© FSDreamTeam
© Genève Aéroport
© Genève Aéroport
© Genève Aéroport
About Airports for Verbier
Find out more about local airports for Verbier
When deciding which airport to fly to for Verbier, in this instance we have only one main recommendation: Geneva airport.
Geneva is one of the busiest International airports giving good access to most of the nearby ski resorts and summer destinations, year round. Other airports such as Lyon, Grenoble and Chambery are all options but these other airports are fraught with transfer complications and costs which are much more easily avoided if you opt for Geneva. One workaround to transfer issues is car hire, if you're comfortable driving in inclement conditions, in winter at least.
If you're wondering why we haven't covered Turin, Milan, or any other airports, it's because they just aren't recommended for flying to Verbier... If you do end up there, you'll need to self-drive the rest of the way (and don't overlook some of the mountain-passes shown on apps/route-planners are shut in winter as they're snowed up, or will be closed due to snow!).
Geneva Airport
Geneva has a greater number of flights to/from more destinations so you should consider the best option, based on flight price, availability and transfer ease (more frequent services and pricing). It is worth noting that Geneva Airport is split in two - with French and Swiss sides. Bizarrely it can be much easier to find your way onto the French motorway from the Swiss side of the airport, so you should bear this in mind when hiring a car.
Although Geneva has 2 terminals - Charter and Main - the Charter terminal is only really used during winter and has limited facilities; there is a snack bar and restaurant but no money-changing facilities. The Main terminal is a 5 minute walk away so not worth chancing if your flight or transfer are about to depart! On your way home, once you go through passport control in Charter, you will be free to roam the tax free shopping and food outlets until your flight is called.
General Info:
- Airport Code: GVA
- Distance from Geneva city centre: 5km
- Number of terminals: 2 - Charter (Winter Only) & Main
- Accepted Currency: Swiss Francs (CHF) and Euros (€) are accepted in shops and car parks. CHF's, €'s and £'s can be used in most of the restaurants. Change is usually given in CHF's.
Travel & Transport:
- Parking: Geneva airport has 5 long-stay car parks, P1 has the most direct access to the terminal and P51 & P26 are the cheapest for staying a day or longer; the other long term car parks are P20, P31, P32 and P33. P2 is the arrivals car park and has a maximum waiting time of 1 hour but the first 10 minutes are free. There is a "Kiss & Fly" area just outside the main terminal building where you can drop off passengers and continue out of the airport. You can check prices & live availability for the various car parks on the airport website.
- Car Hire: The main car hire desks are in Arrivals on the Swiss side of the airport. If you need to get to the French car hire desks go upstairs from Arrivals to the check-in level on the French side and go through customs (near to the Air France KML desk), you will need to show your car hire contract to pass through. Further details of car hire companies can be found in our Car Hire Page.
- Key-Drop: You can leave a car key at one of 2 desks, to be collected at a later date for a fee of around CHF10. From 06:00 to 21:00 you should use desk 81 at Check-In, from 21:00 to 23:00 you should use the Swissport Desk in Arrivals. You will be given an envelope on which you write the name of who should be collecting the key, as well as details of where you parked the car. Inside the envelope you need to leave the key and the car park ticket.
- Travelling to Verbier: The most common methods of getting from Geneva Airport to Verbier are by transfer bus or hire car. Find more information in our Getting to Verbier Guide.
- Railway Station: The CFF Airport Railway Station can be accessed from Check-In and Arrivals. From here there are regular trains running to the central station of Geneve-Cornavin, from here you can connect to French and Swiss rail networks; the journey takes around 6 minutes. Find out more about train timetables & services.
- Airlines: A range of international airlines fly in and out of Geneva daily. Find a full list of Airlines that fly from Geneva and use our Flight Finder.
Services & Facilities:
- Restaurants, Bars & Takeaways: A variety of restaurants and bars, ranging from traditional Swiss cuisine, to Thai, to Italian and more as well as 8 snack bars serving hot and cold food and drinks are situated throughout Arrivals, Departures (Public and Transit Zones) and Railway. They are generally open from 05:30 to 21:00, or until the last flight for those in Transit Zone.
- Shops: The airport shops are split between Arrivals, Departures (Public Side), Departures (Transit Side) and the Railway Station. They include the usual range of duty free and gift shops as well as exclusive clothing and jewellery brands such as Hugo Boss, Cartier and Mont Blanc. They are generally open between 08:00 and 20:00 365 days a year.
- Showers: There are 3 lots of shower facilities at Geneva airport - near baggage carousel no. 6, near the Post Office in Arrivals and near the First Class Lounge in Departures. They all require a token which can paid for at the Swissport Welcome Desk, GVA Information Desk in Arrivals or in the Nursery in Departures. The token includes soap, shampoo and a towel.
- Conference Rooms: Unfortunately Geneva Airport no longer offers conference facilities. However, you can book meeting rooms at nearby hotels - Crown Plaza Geneve, Mövenpick Hotel, Ramada Park Hotel and Centre IATA.
- Internet Access: Free WiFi is available throughout the airport. There is also an internet cafe in Les Jardins de Geneva in Departures.
- Smokers: Smoking is prohibited inside the airport buildings.
- Cash & Currency: There are three American Express offices where you can exchange currency/travellers cheques: Departures (Public Zone), Departures (Transit Zone) and Arrivals. You can also exchange currency at Agences de Voyages CFF and Changeur de Monnaie, both in the railway station. There are UBS, Raiffeisen and Banque Cantonale de Geneve cashpoints throughout the airport; please be aware that these will only issue Swiss Francs, so if you are continuing on to France you would not be able to spend them outside of the airport.
- Sick Bay: The sick bay provides physical / psychological first aid for both passengers and staff. They can be contacted on +41 (0) 227 177 170.
