttle times). Tram lines and stops: OpenStreetMap, recorded on 22 October 2026.
Unireso fares and timetables change with each annual timetable, in December: this page is reviewed at every change.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a tram ticket in Geneva?
Is public transport free for tourists in Geneva?
How late do the trams run in Geneva?
Which tram goes to CERN?
Is the Tout Genève ticket valid to Annemasse?
Sandrine Maret
Sandrine spent six years on the front desk of a hotel near Cornavin station, answering the same questions every day about the tram, fare zones and the border. She writes the pages she would have liked to hand to her guests. She checks every price with the operator, never in a guidebook.
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