Geneva

Due as much to its location as its international status, Geneva serves as a transportation hub for most of French speaking Switzerland and for access to the Swiss Alps from points west.

By car

The motorway network brings you right into Geneva, only 40km from Annecy and 80km from Chamonix with customs at Bardonnex - Saint-Julien. You need the compulsory motorway sticker single annual 40CHF fee to come through this customs office. Purchase of the motorway tax sticker aka Vignette at one of the customs is obligatory in order to drive on Swiss motorways.

To avoid the purchase of a vignette, you can enter Geneva through other crossing points at Bardonnex or Mouillesulaz, for example. If, however, you decide later to drive on the motorway, you will need to purchase a vignette — you can generally purchase the vignette at Petrol Stations, Post Offices or at Tourist Offices.

By ship

Regular boat service is provided, mainly in paddle steamers built between 1904 and 1927, from ports all around Lake Geneva by Compagnie Générale de Navigation (http://www.cgn.ch). All boats arrive at the Paquis port after docking briefly at Parc des Eaux Vives and the Jardin Anglais.

Private boat tours and transfers from Geneva to any port on the lake by Léman Transfers (http://www.lemantransfers...). Groups of up to six passengers can be privately chauffeured around the lake.

By train

The Swiss Federal Railway Called "CFF" in Geneva and the rest of French-speaking Switzerland serves Geneva's Gare de Cornavin also called Gare Cornavin or simply Cornavin with trains to Zürich, St. Gallen, Basel and Bern every hour. Regional trains heading to Nyon and Lausanne leave every 15 minutes.

The Gares des Eaux-Vives is another railway station and it is situated on the southeastern side of the lake. It has French train services with the SNCF to and from Evian, Chamonix and Annecy.

International trains leaving from Cornavin include the SNCF French National Railway high-speed TGV service — there is a direct service from Geneva to Paris with a journey time of three hours as well as a direct service to Nice with a journey time of six hours. Geneva is also the starting point for the night train service to Barcelona, a journey time of nine and a half hours. Many Italian cities are connected to Geneva, notably the "Cisalpino" service, connecting Geneva to Milan and Venice. There is also a night train service to Florence and Rome Termini Station.

For more information:

Swiss Federal Railway

website (http://www.rail.ch/), telephone 0900-300-300 from within Switzerland or +41-900-300-300 from outside. Provides a useful online travel planner, which includes information about local bus and tram services, as well as rail services and can plan your journey from any address to Geneva.

Unless otherwise announced, most trains arriving in the Gare de Cornavin will usually have the Geneva Airport as their final destination if they come from elsewhere in Switzerland, which means you don't have to use the TPG Geneva Public Transport Company tram or bus to get there.

While not anything special in architectural terms, Gare Cornavin is, nevertheless, exceptionally well designed, and a key part of Geneva's public transport network. City tram and bus routes converge at a terminal located directly outside the front doors of the station, making transition from train to public transit extremely easy. If you're staying in a hotel, hostel or campground, don't buy more than a single ticket. Geneva provides free transit passes to any tourist staying in one of these types of accommodation. The station also features a basement-level shopping concourse, along with an underground passage which connects to the south side of the busy main street, permitting new arrivals to avoid crossing busy roads. The passage also connects to a lovely, open-air pedestrianized shopping street, leading down to the lake.

By plane

Geneva airport is served by almost all European carriers as well as a few daily trans-Atlantic flights. These include flights from Montréal's Trudeau International YUL on Air Canada AC, Washington's Dulles IAD and Newark International EWR on United UA, and New York's Kennedy JFK on Swiss LX. Otherwise, when flying from North and South America you will have to change planes. Most passengers travelling in from the Asia-Pacific region and Africa will need to change planes as well.

Within the last few years, Geneva itself has become a hub for the low-cost carrier Easy Jet (http://www.easyjet.com) serving a number of destinations in Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Edinburgh, London, Madrid, Manchester and Paris.

The airport itself has an UBS bank with ATMs and exchange machines in the arrival area. There is an American Express office just beyond passport control in the departure lounge. There are several cafes and duty free shopping as well, open 8AM-11PM.

To get into town from the airport, taxis cost approximately 30CHF. The number 10 bus leaves every 15 minutes from 06:00 to 23:00. Get off at the 22-Cantons stop for train station. Bus 5 also goes to the central railway station but along a different route passing by close to the UN building and stopping at Rue Lausanne. Both buses then continue to the southern side of the city. All trains leaving Geneva airport train station stop at the main train/bus station. Train/bus tickets are around 3CHF valid for one hour and can be purchased at machines at the bus stop and in the station. A free transport ticket to the city of Geneva can be obtained from the Geneva Transport kiosk in the airport arrival terminal. This ticket is valid for 80 minutes anywhere in Geneva and suburbs with this ticket you can go as far as CERN or Anieres or Veyrier, but make sure to get it before you leave the baggage claim area. There is a change machine next to the UBS ATM and at the bus stop.

By bus

Geneva is served by a number of regular international bus routes Bus station: tel. +41(022 732 02 30). Additionally, the TPG Geneva Public Transport provide regular services from the neighboring French towns of Saint-Julien, Archamps, Thoiry, Ferney-Voltaire, Moillesulaz tel. +41(022 308 34 34). See the website (http://www.tpg.ch/Interne...) for bus timetables.