Public Buses

One seat from GVA to Nations or Pâquis for about CHF 3

Public buses at Geneva Airport run from the stop marked “Genève-Aéroport” outside T1 arrivals, with lines 5, 10, 23, 28 and 57 using the airport bus station. Expect around 25–30 minutes to downtown on Bus 10 in rush hour, and closer to 15–18 minutes off‑peak. The standard unireso zone 10 ticket is ≈CHF 3–4, the same fare bracket as the train into Genève-Cornavin.

Buses leave roughly every 15–30 minutes depending on line and time of day, with lines 23, 28 and 57 noticeably thinner on Sunday evenings according to locals. This setup works well if you’re sleeping near Nations, Pâquis backstreets or Meyrin and want a direct ride instead of a train plus tram transfer. Lines 5 and 10 are the ones that head toward Genève-Cornavin and the city centre; 28 serves the international organisations area.

The main gotcha: several lines at the airport bus station do not go central, and first‑timers often just jump on the first bus and end up touring the suburbs. From GVA, line 10 via “Rive” and line 5 via “Thônex-Vallard” both hit the city, while 23, 28 and 57 push more into residential zones. Expect real‑world journey times to stretch to 25–30 minutes on Bus 10 if you land around 17:00 and hit Route de Ferney traffic.

Tickets sit at the standard zone 10 price band, roughly CHF 3–4 from airport to town, with TPG machines right by the bus stands. Buses can get jam‑packed when a wide‑body flight dumps a few hundred people at once, so validating immediately at the first machine you see (near each door) saves you fumbling around luggage piles. Onboard announcements mix French with partial English, and stop names like “Gare Cornavin” versus “Gare Routière” or “Nations” versus “Nations-Place” confuse visitors.

Step-by-step from arrivals in T1

• 1. Exit customs in T1, walk straight 100–150 m to the signed “Bus / TPG” area just outside arrivals.
• 2. Check the overhead screens for lines 5, 10, 23, 28 or 57 and confirm your destination stop name (for city centre, look for a 5 or 10 showing “Cornavin” or “Rive”).
• 3. Buy a unireso zone 10 ticket (≈CHF 3–4) from the TPG machine at the stop, or use a contactless card where readers are fitted.
• 4. Board as soon as doors open; in heavy crowds, locals often use the rear doors on line 10 to avoid bottlenecks.
• 5. Validate your ticket immediately at the orange validator by the door, before luggage blocks your path.
• 6. Watch the screen for your stop; some commuters hop off one stop before the final downtown stop and walk 5–10 minutes to dodge end‑of‑line traffic.
• 7. At your stop, step off, then double‑check walking directions—Google Maps sometimes hides a 5–10 minute walk that makes the bus slower than the train+tram combo.

Tip: before you land, note exactly which line serves your area (5/10 for Cornavin centre, 28 for international organisations, 57 for right‑bank suburbs) and ignore all other buses on the airport display board.