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Has anyone of you tried hailing a cab upon arrival in Geneva?
Bus or train ride to our hotel was one of the the options but since our arrival time is close to midnight, we didn’t want to navigate the streets of Geneva past midnight ( after customs and baggage claim) with our luggage in tow. Plus it’s still a walk from the Rive bus stop to the hotel itself
I tried doing an online quote thru Taxi2airport.com and the quote was for CHF 80 for family of 4, assigning us to a 7-seater minivan.–which is quite expensive. I figured that maybe we can just hail a cab, no reservations at all.
Any ideas/option, please, is greatly appreciated.
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Do not be surprised if you pay 6o or 70 CHF. Last time I used a cab in Geneva, they had a 5 chf supplement for any luggage in the trunk (boot).
How far is your hotel from the bus stop?
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
It’s about 5.7miles from the airport to Hotel Bel Esperance.
Did you have a reservation? Or were there cabs waiting outside? If it’s only daytime or early evening, we really wouldn’t mind taking public transportation.
>> I tried doing an online quote thru Taxi2airport.com and the quote was for CHF 😯 for family of 4, assigning us to a 7-seater minivan.–which is quite expensive. I figured that maybe we can just hail a cab, no reservations at all.
So, judging from an earlier thread, you are a party of four – two adults, two 17-year olds.
Will you have 4 suitcases? If so, I can understand why they assigned a 7-seater minivan. If you just grab a cab from the airport, chances are you will need two cabs, which will double your cost.
Alpenrose
Even if public transport was an option do the buses run much after midnight which is when I think they expect to depart the airport even assuming flight is on time?
Hi Dianesher-
<<“it’s about 5.7miles from the airport to Hotel Bel Esperance.
Did you have a reservation? Or were there cabs waiting outside? If it’s only daytime or early evening, we really wouldn’t mind taking public transportation.”>>
First, before you read the following, I shall tell you that a friend of mine who lives in Geneva helps on this forum, under the name “Snowman.” I shall ask him to check this thread and correct all my mistakes, as well as offer any other suggestions. He’ll k now for sure how late the airport is open, and the nature of the neighborhood near your hotel. Also, all about public transportation.
There is a cab line there at all times when the airport is functioning….almost certainly certainly around midnight. I never reserved one. The are plenty of ordinary cabs that will hold 4 people for a short ride. Luggage might be a concern.. Will you have many large bags? Are you coming from a Schengen country? That would speed your way through the entry formalities.
The concierge or reception at your hotel will know the standard average cab fares from the airport. Phone them or e-mail them. The should know how late a cab line exists at the airport, too.
The fare to the hotel will depend on traffic conditions. I typically paid 25CHF +/- to my hotel on the other bank of the lake (side nearest airport) on the Quai du Montblanc…..then the Noga Hilton, today the Hotel Kempinski. I usually had only hand luggage. As I recall, every bag in the trunk was a 5CHF supplement. Once I paid 55 CHF in the late afternoon with major traffic snarls and one bag in the trunk. There will not be traffic jams near midnight, so, with a regular cab from the cab line at the airport, plus a luggage supplement if they still have one. I’m guessing 40 CHF.
My question was about how close the hotel is to a tram or bus stop. The tram stop “Rive” is about 125 meters from the Hotel bel Esperance. That is not a dangerous part of town, to the best of my recollection.
Check this map:
map.search.ch/500607,1 17468?mode=oev&pos=501088,11 8090&z=256
The tram stop is at the Cours de Rive. Mouse on the icon to see station name and the tram and bus numbers for lines that stop there. There are a lot. I can’t get the map to allow me to draw on it, so I’m attaching a screen grab to also show the main downtown train station ( Cornavin). However, if you look at the upper left of the map, you’ll see the railroad station, and the tram stop in front of it. Mouse over it, and you’ll see tram and bus numbers, some of which match station Rive. While clicking around on the map I got schedules to pop up, but I don’t know how I did it.
However,there is another option. You could take the train or bus from the airport to Cornavin, and then a cab or a tram/bus to station Rive and walk 125 meters, or take a cab to the hotel from Cornavin. Much shorter cab ride.. The train fares should be on the order of 4 CHF. Main line trains to the rest of Switzerland stopping at Geneva Cornavin alway go to/from the airport.
Using the SBB timetable,
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
you can check train and tram/bus schedules time to Station Rive from the airport or to Cornavin from the airport. The last connection from the airport that goes all the way to Rive is a bus #6 from the airport to Cornavin with change to bus #9. Depart aeroport at 00.07, arrive 28 minutes later.
