The City of Geneva
Geneva City Facts
Geneva Airport
Geneva Airport (GVA), formerly and still unofficially known as Cointrin Airport, is the international airport of Geneva. It is located 4 km (2.5 mi) from the city centre. 15 million passengers arrived in a year for the first time in December 2014 and serves as a hub for Swiss International Air Lines and easyJet Switzerland. Geneva features a route network of flights mainly to European metropolitan and leisure destinations as well as some long-haul routes to North America, China and the Middle East, amongst them Swiss International Air Lines' only long-haul service (to New York City) outside of Zürich.
Transportation from the Airport to the Congress Venue
The distance between Geneva Airport and Hotel Intercontinental is 3,7km
Passport & VISA Requirements
In principle, everyone needs a valid travel document. Switzerland may allow EU/EFTA citizens with expired travel documents to cross the border. Travel documents of third-country nationals for a short stay not exceeding 90 days in any period of 180 days, however, must:
In some cases, you may also need to obtain a visa. To find out if you need to obtain a visa and if there are any requirements for your travel documents, see below:
For information on entry into Switzerland, recognized travel documents and visa requirements by country you can click here
Calling code - Emergency Numbers
The international access code for Switzerland is +41. The outgoing code is 00, followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom).
Today, Switzerland's second largest city is home to around twenty international organisations. The permanent missions of over 160 States represent their governments in the city's international conferences and organisations. Geneva is a centre focused on the international economy. Whether private corporate or business, finance, in its widest sense, undeniably plays a major economic role in Geneva, which is a base for around a hundred foreign banks.
A dynamic, international city like Geneva devotes a large part of its budget to cultural affairs. Supporting creativity in the arts and facilitating public access to culture in all its forms are the principal policy objectives of the Department of Culture and Sport.
Geneva is also one of the greenest cities in Europe: 20% of the country is covered in green areas. It is often called the «city of parks». These green areas, in fact, contribute greatly to the quality of life of its inhabitants.
Geneva City Facts
- Population: 198,979 habitants
- City area: 15.92 km2
- Currency: Swiss Franc (CHF)
- Time zone: GMT +1 (GMT +2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October)
- Language: German, French. English is understood
- Telephone codes: 41 is the international code used to dial to Switzerland. 22 is the local area or city code used to dial to Geneva.
- Electricity: The electrical current in Switzerland is 230V, 50Hz. Swiss sockets are recessed, three-holed, hexagonally shaped and incompatible with many plugs from abroad. They usually, however, take the standard European two-pronged plug. If you own US devices all you’ll need for Europe are plug adapters
- Climate: Average temperatures in November vary from 2oC (35oF) to 8oC (46oF).
Geneva Airport
Geneva Airport (GVA), formerly and still unofficially known as Cointrin Airport, is the international airport of Geneva. It is located 4 km (2.5 mi) from the city centre. 15 million passengers arrived in a year for the first time in December 2014 and serves as a hub for Swiss International Air Lines and easyJet Switzerland. Geneva features a route network of flights mainly to European metropolitan and leisure destinations as well as some long-haul routes to North America, China and the Middle East, amongst them Swiss International Air Lines' only long-haul service (to New York City) outside of Zürich.
Transportation from the Airport to the Congress Venue
The distance between Geneva Airport and Hotel Intercontinental is 3,7km
- Bus: Lines 5. Tpg operates a bus from Geneva Airport (GVA) to InterContinental Geneva every 15 minutes. Tickets cost 2€ - 3€ and the journey takes 10 min. Information can be found on the TPG public transport homepage
- Free public transport with accommodation in Geneva
At the airport: Visitors can retrieve an 80-minutes ticket in the airport baggage hall for a free bus or train ride to Geneva.
At hotels: In Geneva, when you stay in a hotel, you can receive a "Geneva Transport Card" free of charge. With this card, public transport in Geneva is free for the full duration of your stay.
This personal and non-transferable card will be given to you when you arrive at your accommodation. It permits unlimited travel on Geneva's public transport network (UNIRESO: bus (TPG), train (CFF) and boat (Mouettes Genevoises) for the full duration of your stay. - Taxi : The journey takes about 5 minutes and the cost ranges between €17,00 and €21,00.
Passport & VISA Requirements
In principle, everyone needs a valid travel document. Switzerland may allow EU/EFTA citizens with expired travel documents to cross the border. Travel documents of third-country nationals for a short stay not exceeding 90 days in any period of 180 days, however, must:
- be valid for at least three months after the planned departure from Switzerland and
- have been issued within the previous ten years.
In some cases, you may also need to obtain a visa. To find out if you need to obtain a visa and if there are any requirements for your travel documents, see below:
For information on entry into Switzerland, recognized travel documents and visa requirements by country you can click here
Calling code - Emergency Numbers
The international access code for Switzerland is +41. The outgoing code is 00, followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom).
- Police (Police, Polizei - Notruf) 117
- Fire (Feu, Feuerwehr – Notruf ) 118
- Ambulance (Ambulance, Sanität – Notruf ) 144
- Poison Emergency ( Empoisonnements , Vergiftungsnotfall ) 145
- Car breakdown service 140
