Getting to Chamonix from Geneva airport has never been easier!
Tourists will be able to use a new train line (Léman Express), which will connect Geneva to Saint Gervais-Les-Bains-Le Fayet. From there, The Mont Blanc Express will get you to Chamonix.
The Léman Express project should be completed until 15th December 2019.
Léman Express - Easier to get from Geneva to Chamonix by train
From Geneva airport, you will have to get to Cornavin. The trip from Geneva airport to Geneva Cornavin should take 6 minutes by train (RegioExpress) or around 20 minutes by bus. Trains circulate every 12 to 20 minutes, from 4:43 am to the last one at 0:07 (More details: www.geneva.info).
From there, you will take the Léman Express to Saint-Gervais - Le Fayet. The trip will take around 1h 45m. Trains circulate every hour, with two trains per hour at peak times. The Léman Express will take you through many alpine picturesque resorts on the way to Saint-Gervais - Le Fayet, such as Cluses, Sallanches, Combloux and Megève.
You can check the schedule of the Léman Express from Geneva to Saint-Gervais here. For all the destinations of the new Léman Express, go here.
From St. Gervais - Le Fayet, you should take the already famous Mont-Blanc Express. The Mont-Blanc Express will take you to key resorts & attractions between Saint-Gervais and Chamonix, such as the Aiguille du Midi, Les Bossons, Les Houches and Servoz. The schedule of the Mont-Blanc Express can be found here.
Léman Express Passes & Prices
Léman Express tickets & passes will go on sale in mid-November 2019 and will be available for online purchase from the Swiss (SBB) and French (SNCF) railway companies.
Ticket machines will be available at all Léman Express stations. You can also renew your Léman Pass at these machines.
Your Léman Pass will be added directly to your existing travel card – your OùRA! card for France or your SwissPass card for Switzerland.
With your Léman Pass, you can travel by train, bus, coach, tram or shuttle boat anywhere in the Léman Express region, including between France and Switzerland. One pass is all you need.
Leman Express tickets & passes will on sale mid-November 2019. photo source @transportrail.canalblog.com
Léman Express Additional info
-
Pets are allowed on Léman Express trains, but you must make sure they do not bother other passengers. You must have a ticket for your pet when travelling between France and Switzerland on a Léman Express train (except for service/assistance dogs for the disabled and small pets).
-
You can carry hand-luggage with you on Léman Express trains. Hand luggage is considered to be luggage that is easy to carry, that contains personal items and that is no bigger than 1.20 x 0.80 x 1.00 m. Skis and snowboards, luges and skibobs are also considered to be hand luggage.
-
Children under the age of six travel free of charge on journeys within Switzerland and between France and Switzerland. Children under the age of four travel free of charge on journeys within France.
-
Disabled passengers must purchase tickets or passes to travel on Léman Express trains. However, guide dogs and individuals accompanying disabled passengers may travel free of charge; disabled passengers just need to show their disability card to the ticket inspector.
-
Bicycles are allowed on Léman Express trains, but for the convenience of other passengers, we advise against travelling with them during peak times. Instead, you could leave your bike at one of the bicycle station or park that offer direct access to the trains.
More information on lemanexpress.ch.
For questions related specifically to Léman Express, use the contact form on their website.
Léman Express - An ambitious project to unite two countries
Since there are over one million people who live on both sides of the France-Switzerland border, a solution had to be found to allow everyone to have an easier and quicker commute between the two countries.
According to SNCF, 630,000 trips take place between France and Switzerland around Geneva every day. To accommodate everyone, a colossal project was born: the Léman Express.
The Léman Express is a planned commuter rail network for the transborder agglomeration of Grand Genève (Greater Geneva) in west Switzerland and the Frech Alps (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes).
"Your trips around Geneva will soon gain in comfort and ease", promises SNCF. Indeed, the new trains will be state-of-the-art and will contain air conditioning, power sockets at each seat, first-class seats available and accessibility for disabled passengers.
The new Léman Express is scheduled to open on December 15th, 2019. This new transport offer must connect 45 stations on 230 km of lines and accommodate 50,000 passengers every day on the 240 trains, as follows:
- Line 1 will circulate from Coppet to Evian-les-Bains, via Geneva Cornavin and Annemasse.
- Line 2 will circulate from Coppet to Annecy, via Geneva Cornavin, Annemasse and La-Roche-sur-Foron.
- Line 3 will circulate from Coppet to St.-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet, via Geneva Cornavin, Annemasse, la-Roche-sur-Foron, Sallanches, Combloux and Megève.
- Line 4 will circulate from Coppet to Annemasse.
- Line 5 will circulate from Geneva Cornavin to La Plaine.
- Line 6 will circulate from Geneva Cornavin to Bellegarde (Ain).
See the map of the new Léman Express, which includes all the lines and all the stations here.
The new Léman Express railway network will easily and quickly connect France to Switzerland. photo source @wikipedia.org
