Car rental at Geneva Airport - Visiting Switzerland in Style

Located right on the Swiss-French border just 4 kilometres from the city centre, Geneva Airport (GVA) is the second-largest air transportation facility in Switzerland after Zurich Airport. Besides a wide range of on-site facilities and amenities, it comprises two large passenger terminals, a dedicated business terminal and 4 kilometre-long runway. The most convenient way to get to and from the airport is by train, which takes around 7-8 minutes with a frequency of up to 7 departures every hour. Geneva Airport is one of the most upmarket airports in Europe with the highest standards of passenger service anywhere in the world. Among many other things, it's possible to purchase the most exclusive products whilst waiting for your flight, such as fine teas, exquisite sweets, high-fashion clothes products and stylish Swiss-style souvenirs like luxury watches and other fashionable items.

There are multiple reasons to visit Geneva, whether for business or leisure. The city is a major world centre of diplomacy and is home to a large number of international organisations, including the Red Cross, World Health Organisation, World Trade Organisation and the League of Nations, plus the banking sector also plays an important role in the local economy. Geneva is also a very beautiful city, attracting thousands of tourists every year who flock to the Old Town for a meal in its narrow, cobbled lanes and the excellent Musée d'Art et d'Histoire to see the many artifacts from pre-history to the modern age. And nobody leaves Geneva without a selfie in front of the iconic Jet d'Eau, one of the world's largest fountains that pumps around 500 litres a second some 150 metres up in the air, making it the city's most loveable landmark. After all the city sightseeing is done, there's nothing better than a relaxing drive around Lake Geneva (or cross-country to Bern or Zurich) with close friends and family members with your car rental from Geneva Airport, one of the best road-trips in the whole of Europe.

For over seventy years Auto Europe has been offering high quality and very competitively priced car rental services at more than 28,000 convenient pick-up and drop-off points in 190 popular destinations worldwide. We are able to meet your highest expectations thanks to the close co-operation we have developed over the years with all the to local and international vehicle rental companies, meaning that we are in a position to be able to offer you the widest possible choice of car categories, minivans and motorhome available. All you need to do is make a very quick search in our high-tech search engine to be able to use our car hire comparison tool in order to book your car hire at Geneva Airport at the best price in just a few clicks.

Airport Information

Located close to Geneva city centre, Geneva International Airport (also known as Geneva-Cointrin Airport) has the distinction of having both a Swiss and a French section. It first opened its doors in 1920 but has since undergone a number of expansion and modernisation projects making it one of the most modern and stylish air transportation facilities in Europe. Operating with a single runway, the airport currently handles around 20 million passenger movements each year and that figure is gradually rising due to the popularity of Geneva as a tourist destination, thus making it the country's second-largest airport after Zurich Airport. Some sixty major airlines run services at the airport offering around 120 destinations worldwide, the majority of which are on the European continent. The airport is the main hub for easyJet's Switzerland portfolio while Air France, Swiss International Air Lines and Transavia also offer flights to a number of French cities such as Paris and Marseille.

Geneva Airport (GVA)
Address: Route de l'Aéroport 21, 1218 Grand-Saconnex, Switzerland
Telephone: +41 848 19 20 20
Airlines operating at Geneva Airport: The list of the most important airlines operating at Geneva Airport currently includes Aegean Airlines, Aer Lingus, Air Albania, Air Algérie, Air Arabia, airBaltic, Air Canada, Air China, Air Dolomiti, Air France, Air Mauritius, Air Mountain, AJet, Austrian Airlines, Azerbaijan Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, easyJet, Egyptair, El Al, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Eurowings, Finnair, Gulf Air, Iberia, Icelandair, ITA Airways, Jet2.com, KLM, Kuwait Airways, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Luxair, Middle East Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Nouvelair, Pegasus Airlines, Play, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Saudia, Scandinavian Airlines, SunExpress, Swiss International Air Lines, TAP Air Portugal, Transavia, Tunisair, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines and Vueling.

Where to pick up a car rental at Geneva Airport

All the major car hire companies are present at Geneva airport, in both the Swiss and French sectors. There are several car hire check-in desks located in the Swiss arrivals hall, with a few more situated on the French side. If you hire a car in Switzerland and choose to drop it off in the French sector, or vice versa, please nte that you may be subject to cross-border charges. If you have booked a car in the French sector, you will be able to reach the French sector even if you land in the international sector. All you have to do is collect your baggage, go through check-in (following the signs to ‘Destination France’), go through customs and then proceed with your car hire booking. On departure, you can return the car to the French sector and then head for the international sector via the transit zone. It's important to be aware of the fact that rental conditions are different for the Swiss and French sectors of the airport. You can easily choose the right sector by comparing prices and conditions for your car hire at Geneva airport after making a quick search through the Auto Europe booking engine. You should also be aware that in order to transfer from the French side to the Swiss side, or vice versa, you will need to present a plane ticket dated between 1 day before and 1 day after the day of your flight. If this is not the case, you will have to take the road to return your vehicle to the hire company.

