Geneva Transport Card — Free Public Transport Explained (2026)
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If you sleep in Geneva, you ride for free. The Geneva Transport Card is the most generous tourist-transport deal I have seen in any major European city, and most arriving visitors only find out it exists as they check out. Every overnight guest in a Geneva hotel, hostel, or registered short-term rental gets a free, unlimited public-transport pass covering all TPG trams and buses, the yellow Mouettes water taxis, the airport train, and the SBB suburban trains, for the whole length of the stay. The Geneva hotel tax funds it, so there is no separate cost, no per-trip charge, and no booking-portal upsell.
This is the full 2026 guide to the Geneva Transport Card: what it covers, what it does not, how the digital version now reaches you through the EasyCheckin email three days before arrival, how to use it without scanning anything, the edge cases (Airbnb, day-trippers, business trips), the money it saves versus paying per ride, and the small print on the cross-border tram line 17 to France. Even if you have stayed before, the issuing process changed in 2024, so it is worth a read. Pair it with the Geneva public transport guide and the airport to city center guide.
Table of Contents
01 — Geneva Transport Card at a Glance
- Cost: free for overnight guests in Geneva accommodation. It cannot be bought separately.
- Duration: the entire length of your stay (arrival date 00:00 to departure date 23:59).
- Coverage: all TPG (trams, buses, trolleybuses), the Mouettes Genevoises (yellow water taxis), and SBB suburban trains within Zone 10, including the airport train.
- Format: digital (smartphone) by default; physical card on request at check-in.
- Funded by: the Geneva canton overnight visitor tax (about CHF 3.50-4.00 per person per night, already in your room rate).
- Replaces: the old 80-minute baggage-claim Unireso ticket, withdrawn 1 January 2022.
02 — Who Is Eligible
Eligibility is broad and covers every paying overnight guest in:
- Hotels in canton Geneva, every star rating from budget guesthouses to 5-star palaces.
- Hostels registered with Geneva Tourism (Geneva Hostel, City Hostel Geneva, Hostel Geneva).
- Campsites in the canton (Camping Pointe a la Bise, Camping Vesenaz).
- Registered short-term rentals, most Airbnbs in Geneva canton with a valid touristic letting registration. The host has to be the one issuing the card, so ask before booking if you are unsure.
- Bed and breakfasts registered with the canton.
- Serviced apartments registered with Geneva Tourism.
The card is issued per person, including children. Each guest on your booking gets their own. Children under 6 already travel free on Swiss public transport, but the card simplifies inspection.
Who is not eligible:
- Day-trippers with no overnight stay in Geneva.
- Visitors staying unpaid with friends or family (no booking through registered accommodation).
- Cross-border commuters (covered by their own arrangements).
- Guests at unregistered Airbnbs, increasingly rare since Geneva tightened short-term-rental rules in 2024, but possible. Ask your host.
03 — What’s Included (and What’s Not)
Included (free for cardholders)
- All TPG trams within Zone 10: lines 12, 14, 15, 17 (new cross-border, Swiss side only), and 18.
- All TPG buses and trolleybuses within Zone 10: over 60 day lines plus the Noctambus night service.
- Mouettes Genevoises: all four lines (M1, M2, M3, M4) across Geneva harbour, including summer extensions.
- SBB suburban trains (Leman Express) within Zone 10, including the Geneva Airport to Cornavin service.
- Onward travel within Zone 10: Versoix, Bellevue, Vernier, Carouge, Chene-Bougeries, all included.
Not included
- Cross-zone travel: Leman Express trains to Coppet, Nyon, Annemasse, Saint-Gervais, Evian, or Bellegarde need a supplemental ticket.
- Long-distance SBB: Lausanne, Bern, Zurich, Basel are separate.
- CGN lake steamers: the white paddle-steamer fleet (Geneva to Lausanne, Evian, Montreux) is run by CGN and not included. The yellow Mouettes are; the CGN steamers are not.
- Long-distance buses: FlixBus, OuiBus, BlaBlaCar buses to other cities.
- The French stretch of Tram 17: the new line to Annemasse crosses into France. The Swiss section is covered; the French section needs a separate French-side ticket, bought at the border or via the TPG app.
Bonus discounts the card unlocks
The Transport Card doubles as a discount card at many partner attractions. Show it at the entrance for typical savings of 10-30% at:
- Bains des Paquis (lake baths): discounted entry to the hammam and sauna.
- Geneva chocolate factory tours (varies by operator). For the sweet stuff, see our Geneva chocolate guide.
- Selected museum exhibitions (the Patek Philippe Museum offers 20% off, for example).
