Glion
Glion is about 96 km from Geneva Airport, roughly 1 hour 10 minutes by road, perched on the hillside above Montreux. Public transport means a train to Montreux followed by the rack railway up the slope, while a private transfer with AirportsTransfers.ch climbs the hairpin road straight to your door, which matters most if you are arriving with a term's worth of luggage.
- Distance from GVA: about 96 km
- Drive time: around 1 h 10
- Border crossing: none, Switzerland throughout
- Public transport: train to Montreux, then mountain railway up to Glion
- Best for a car: students moving in, heavy luggage, late flights
Why Glion is different from Montreux
Glion is a small village set on a terrace several hundred metres above Lake Geneva, with a wide view over the water to the French Alps. It is best known internationally as a centre for hospitality education, and many of the people who travel there from Geneva Airport are students, parents, faculty or visiting recruiters. It also has hotels, residences and walking paths that lead towards the Rochers-de-Naye. The village is quiet and residential; there is no large station concourse, no taxi rank waiting at every hour, and the roads up from the lakeshore are narrow and winding. That contrast with lively Montreux below, home to the famous jazz festival and the Freddie Mercury statue on the quay, is part of Glion's appeal for those who live and study there, but it also shapes how you arrive. Whatever you choose, the last part of the journey is a climb, and the question is simply whether you make it on rails or on the road.
Train and rack railway: how it works
From the station beneath the airport terminal, trains run along the lake towards Lausanne and the Riviera. You travel to Montreux, sometimes with a change at Lausanne depending on the service, and then switch to the rack railway that climbs from Montreux to Glion and on towards the Rochers-de-Naye. The scenery is superb and for a day visitor with a small bag it is an enjoyable way to arrive. The difficulty is the number of transfers: airport train, possible change, a walk across Montreux station to the mountain railway platform, then the walk from Glion's stop to your building. With two large suitcases, that sequence becomes hard work.
Arriving for a semester: luggage first
Students starting a programme often bring everything they need for months: several suitcases, a laptop bag, sometimes a bicycle box. A Mercedes V-Class van takes up to seven passengers and ten bags, so a student and family can travel together with all their belongings. The chauffeur loads at the airport and unloads at the campus or residence entrance. Parents dropping off a son or daughter usually find this the least stressful option, and a return trip for the end of term can be booked at the same time. It is worth listing every bag and any bulky item in the booking notes, so that the vehicle allocated is the right size. Visiting parents often stay a night or two on the Riviera, and the same chauffeur arrangement can take them on to their own hotel in Montreux or Vevey after the drop-off.
Timing: evening flights and early departures
Many long-haul arrivals reach Geneva in the morning, but connecting flights from Europe land throughout the evening. Mountain railway services are less frequent late at night, and a missed connection in Montreux leaves you looking for a taxi up the hill. A private transfer is planned around your flight: the chauffeur follows its progress, adjusts if it lands late, and waiting time is included. For departures, being collected at your door in Glion removes the need to carry bags down to the railway in the dark.
The fair comparison
If you are travelling alone, lightly, at a sociable hour, the train and rack railway are a pleasant and economical way to reach Glion. If you have serious luggage, travel as a family or a group of students sharing the cost per vehicle, or face an awkward flight time, a car is simpler. Groups larger than seven can use a Mercedes Sprinter minibus, for example for a faculty visit or a delegation.
How to book a car to Glion
Book online with AirportsTransfers.ch: add your flight number and the exact address in Glion, choose a Business Sedan, a V-Class van or a minibus, and confirm the fixed price shown before you pay. Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay are accepted, and invoices are available for institutions and companies. Your chauffeur waits in arrivals with a name sign and tracks the flight in case of delay. Child seats are provided on request. For anything unusual, call or WhatsApp +41 78 346 56 77, available 24/7.