Trains/buses from airport to Cornavin run frequently till 1bout 1 AM, with one more at 01:43
Screen grabs attached.
If you are really arriving at midnight, you can’t catch the 01:07 all the way through to Rive.
Even the others may be tight for getting to Cornavin.
Looking at all that, we’d better find out from Snowman whether there is a taxi line at the airport or at Cornavin after midnight. It seems that the trams/buses in Geneva shut down between midnight at 1 AM.
That might explain the high cab fare you were quoted…for a time after the trams stop running?
I’ll e-mail him to jump in.
Slowpoke
Hi Alpenrose-
<<“Will you have 4 suitcases? If so, I can understand why they assigned a 7-seater minivan. If you just grab a cab from the airport, chances are you will need two cabs, which will double your cost.”>>
In general,yes. But there are still some larger cars or minivans interspersed with the smaller cars, at least at Zürich. You are right to be concerned.
Slowpoke
>> Even if public transport was an option do the buses run much after midnight which is when I think they expect to depart the airport even assuming flight is on time?
On Diane’s day of arrival (Monday 4 June, if I’m not mistaken), the last bus connection to the stop Genève, Rive (which I think she said is near their hotel) leaves the airport at 0:07, and gets them to Rive at 0:35, with 6 minutes to change buses at Cornavin railway station.
However, I would certainly not be mucking around with buses, especially when a change is required, in an unfamiliar city at that time of night, even in Switzerland!
I’m not familiar with Cornavin station – perhaps the bus stops are easy to find and clearly marked, but I would prefer to have more than 6 minutes to find my next bus when it was the last possible connection for the night and I had never been there before.
I think a taxi is definitely the best option, but I expect they will need two taxis though, if they each have a suitcase. So it wouldn’t surprise me if the 7-seater minivan, despite its cost, was the least expensive option in the end.
Alpenrose
PS Having just refreshed the page, I see Slowpoke has already covered some of this, but I can’t be bothered re-editing!!
@Dianesher,
Hi! I’m the local guy mentioned by Slowpoke
< Has anyone of you tried hailing a cab upon arrival in Geneva? >
Yes, I have, There are cabs waiting in line just in front of the terminal building on the arrival level. If the first in line is too small for your group he will point out to another one. As long as there are arriving flights, there will be such cabs.
Slowpoke’s hint on CHF 25 to go downtown is probably outdated. My guess would be somwhere between CHF 35 and 45, plus possibly an extra for your suitcases. The tip is included, but rounding the change will be appreciated.
Snowman
@Dianesher – Welcome to Geneva!
@Slowpoke – A few more specifics on busses
Hi Diane,
Welcome to Geneva and thanks for pointing us to Bel’Esperance! I didn’t know about this hotel, it is extremely well located at the foot of the Old Town hill, yet on a quiet street just below College Calvin, “my” high school founded by the reformer, Jean Calvin, in 1559.
Whether you go fom the airport by taxi (cab, see my previous post) or by public transport will depend on how tired you are, how young or old members of your group are, and on your budget. No doubt a taxi ride will be a bit faster and more comfortable. Still, it is quite possible to travel between the airport and downtown by public transport.
1. Fare price. CHF 0.00 ! To get free tickets, pay close attention after you have picked up your luggage from the carrousel. Between the carrousel and the green (or red) channel, there is a ticket machine of the Geneva public transport system (called TPG), where arriving passengers can get free tickets that will be valid for one hour (amply sufficient), courtesy of GVA Airport. The other way round, if we are to believe a comment on your hotel on TripAdvisor, you can get free TPG tickets at the reception desk. TPG tickets are valid on most public transport facilities within Canton Geneva, i.e. TPG itself (trams, busses), the Mouettes genevoises (passenger boat lines on the lake), and the Swiss railways (CFF) between the airport and Cornavin station.
2. Closest stop to hotel Bel’Esperance. The closest TPG stop is, indeed, Rive. The walking distance from there is about 250m, first flat (rue de Rive), then slightly uphill (rue Verdaine and rue de la Vallée).
3. Itinerary. Here Slowpoke did not have the comprehensive information. He uses the CFF website which is a bit sketchy on local transport opportunities. There is one bus line connecting directly the airport and Rive, and that is bus #10. It departs e.g. at 23:39, 23:59, 00:19 (that looks like the last one). The ride to Rive lasts 24 minutes. There are public tranport opportunities later, involving changes. Check out http://www.tpg.ch. Get your ticket before boarding, as indicated on 1 above, or from the ticket vending machines near the bus stops. The way to the bus stop is clearly blazed.