- The Bateau Geneve and several CGN lake-boat tours offer a 10-20% supplemental discount.
- Selected restaurant promotions through the EasyCheckin partner programme.
04 — How to Get Your Transport Card (2026 Process)
The issuing process was modernised in 2024 with the EasyCheckin email portal. Here is the current 2026 flow:
Step 1, book accommodation
Book any registered Geneva hotel, hostel, or short-term rental. Most platforms (Booking.com, Expedia, hotel direct sites, Airbnb with registered hosts) pass the booking through to the EasyCheckin system automatically.
Step 2, receive the EasyCheckin email (up to 3 days before arrival)
Three days before check-in, your accommodation triggers an EasyCheckin email to the address on the reservation. It contains a personalised link to register your Geneva Transport Card.
Step 3, fill in the online form
Click the link, confirm your name and your check-in and check-out dates, and on a multi-guest booking add the details of each travelling companion. Each guest gets their own card.
Step 4, save the digital card to your phone
The card arrives as a digital pass you can open in any browser. For convenience, save it to your phone gallery or add it to Apple Wallet or Google Pay via the EasyCheckin link, so you do not need internet at the moment of inspection.
Step 5, use it immediately
The card is valid from 00:00 on your arrival date, so you can use it on the airport train the moment you land even before checking in, through 23:59 on your departure date.
Physical card alternative: if you prefer paper, ask at hotel check-in. Most front desks print one in about 30 seconds.
If you did not receive the email
Check spam. If it is still missing 24 hours before arrival, email the hotel directly: they can re-trigger the EasyCheckin email or issue a manual card at check-in. The system is well established, so this is rarely a problem.
05 — How to Use the Card
This is one of the easiest passes to use anywhere. You do not scan, validate, beep, or insert anything.
At the tram stop, the bus stop, the Mouette pier, or the SBB platform, just board. There are no turnstiles, validators, or entry gates. Keep your card handy (digital or physical) in case an inspector boards and asks, which tends to happen once or twice a week across a stay.
What inspectors check:
- The name on the card matches a photo ID you can show (passport, driving licence).
- The dates on the card fall within your stay (arrival to departure).
- You are travelling in Zone 10, which your card displays.
That is it. Show the card, show ID, carry on. The fine for travelling without a valid card or ticket is CHF 100 plus the ride cost, but as long as your card is current, inspections are quick and friendly.
06 — How Much the Card Actually Saves You
The Transport Card is worth a CHF 3 ticket every time you board a tram, bus, train, or Mouette, multiplied by your trips and the length of your stay. The break-even is two trips a day, which most visitors clear easily.
Sample savings for a 3-day Geneva trip (2 adults, 1 child aged 8):
| Trip | Paid per ride | With Transport Card |
|---|---|---|
| Airport to hotel (2 adults + 1 child, day 1) | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| Hotel to Old Town (lunch) | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| Old Town to Plainpalais market | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| Plainpalais to Carouge (afternoon) | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| Carouge to hotel (evening) | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| Hotel to UN (day 2) | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| UN to CERN | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| CERN to Eaux-Vives lakeside dinner | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| Eaux-Vives to hotel | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| Day 3, Mouette + 3 trips | CHF 30.00 | FREE |
| Hotel to airport (departure) | CHF 7.50 | FREE |
| 3-day total | CHF 105 | FREE |
Even modest sightseeing of two or three places a day adds up fast. A solo business traveller on two nights with airport transfers and one meeting outside the hotel saves CHF 25-35. A family of four on a week-long trip can save CHF 250-400. The Geneva trip cost breakdown folds this into a full budget.
Compared with the alternatives:
- Standard CHF 3 single tickets: pay per trip, no cap.
- CHF 10 day pass per adult: only worth it above four trips a day per person.
- CHF 30 multi-day passes: cheaper than singles, but pointless once you have the Transport Card.
07 — Airbnbs, Short Stays & Edge Cases
Staying in an Airbnb
Most Geneva-canton Airbnbs are now registered with the touristic short-term-rental scheme (mandatory since 2024). If yours is registered, the host issues your Transport Card automatically and the same EasyCheckin email arrives. Confirm before booking: message the host and ask, “Will I get a Geneva Transport Card for my stay?” If the answer is no, the place is not registered and you will buy your own tickets.
Single-night stays
Even one overnight (one night, two days) qualifies you. The card is valid from the morning you check in to the night you leave.
Day trip from Lausanne or Annecy
Not eligible, since there is no overnight in Geneva canton. Day-trippers buy a CHF 10 day pass or CHF 3 singles. The 9am day pass at CHF 8 is the cheapest legal option for sightseeing.