Car rental operating hours

	Avis at Geneva Airport Terminal Building, Geneva, Switzerland 1215 +41 22 929 03 30	Opening Hours: Daily 6.45am-11.30pm
	Budget at Geneva Airport Terminal Building, Geneva, Switzerland1215 +41 22 929 03 30	Opening Hours: Daily 6.45am-11.30pm
	Hertz at Geneva Airport Terminal Building Geneva, Switzerland 1215 +41 22 717 80 80	Opening Hours: Daily 7am-11.30pm
	Sixt at Geneva Airport Terminal Building Geneva, Switzerland 1215 +41 848 884 444	Opening Hours: Daily 6.30am-midnight

Terminal

Geneva Airport has two modern passenger terminals - the newer and larger Terminal 1 (T1) which caters for the majority of flights and the smaller one, Terminal 2 (T2) which is mostly used for seasonal flights. The airport also has a third terminal, the Business Aviation Terminal, which is usually referred to as Terminal 3 (T3). In Terminal 1 (the main terminal) you will find the Arrivals Hall on the ground-floor, the check-in desks on the first-floor and the security checkpoint (Gates A, B, C, D, E) on the second-floor.

Airport Facilities

With dozens of restaurants, bars, cafés, fast-food outlets and snack-bars spread across all three terminals, Geneva International Airport offers its passengers an impressive array of world-class catering facilities. For passengers looking to do a bit of shopping prior to their flight, there are numerous shops and fashion boutiques offering a wide range of products, along with florists, Duty-free shops, stores selling gadgets and other electronics, chocolates (this is Switzerland remember!), jewellers, newsagents and chemists located both in the departures and arrivals areas. It's also possible to find several ATMs and bureaux de change dotted around the airport both air- and land-side. What's more, a fast Wi-fi connection is free-of-charge in the airport and a large children's area with a playground is available for little ones waiting for their flight. The long list of other on-site facilities at Geneva Airport includes a post office, photo booth and luggage lockers as well as an excellent VIP lounge for travellers looking to relax in an upmarket environment prior to departure.

How to get to and from Geneva Airport

You'll have no trouble travelling between GVA and the city centre at any time of the day. Geneva is located at the crossroads of the European motorway network. The N1 motorway alongside Lake Geneva circles the city and also leads straight into the centre. At the French border in Bardonnex, it joins the A40 towards Lyon and Paris, or Chamonix and Italy. Picking up your car rental at Geneva Airport couldn't be easier due to its convenient location just 4 kilometres from the heart of the downtown area. You can use the city buses of the TPG network which serve the airport at a frequency of 8-15 minutes during the peak hours. If your flight leaves very early in the morning, you can use the popular TPG Aerobus service. Regular coach lines also serve the main French cities of the Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region (namely Annecy, Chambéry, Grenoble and Lyon) as well as some Swiss cities plus many of the most popular ski resorts. You only need one ticket for a journey by train, tram, bus or boat in the Franco-Vaud-Geneva region. Another advantage is that all travellers staying in approved accommodation in Geneva can benefit from a free ticket, which is valid for 80 minutes on the Unireso network.

Geneva Airport has its own train station which is directly accessible from the check-in and the arrivals areas. All trains stop at Geneva-Cornavin station (city centre) and run up to seven times per hour at peak times, with an average journey time of seven minutes. This is the quickest way to get to the city centre and once you are at Geneva-Cornavin station, you can catch a train to cities in France and Switzerland. Most hotels offer a free shuttle service outside the arrival level, but to be sure of that you must first check with your hotelier. Hiring a car at Geneva airport is certainly the most flexible way of getting around wherever and whenever you want. Geneva is the ideal starting point for excursions across the country. You should allow between 10 and 15 minutes to get to the city centre.

Parking Tips

To park your car rental at Geneva Airport, you can choose from a range of different parking areas. You can choose the right car park according to the length of time you wish to park and how far you are from the terminal. P1 has over 2,000 spaces and is the most convenient of all GVA's car parks. With around 700 spaces, P26 is another good option and one of the least expensive, while P51 offers more than 1,000 spaces and is another cheaper option for people planning to park their car rental at Geneva Airport. P20 is in the French sector and has around 200 parking spaces. Valet parking is also available at the airport. To make sure you have a space, don't hesitate to book in advance on the airport website. To park your car in Geneva ciy centre, there are three different parking zones. The parking places are divided into different zones: Blue for paid parking from Monday to Saturday from 8am-6pm; Yellow (reserved for companies and may only be used by them or their clients and guests) and White which is a paid area often numbered and located near a parking meter. There are many large car parks situated in the heart of Geneva, most notably Cornavin Square (Rue du Mont-Blanc 30) and Place of Nations (Rue de Varembé 3). A number of excellent Park and Ride (P&R) car parks are conveniently located in and around the inner city offering a more cost-effective option for visitors looking to see all of the city's main tourist sights.

Useful links

Geneva Airport