There is also a train line to Geneva’s main station, Cornavin. It is located at some walking distance from the air terminal (about 10 min). Take it only if you then want to take a cab for the final stretch to your hotel, otherwise it is best to use bus #10 directly from the airport.
Here I wanted to put attachments (Google Map on walking from Rive to Bel’Espérance, and screenshot of the TPG schedule). Somehow it didn’t work…
Hi Snowman,
Perhaps the attachments were larger than 1 Mb, that won’t work. I will attach the walking route here.
Attachments:Hi Arno,
The itinerary suggested by Google Maps involves climbing stairs, which is not confortable with luggage. I recommend rue de Rive – rue Verdaine – rue de la Vallée.
Hi Snowman –
Thanks for jumping in. Local advice is the best possible.
I wrote:
<<“Check this map:
map.search.ch/Gen%C3%A 8ve,Rue-de-la-Vall%C3%A9e-1@500607,117468?pos=501088,118090&z=25 6
The tram stop is at the Cours de Rive. Mouse on the icon to see station name and the tram and bus numbers for lines that stop there. There are a lot. I can’t get the map to allow me to draw on it, so I’m attaching a screen grab to also show the main downtown train station ( Cornavin). However, if you look at the upper left of the map, you’ll see the railroad station, and the tram stop in front of it. Mouse over it, and you’ll see tram and bus numbers, some of which match station Rive. While clicking around on the map I got schedules to pop up, but I don’t know how I did it.”>>
When I re-checked that link, the map did not show transport stops, even thought it did when I posted it.
In the menu, under “Points of Interest” select “Traffic” where you can turn on icons for various transport types.
The station Rive is visible n the screen grab I provided, although it s not named.
Slowpoke
Hi Snowman –
<<“Slowpoke’s hint on CHF 25 to go downtown is probably outdated. My guess would be somwhere between CHF 35 and 45, plus possibly an extra for your suitcases. The tip is included, but rounding the change will be appreciated.”>>
Please not that I guessed at 40 CHF. ;-), although I may have understimated.
<<” so, with a regular cab from the cab line at the airport, plus a luggage supplement if they still have one. I’m guessing 40 CHF.”>>
Slowpoke
Dear Slowpoke,
Sorry about my somewhat « diagonal » reading of your posts. So we both guessed around CHF 40.
<<“Sorry about my somewhat « diagonal » reading of your posts. So we both guessed around CHF 40.”>>
No problem.
I’m happy to be close to your estimate, since I have not spent much time in Geneva ( other than to visit you) for the past 15 years.
Slowpoke
For clarity, I have attached a screen grab of the route that Snowman suggests.
Slowpoke
Attachments:
Hi Snowman –
<<“Yes, I have, There are cabs waiting in line just in front of the terminal building on the arrival level. If the first in line is too small for your group he will point out to another one. As long as there are arriving flights, there will be such cabs.”>>
Here is some information about when the last plane arrrives at Geneva Aeroport, and the details of public transportation to Geneva Cornavin main station, which is an alternate location to catch a cab
I just checked today’s arrival board at Geneva Airport.
The last flight in is at 2345.
http://www.gva.ch/en/desktopd efault.aspx/tabid-33/
Last transport to Cornavin ( from the CFF/SBB timre table is at 0052 or 0143.
I was uncertain about how to determine if there is a late night/early morning cab line at Geneva Cornavin.
So, I looked at inbound trains, which will generally come in from the Northeast…Lausanne.
Last trains inbound to Geneva main station are at 0130 or 0221. Then 0442. It seems likely that there will be a cab line through the early morning hours.
Slowpoke
PS- The SBB timetable shows a 2 CHF train/bus fare to Geneva main station. That is the half-fare rate. With no half fare card ( common for Swiss residents to have them) the fare is 4 CHF. So, the free tickets Snowman mentioned are a good deal.
Dear Slowpoke,
Thanks for the map on the pedestrian access to Bel Espérance. That’s the one I had tried to post. Of course the U on rue d’Italie is not necessary!
Slowpoke, the full fare for the Geneva transport system is CHF 3.00.
Btw, in addition to the ticket vending machine at the tram/bus stops, passengers may note that it is possible to by a ticket by sending a text message to a certian number. You are then charged via your mobile phone bill. This works only for Swiss cell phones!
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