Business traveller in for a single day meeting
No overnight means no card. Stay even one night at a Geneva hotel and you qualify.
Staying at the Lausanne or Evian end of the Leman Express
You do not qualify for the Geneva card; check whether Vaud’s or France’s equivalent applies at your accommodation.
Staying with friends in Geneva
Not eligible, as there is no paid booking. Buy your own day pass.
08 — Transport Card vs City Pass vs Swiss Travel Pass
Three Geneva-relevant passes confuse visitors regularly. Here is the difference:
| Pass | Cost | Covers | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva Transport Card | Free (hotel guests) | Zone 10 public transport | Any overnight Geneva visitor |
| Geneva City Pass | CHF 30 / 47 / 64 (24/48/72h) | Transport + museums + tours | Serious sightseers |
| Swiss Travel Pass | CHF 244-459 | National rail & transport | Touring multiple Swiss cities |
Geneva Transport Card is public transport only, free, Zone 10. Best for any overnight Geneva visitor. Geneva City Pass is a paid sightseeing pass (CHF 30 for 24 hours, CHF 47 for 48, CHF 64 for 72) that bundles the Transport Card with discounts and free museum and lake-boat entries; best if you will hit three or more attractions. Swiss Travel Pass is a national rail and transport pass (CHF 244 for 3 days second class up to CHF 459 for 15 days first class) covering SBB long-distance, panoramic trains, discounted mountain railways, and all Swiss public transport; it only pays off if you travel beyond Geneva. Our Swiss Travel Pass guide and the Geneva Pass vs Swiss Travel Pass comparison do the math.
09 — Troubleshooting If It’s Missing
I never received the EasyCheckin email
- Check spam and promotions folders.
- Email your hotel and ask them to re-trigger it.
- At check-in, request a physical card on the spot, done in about 30 seconds.
- Worst case, buy a CHF 3 ticket from the airport machine to bridge until check-in.
My card shows the wrong dates
Contact the hotel; they can re-issue from the EasyCheckin admin panel. The usual cause is a check-in or check-out change that did not sync.
The inspector says my card is not valid
Almost always a date or zone issue. Show your hotel booking confirmation as backup. Inspectors usually wave you through; if you are fined, contest it with your booking proof and the fine is cancelled.
I lost my phone with the digital card
Re-issue from the same EasyCheckin link, which works in any browser, or ask your hotel for a physical card.
I check out at 06:00, does my card still work for the 06:30 airport train?
Yes. The card is valid until 23:59 on your departure date regardless of check-out time, and the airport train is included.
10 — FAQ: Geneva Transport Card
Is the Geneva Transport Card really free?
Yes. It is funded by the Geneva canton overnight visitor tax (already in your room rate) and issued at no separate cost to every paying overnight guest.
How do I get the Geneva Transport Card?
You get a personalised EasyCheckin email from your accommodation up to 3 days before arrival with a link. Click it, fill in your details, and the digital card lands on your phone. Physical cards are available on request at check-in.
Does the Geneva Transport Card cover the airport train?
Yes. The SBB train between Geneva Airport and Cornavin is included. Get your card before you fly if you can, so you can use it on arrival.
Does the Geneva Transport Card include the lake steamers?
It includes the yellow Mouettes across Geneva harbour. It does not include the CGN lake steamers (the white paddle-steamers to Lausanne, Evian, and Montreux).
Can I get a Transport Card if I am staying at an Airbnb?
Yes, if the Airbnb is registered with the canton touristic short-term-rental scheme. Most Geneva-canton Airbnbs are registered post-2024. Confirm with your host before booking.
Does the card cover travel to Annecy, Evian, Lausanne, or Chamonix?
No. It covers only Zone 10 within canton Geneva. Travel beyond needs a separate ticket.
11 — Official Sources & Further Reading
- Geneva Tourism, Geneva Transport Card (official site)
- TPG, Transports Publics Genevois
- Unireso, Zone & Fare Information
- EasyCheckin FAQ (Geneva Tourism PDF)
- Geneve Aeroport, Public Transport
12 — Related Geneva Guides
Keep planning with the getting to and around Geneva pillar, the Geneva public transport guide, the Geneva airport to city center guide, the Swiss Travel Pass for Geneva, and where to stay in Geneva. On a budget? See Geneva on a budget.
The Geneva Transport Card is the most under-publicised travel benefit in Switzerland. Sleep in Geneva and you ride free: every tram, bus, Mouette, and airport train, for as long as you stay. Watch for your EasyCheckin email three days before you fly, save the digital card to your phone, and stop thinking about tickets.