From Geneva airport to Lausanne station
On September 4, I will be arriving in Geneva by airplane at approximately 11 AM. After that, I need to go to Lausanne. I have two questions:
Do I need to buy a train ticket online, or can I buy it directly at the station without any problems? (Problems such as: the trains are always full, it's not permitted to buy a ticket etc.) Moreover, are the tickets only for a specific train or it is like "you can board any train from Geneve to Lausanne with this ticket"?
How do I get from the airport to the Geneva train station (as low a budget as possible, I guess walking is not an option though), and how much does it cost?
I'd appreciate answers from people who have been there, but if you're able to find an exhaustive link from any website that's okay too.
Best Answer
A tip for saving a few bucks on the train ticket:
On the baggage claim area there are machines that give you free tickets to Geneva. You just need to press a button and they'll give you one. They are valid only for arriving passengers, so make sure to keep your boarding pass with you. Then, in the machine for buying the train ticket you can select "change departure station" and pick Genève instead of Genève-Aéroport. This way you'll pay CHF 22.40 instead of 27.00.
There is a machine for buying train tickets in the baggage claim area, so you can do it while you wait for your luggage.
Once on the train, if the inspector asks for you ticket while on the Airport-Geneva section, you show them the free ticket together with your boarding pass. If you are on the Geneva-Lausanne section, you show them the ticket you bought.
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How do you get from Geneva to Lausanne?
The best way to get from Geneva to Lausanne is to train which takes 48 min and costs SFr 21 - SFr 35. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs SFr 2 - SFr 10 and takes 55 min. Where does the Geneva to Lausanne bus arrive? Geneva to Lausanne bus services, operated by FlixBus, arrive at Lausanne P+R station.How do I get from Geneva Airport to the train station?
Geneva Airport Train, Bus, Taxi. Geneva airport, located 4 kilometers from the city is easily reachable by public transport: train and bus; taxi or shuttle. Train journey between the Airport and central railway station in the city (Gare Cornavin) takes 6 minutes, bus to downtown takes about 20 minutes.How much does a taxi cost from Geneva to Lausanne?
Taxi fare from Geneva Airport to Lausanne In which case, the journey will cost around 190\u20ac. However, bear in mind that the price can change at weekends and night time as well as public holidays.How far is Geneva Airport from Lausanne?
It usually takes around 51 minutes to travel the 32 miles (51 km) from Geneva Airport to Lausanne by train, although you can get there in as little as 45 minutes on the fastest services. You'll normally find around 87 trains per day running on this route.How to get to the train from Geneva Airport
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Answer 2
You don't need to buy the ticket online (there are automated ticket machines as well as manned ticket booths), but you'll save some time, and possibly some money: even though the standard ticket is 27.- CHF, you can buy discounted tickets for as little as 16.20 CHF. Drawback: discounted tickets are valid only on a specific train, so you'll need to time things carefully (too early and you'll miss the train, too late and you'll just waste time, so it really depends on your priorities).
Note that if you are going to stay for a little while in Switzerland and move around a fair amount, you might be interested in getting a Half-Fare Travelcard ("demi-tarif"). It costs 185.- CHF for a year, but get you a 50% discount on most rail travel in Switzerland (and more).
As for getting to the train station: once you exit the baggage claim area, turn left. Walk. Turn right. Oh, you're in the train station.
Answer 3
Yes, the train station is at the airport as it's been already said. If you're tight on budget, rideshares like blablacar offer rides for around 5 € one way.
I think it's a great alternative to the way overpriced swiss train system.
Answer 4
To answer the easy question first: the Genève-Aéroport train station is attached to the airport. It is an extremely short walk, even if carrying luggage. In fact, walking is your only option.
Swiss train stations have ticket vending machines, and the main stations (including Genève-Aéroport) will have a staffed ticket counter as well. For the casual traveller, there is no point in buying an advance or electronic ticket.1
Swiss trains don't have seat reservations,2 and the train will never be full to the point where you can't find a single seat. The ticket you buy will be valid for any train on that route. The fastest option will be the IR (Inter-Regio), but technically you could use the same ticket for any number of connecting trains along that route. Schedules are available at http://cff.ch/, but the trains run frequently enough during the day that you need not worry about it.
1 Technically, you could hop on any main line train without a ticket and pay on board, though you may be subjected to a surcharge. You cannot do that with buses and regional trains, which are clearly marked with an eye logo, indicating that the honour system is in effect, and you must already have a validated ticket.
2 … except in special cases, such as French TGV running in Swiss territory, or overnight trains.
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