Train ride from Geneva to Airport for early flight
We have an early 7:10AM flight from Geneva. Is it feasible to get from town to the airport on the train to make this flight without sweating the departure time? If so what hotels would you recommend (3 to 4 star)are really close to the train station? Or should we just stay at an airport hotel? Are there any airport hotels that you have used?
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The train ride takes 6 minutes. You could take the 5:42 train for instance. (Look here for the schedules.)
At the airport I have stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. But I remember that their shuttle did not start early enough for my early morning flight. (I should probably have stayed in central Genève.)
The first trains from from Geneva main line to the airport are at 5:15, 5:42, 6:07, 6:18. The trip takes about 6 minutes. Normally getting to the airport 1 hour before should be enough, so I would confirm the 5:42 would be fine. If you don't have any bags, and can check-in on line, you could probably get away with the next one.
The nearest and probably cheapest hotel to the airport is the Ibis which is really within walking distance, just across a bridge over the motorway.
If you don't mind the soulless, featureless décor, it really is handy for GVA. You can leave the hotel 10 minutes before you want to be at check-in, and not worry about delays or missing trains.
When I am in Geneva I stay at the Manotel Royal which is a short walk from the train station.
The rooms are decent, the bathrooms very nice and there is free wifi for guests in the rooms and common areas. The restaurant does a decent steak tartare and they give you a voucher for either a free dessert or a free starter when you check-in. You also get a free 24 hours transit pass.
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned taking the bus. There are several lines that head out to the airport (the 5 and the 10 are the most helpful from downtown), and there are busses from as early as 5 AM. Both take a little longer than the train, but generally run a little more often (although perhaps not that early in the morning....).
Most days, 45 minutes ahead of time is early enough to catch a flight, but beware weekend mornings during ski season!
