Related Content
Content
London to Genève / Geneva by train
How to take a thrilling high speed rail journey from London to Geneve
There are currently two options for making the journey by high speed trains from London to Geneve/Geneva
1: travelling via Paris is the cheaper option and it can be faster too, but you will need to make the transfer across the French capital between the Gare Du Nord, which is where the Eurostar will arrive, and the Gare De Lyon, the departure station of the Lyria trains which link the French capital to Switzerland.
2: Or if you make the connection in Lille, you can make the transfer within Lille Europe station, but will then have to make a second connection in Lyon.
Share
Routes
Option 1: travelling via Paris
Journey Summary
6hr 30 min - 8hr 5min approx
Daily
Travel Information
The Eurostar will arrive in Paris at the Gare Du Nord, but the Lyria train on to Geneve will depart from the Gare De Lyon.
This guide explains how to make the transfer between the two stations by RER train.
The London to Geneve tickets do not include the transfer across Paris.
When making a booking, check the connection time between the arrival at Gare Du Nord and the departure from Gare De Lyon.
The variation in the end-to-end journey time is due to the discrepancies between the timings of the Eurostar arrivals and Lyria departures.
Current timetable:
Mon - Fri = 6 x connections per day
Saturday = 4 x connections
Sunday = 5 x connections
Changing trains in: Paris
Tickets
Book Early And Save: Yes
Online bookings open: 4 months ahead
The very cheapest tickets tend to sell out particularly quickly on this route - they're more likely to be available if you can travel on a Tuesday - Thursday, or are happy to set off from London early in the morning.
The price below is for a one way fare - if you're booking a return ticket, it's likely you will be offered a cheaper price in each direction.
On Trainline the main station in Geneve/Geneva is named 'Genéve-Cornavin'.
Eurostar does not sell tickets for this journey.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | from €79 | |
| Omio | from €79 |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour longer.
At St Pancras International:
Eurostar requests that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins BEFORE departure, though this increased to 45mins on weekends and holidays.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure.
Our guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with SIX distinct phases and highlights:
1: For most of the first 8 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to exit London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
2: Then from the right of the train, there are views of the River Thames marshes and of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge.
3: The third tunnel that the train will pass through is the tunnel under the River Thames.
4: Shortly after Ebbsfleet International station (can only be seen from the right of the train) is the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway.
5: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
6: There is little of note to be seen from the high speed lines in France.
Please support ShowMeTheJourney
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please go here to say thank you.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Note that these trains depart from the Gare De Lyon in Paris.
Final Destination: Geneve or Lausanne
All trains also call at: Bellegarde connect for Evian-les-Bains
This is a journey of two distinct contrasts
1: The first two thirds of the journey is on a high speed line
2. The train will inevitably slow down when it leaves the high speed line, but the journey the becomes a lot more scenic once the train has passed through Bourg-en-Bresse.
Though the views are pleasant rather than amazing; this isn't a route to single out because you want to take a scenic rail journey.
If your reserved seat is on the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel) and you're on the upper deck , there are views of the river valley to be enjoyed, once the train has departed Bellegarde.
Option 2: travelling via Lille and Lyon
Journey Summary
7hr 30min
Daily
Travel Information
If you want to make a London to Geneva train journey and avoid travelling via Paris then an option is to make comparatively straightforward connections between trains in both Lille and Lyon
The positive of taking this combination of trains is the avoidance of having to make the transfer across Paris from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon.
The transfer times between trains will be 35 mins in Lille and 38 mins in Lyon, which will typically allow the connections to be relatively uncomplicated - if the trains are on schedule you won't be rushing through an unfamiliar station against the clock, and neither will you be hanging around awaiting departure.
Though the potential negative is that those transfer times won't allow much contingency in the unlikely event of delayed trains.
Completing the end-to-end journey in a single day is dependent on making that 35 min connection in Lille.
If need be there will be later trains on from Lyon to Geneve and tickets will be valid on any of these departures, because reservations aren't required on TER trains.
1 x connection per day
Depart London at 11:04
Tickets
Book Early And Save: Yes
Online bookings open: 90 days ahead
This journey tends to be (much) more expensive than travelling via Paris.
Eurostar ticket terms summary
If you book Standard or Standard Premier tickets, you can exchange them if need be, to an alternative departure on your booked route; but if you want to transfer your ticket to a new departure less than 7 days before your travel date, you will need to pay an admin fee of £30 for Standard Class tickets, £40 for Standard Premier tickets PLUS the price difference with the new ticket you will be booking.
What's new, in response to the pandemic, is that these £30/40 charges aren't applied if you want to transfer to an alternative departure more than seven days before your travel date.
Business Premier tickets are less restrictive, in response to the pandemic they can now be refunded and they can be exchanged to alternative departures without paying the admin fee, or the price difference.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Trainline | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
As a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis Eurostar will be operating a particularly limited timetable for the time being - further information is available on Eurostar.com
Final Destination: Bruxelles-Mid or Amsterdam
Some trains also call at: Ebbsfleet International (07:04 on Mon-Fri; 09:12 and 13:15 daily) or Ashford International (07:28 on Mon-Sat and 18:28 on Sunday) these station calls have been suspended until further notice
Note that London is in a different time zone to mainland Europe, it is one hour behind - so when looking at a timetable the journey will look as though it's an hour longer.
Virtually all of the departures between London and Lille will be by the e320trains.
At St Pancras
Eurostar REQUESTS that holders of Standard Class And Standard Premier tickets check-in a minimum of 30mins before departure, and 45mins before departure on weekends and holidays.
If you have a Business Premier ticket, Eurostar recommends that you only have to check-in 10 mins before departure.
Our guide to taking a Eurostar from London is here.
The trains only call at Ebbsfleet or Ashford International stations to pick up passengers, so these station calls are not included on the departure boards at St Pancras International or announced on the train.
It's not a scenic journey, but it is a journey with six distinct phases and highlights:
1: For most of the first 8 mins of the journey the trains use tunnels to exit London (Stratford International station is located between the tunnels).
2: Then from the right of the train, there are views of the River Thames marshes and of the Queen Elizabeth II road bridge.
3: The third tunnel that the train will pass through is the tunnel under the River Thames.
4: Shortly after Ebbsfleet International station (can only be seen from the right of the train) is the scenic highlight of the journey - the crossing of the River Medway.
5: The train will slow down as it approaches The Channel Tunnel.
Announcements are no longer made that the train is about to enter the tunnel.
The journey through the tunnel will take around 22 mins.
6: There is little of note to be seen from the high speed line in France.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Marseille
Train 3
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Geneve
Between Ambérieu and Culoz the train will travel through a rocky valley in the foothills of the Alps, then between Culoz and the border with Switzerland, there are occasional views of the River Rhone on the right.
This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.
