QuesoDeCan

I'm going to BCN and have a 10hr layouver in geneva going and an over night en route back to the usa.

As a US citizen with a passport that still is good until 2020, do i need any special stamp/visa to allow me to leave the airport in GVA on my way to BCN? I'd like to play tourist for a couple hours before the flight the same day in the evening.....

Also going home, to the east cost, the flight arrives at ~2200h and the flight, the next day is on UAL at ~0900. Again do i need special permission to leave the airport to go the hotel for over night?

Thanks and haaaalllpp!!!

MarLim

If I understand correctly, your itinerary is US-GVA-BCN-GVA-US. In this case you enter the Schengen zone in GVA, i.e. you pass immigration in GVA and not in BCN. Once pass immigration you can leave the airport without any problem. Same on the way back, your flight BCN-GVA is intra-Schengen, so no immigration to pass. If you want to go to downtown Geneva, you can take a ticket in the baggage retrieval hall for a free ride from the airport valid in conjunction with your same day boarding pass.

KLouis

As MarLim wrote, absolutely no problem. Only think about your luggage, if you check any. I you want to use anything during your 2nd going through GVA you'd have to check it to there first and not through to the US (re-check it next morning).

QuesoDeCan

@MarLim & @KLouis-

Thanks for the information! So it's a stamp and I'm good to go! I'm hoping that my luggage is check all the way through to BCN from IAD. IAD/GVA is on LX23 and GVA/BCN is LX 1946. I'll just have my 'light' camera bag with me and play tourist for a couple of hours.

What sigts do yall suggest for a 1st timer to GVA and how far are the 'sights' from the airport?

As for the return portion, I am on BCN/GVA on LX1947, arriving at 2240h and not leaving until the next day at 0920h on LX3216. Any suggestions for lodging near GVA that is super basic with at least internet and near the airport and super cheap? Or shall I explore exiting on the French side and staying there for the night?

I just hope I can exit the airport and get into town to be a tourist for a couple hrs easily and not get lost....and make it to the airport for the next flight in time.

MarLim

You can take a bus or for me the easiest take the train. It's a 5 minutes ride to Geneva main station. Then walk down to the lake, cross the bridge and you are in the old part of the city. It's quite small, so you can do everything by walking, except the UN buildings if that would be of interest to you.

As for hotels, the closest is the Ibis just opposite the terminal. For Geneva price levels, it's cheap, however GVA is in general quite expensive. Hotels on the french side are cheaper but you cannot just walk over to France. Arriving with Swiss you would have to take a taxi and that's not cheap again.

KLouis

Nothing to add to MarLim's post, but a small differentiation: Since you're killing time, I'd not take the train (95% underground) that takes between 5 and 10 minutes but the trolley bus, ~20-25 minutes. It will give you the chance to see some of the residential areas of Geneva and street life (not great, but better than pitch black) Get off at the Pont du Mont Blanc and continue as per MarLim's post.

shuigao

I'm sure the restaurant suggestions will be shot down big time by actual residents of the city, but here's what I did as a tourist for a day, if you're interested ...

http://look-see-eat.blogspot.com/201...itzerland.html

KLouis

You have the right to eat what pleases you but since I see that you had two cold meat platters, being in Switzerland I would at least have taken a "Buendner Fleisch / Viande des Grisons) along with a bottle of Fondant...