Geneva's main station  See location map

Geneva has one main station, usually known these days as plain Geneva but occasionally called Geneva Cornavin after the part of Geneva in which it is located.  Remember that the French for Geneva is Genève.  The station is just 12 minutes walk from Lake Geneva, it's easy to walk to most locations in the city.

Geneva station.  The entrance to the main hall is in the foreground on the left of the photo.  The north-eastern entrance - arguably these days the more used -  is marked by the white arrow.

Entrance to the main hall.		The main hall.  Note the mural!

Inside the north-eastern entrance, now probably the most-used.  The platforms are on a viaduct well above street level.  When you enter, you go up the steps or escalator straight ahead of you into the passageway under the tracks to platforms 2-8 (under the blue 2-8 sign in this photo).  Or take the steps/escalator on your right (on the right of the photo above) up to platform 1.

The platforms.  There are just 8 platforms, this is the view from platform 1.

Tickets & information

The entrance to the SBB travel centre for tickets & reservations is located in the wide cross-passage linking the main entrance with the north-eastern entrance.  It's well-organised (it's Swiss, after all) with numbered queuing system and staff to help you go to the right counter.  The grey information desk (visible in the photo below left) is located in the passageway itself, outside the ticket office.

Tickets for the French TER regional trains to Lyon cam be bought at the SBB travel centre or from French regional self-service ticket machines located just inside the border control departure passageway towards platforms 7 & 8.  French TER tickets cannot be bought from the SBB ticket machines.

SBB travel centre & information desk are located in a cross-passage connecting main and eastern entrances.		Ticket machines all over the station sell Swiss train tickets.  There are also ATMs.

Which platform?

Geneva station is quite compact, with just 8 platforms, numbered 1 to 8 starting on the city centre (main entrance) side of the station.  The tracks run on a viaduct well above street level, so access to platforms is from beneath, up an escalator or lift, or via steps or a slope.  The main indicator boards inside both main entrances, show which platform your train goes from, and this info is repeated on TV screens on each platform.

Platforms 7 & 8 for France

Arriving from France on a TGV from Paris or TER from Lyon, you normally arrive on platform 7 or 8.  You walk down the slope (shown below right) then through a long narrow arrivals passageway, finally emerging at the door shown in the photo below left, in the passageway under all the tracks.  You turn right, down the escalator or short flight of steps & out of the north-eastern exit.

Departing for France by TGV to Paris or TER to Lyon, your train will normally leave from platform 7 or 8.  To reach platforms 7 & 8, follow the signs towards the platforms.  At the far end of the passageway under all the tracks, you'll see the door to platforms 7 & 8 on your left, as shown in the photo below left.  Go through this door and along the narrow border control passageway, at the far end you emerge from that passageway and go up the gentle slope onto platforms 7 & 8.

In the arrivals and departures border control passageways you'll see idle X-ray machines, empty offices and passport kiosks.  France and Switzerland are in the Schengen free travel area, so normally there are no border formalities at all, you just walk through these passageways unmolested.  However, they reserve the right to do spot checks if they feel like it.

Note that the Leman Express regional trains don't use platforms 7 & 8, they go from one of the other platforms.

Update November 2024:  Geneva is undergoing some major trackwork in November 2024, some platforms will be renumbered.  7 & 8 will be renumbered 6 & 7.

Platforms 7 & 8 for France.  Above left, the entrance to the border control passageway to platforms 7 & 8.  The door to the right with the no entry signs is the exit form the arrivals passageway.  Above right, after emerging from the border control passageway you go up this slope onto platforms 7 & 8.

Luggage lockers

There is a staffed left luggage facility and left luggage lockers, located near the north-eastern entrance hall.  See the left luggage lockers page for opening hours and prices.

Somewhere to eat, drink or stock up

The west wing of the station (into either main entrance, turn left and walk) contains various retail & food outlets including Burger King and Prêt a Manger and several cafes.

For a beer, La Petite Reine is a cosy bar across the road from the far side of the station in the Place de Montbrillant.  You'll soon spot it, it has a penny farthing bicycle on the exterior wall.  Check opening hours at cafelapetitereine.ch.  You leave the station by the back exit into the Place de Montbrillant.

There is a decent-sized Migros minimarket immediately inside the north-eastern entrance, good for stocking up for a journey although Migros doesn't sell alcohol.  There is also a small COOP just south-east of the main hall, which does sell beer & wine.

Hotels

Hotels with good reviews near the station (ideal for overnight stays between trains) include the Hotel Cornavin Geneve, Hotel Les Arcades & ibis Styles Geneva Gare.

For a longer stay there are many hotels close to the lake and city centre, starting with the grand dame of them all, the historic top-end Hotel d'Angleterre, 13 minutes walk from the station, on the road facing the lake.

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