Luggage / Animals
- Large / Unusual Luggage: Items such as bikes, skis or other large objects should be checked in as usual and then taken to desk 81 (you can buy cardboard boxes for packing bikes here for CHF 20).
- Left Luggage: There are two left luggage facilities, both in the Railway Station. The office beside the CFF/SBB counter takes luggage of all dimensions for a maximum of 1 month for a fee of around CHF10 per day per item. It is open 7 days a week from 07:30 to 20:00. The automatic lockers are in front of the CFF/SBB counter and come in 3 sizes (245mm x 420mm x 765mm / 350mm x 600mm x 770mm / 445mm x 610mm x 895mm); the maximum usage period is 3 days and they are accessible from 05:00 to 23:50.
- Lost Luggage: If you have arrived at your destination but your luggage has not fared quite so well, you should find out which handling company is used by the airline that you travelled with, you can do that here. If you need to report it to Dnata (previously known as Jet Aviation) you should email them on gvalost@dnata.ch. If you lost your luggage on the train or in any Swiss railway station you can report it missing on the CFF/SBB Website, whereas if you made it all the way to Geneva before mislaying something you can search for your lost items on the Geneva Lost & Found Website!
- Animals: Animals weighing less than 5kg and carried in a bag (à la Paris Hilton's chihuahua) can be brought into the cabin, providing you have prior authorisation from the airline. Any animals weighing over 5kg must transported in the hold, in a secure cage that can be bought from the airline. This must be arranged in advance of the flight and will be charged at the same rate as excess baggage. Any questions regarding vaccinations and quarantine should be directed to the Service Vétérinaire Frontière.
Geneva airport lies at the western end of lake Geneva (Lac Leman), just 15 minutes drive from the city centre or you can take a train or local bus. Getting to France from Geneva is easy, it's well signposted as you leave the airport.
Sion Airport
Sion airport is the closest airport to Verbier, around 50 minutes by road. It used to be a military and civil airport but now it operates purely for civilian use.
General Info:
- Airport Code: SIR
- Distance from Verbier: 55km
- Distance from Sion town centre: 2km
- Number of terminals: 1 passenger terminal
- Accepted Currency: Swiss Francs (CHF)
- Information Desk: There is an Information Desk just inside the entrance to the main terminal, in between Check-In and the newsstand.
Travel & Transport:
- Parking: Sion airport has 150 short term parking spaces and 200 long term parking spaces situated just 200m from the terminal building. Parking fees are inexpensive, for example 50 centimes for up to 20 hours and 10 CHF for up to 4 days. For long term parking you must collect a sticker from Office C.
- Car Hire: There are no car hire companies based at Sion airport but there are pick-up phones for both Avis and Europcar. Hire a car here.
- Travelling to Verbier: The most common methods of getting from Sion airport to Verbier are by airport transfer, taxi or hire car.
- Taxis: There is no taxi rank outside Sion airport, but ask at Office C and they will be happy to call one for you. Find more taxis here.
- Railway Station: The Gare Centrale de Sion is the nearest train station, just 1km from the airport. You can catch a taxi from the airport and then trains run hourly to Le Chable, Verbier from 07:40 to 18:40 (times may vary, you can find out exact details on the SBB trains website. The journey takes around 1 hour 30 minutes, and you will need to change at Martigny and then get off in Le Châble, from where you can connect to the main resort by bus or cable car. .
- Flights: Sion airport is well used by private jets and helicopters for business and holidays. Find a flight here.
Services & Facilities:
- Restaurants, Bars & Takeaways: Sion airport has a restaurant that seats up to 150 people and serves a full menu, seasonal dishes and a daily special. The restaurant features a large terrace and a bar.
- Shops: All the usual items can be bought in the airport such as newspapers, magazines, sweets, cigarettes and souvenirs. Unfortunately Sion airport does not offer Duty Free at the moment but you can still buy on the aircraft.
- Conference Rooms: Certain areas of the airport restaurant can be hired for private meetings/functions.
- Internet Access: Visitors with a laptop can access the internet via a Wi-Fi connection. Access is provided by iPass.
- Smokers: Sion airport is non-smoking throughout, so if you need one last cigarette before your flight you will have to step outside the terminal building before you go through to departures.
- Cash & Currency: There are no currency changing desks or cash points at Sion airport, so ensure you have your currency before you get there.
- First Aid: There is no medical centre at Sion airport, please inform a member of staff if you require medical attention.
Luggage / Animals
- Left Luggage: Sion airport does not offer luggage storage facilities. Find out more about the types and sizes of baggage you are allowed to take with you.
- Lost Luggage: Luggage that has been lost in transit should be reported to your airline and to the baggage handlers. Property that has been misplaced within the airport should be reported to the Information Desk.
- Animals: The general policy is that small pets such as dogs, rabbits, etc can travel in the cabin providing that they are in a secure, waterproof box and that the combined weight of animal and box is no more than 7kg. All animals travelling in the cabin must be clean, in good health and well-behaved. Any animals weighing over 7kg must be transported in the hold, in a secure cage that can be bought from the airline. This must be arranged in advance of the flight and will be charged at the same rate as excess baggage. Guide dogs are allowed to travel in the cabin free of charge as long as they are muzzled and kept on a lead. All animals should have the correct vaccinations and medical records.
Sion airport is around 50 minutes drive from the centre of Verbier. Take the E62 highway as you leave the airport and turn off for Verbier in Martigny.
Directions
Geneva airport lies at the western end of lake Geneva (Lac Leman), just 15 minutes drive from the city centre or you can take a train or local bus. Getting to France from Geneva is easy, it's well signposted as you leave the airport.