CGN’s Navimobilité passenger ferries provide transportation between Lac Léman towns in France and Switzerland. Ferries go from Lausanne to Evian and Thonon-les-Bains and from Nyon to Yvoire and Chens-sur-Léman.
Passenger ferries operate year round to provide public transportation services between Swiss cities on the northern shores of Lake Geneva and French cities on the southern shores. Ferry boats, currently operating under the name Navimobilité, connect Lausanne with Evian (N1) and Thonon-les-Bains (N2) and Nyon with Yvoire (N3) and Chens-sur-Léman (N4). These ferries are an integral part of the Lac Léman public transportation network but are also of use to leisure travelers, especially during the off season when regular CGN Lake Geneva pleasure boats cruise only on weekends. Most ferry boats transport bicycles (not on the Navibus) but no car ferries operate on Lake Geneva.
CGN operate three main seasonal timetables for Lake Geneva ferries and cruise boats – winter (mid-October to mid-April), summer (mid-June to mid-September) and shoulder seasons (spring from mid-April to mid-June; autumn from mid-September to mid-October). Always double check the daily CGN schedule – being stuck on the wrong side of Lake Geneva can be very expensive.
- On national holidays, the Sunday schedule is used, which often means no sailings on some routes.
Ferry boat tickets can be bought from ticket windows at the boat landings or directly on the boat – the prices are the same. Payment is possible in Swiss franc or Euro; most credit cards are accepted. See also Savings Tickets for CGN Boats for special deals that allow for cheaper tickets when cruising on Lake Geneva.
CGN and Navimobilité boats stop at Lausanne-Ouchy – from here, it is a five-minute metro (M2) ride to Lausanne train station and city center. In Nyon, it is a 10-minute uphill walk from the boat landing to the train station.
Passenger Ferry Boats from Lausanne to Évian-les-Bains
Navimobilité line N1 connects Lausanne-Ouchy in Switzerland with Évian-les-Bains in France in around 35 minutes (20 minutes on the Navibus services). With up to 28 crossings per day, this is the busiest passenger ferry route on Lake Geneva.
Passenger ferries on route N1 operate year round. The earliest departures from Monday to Saturday are just before 5 am from Lausanne and 5:40 am from Evian. The first sailings on Sundays are usually around 9:30 from Lausanne and 10 am from Evian. The last regular boats of the day are usually 8 pm from Lausanne and 8:45 from Evian. On weekdays, Navibus services operate until 10:30 pm from Lausanne and 11 pm from Evian – these late boats are also operational on Saturday and Sunday during high summer.
On Sundays, the first boats from Lausanne are at 9 am (7:40 in summer) and at 10 am (8:20 in summer) from Evian. The last boats on Sundays are usually at 6:40 pm from Lausanne and 7:20 pm from Evian. During summer, Navibus services are available also on Sunday.
Second class (first class) fares on the Lausanne to Evian ferries are around CHF20 (CHF30) one way and CHF33 (CHF46) return.
Passenger Ferry Boats from Lausanne to Thonon-les-Bains
Navimobilité line N2 connects Lausanne-Ouchy in Switzerland with Thonon-les-Bains in France in around 27 minutes. This route is almost exclusively served by the Navibus service, which does not carry bicycles and often require a surcharge of CHF5 on standard tickets.
Line N2 generally operates only on weekdays – in summer, a few boats may be available on weekends but often as part of regular CGN Lake Geneva pleasure boat cruises, which will stop en route with significantly longer sailing times.
Line N2 operates year round from Monday to Friday. The first (last) boat of the day sails from Lausanne at 5:30 am (8:30 pm) and at 6 am (9 pm) from Thonon-les-Bains.
Second class (first class) fares on the Lausanne to Thonon ferries are around CHF32 (CHF45) one way and CHF55 (CHF76) return.
Passenger Ferry Boats from Nyon to Yvoire
Passenger ferry line N3 is a tourist favorite – it links the lovely Swiss town Nyon with the French medieval town Yvoire, a very popular day-trip destination from Geneva and Lausanne. Crossing Lake Geneva here takes only around 20 minutes. Double check schedules – other public transportation options from Yvoire are fairly limited and complicated.
The winter schedule on route N3 is limited to three crossing in each direction on weekdays and none on weekends. Boats depart from Nyon at 10 am, 11:25 am, and 2 pm and from Yvoire at 10:30 am, 11:50 am and 3:20 pm.
During the shoulder season, up to 12 lake crossings are possible on this route on weekends and around six on weekdays. During summer, frequent boats are available between Nyon and Yvoire from around 10 am to 10 pm. In summer, many boats also call at Nernier, a small French fishing village that is a pleasant stroll from Yvoire.
Second class (first class) fares on the Nyon to Yvoire ferries are around CHF14 (CHF20) one way and CHF24 (CHF33) return.
Passenger Ferry Boats from Nyon to Chens-sur-Léman
Passenger ferry line N4 connects Nyon with Chens-sur-Léman in France. These ferries are mostly used by commuters and generally operate only on weekdays.
Year round, nine boat crossings are available in each direction on weekdays. Boats depart from Nyon from around 6 am to 8 pm with boats returning from Chens half an hour later. The crossing time is around 20 minutes. During summer only, boats are also crossing on this route on weekend afternoons.
Second class (first class) fares on the Nyon to Chens-sur-Léman ferries are around CHF13 (CHF18) one way and CHF22 (CHF31) return.
Mouette Ferry Boats in Geneva City
Mouettes are small ferry boats used in Geneva city on four routes to cross from the right to left bank of the lake and Rhone River. These yellow Mouettes boats operated by Unireso require a simple public transportation ticket and offer a pleasant way to cross the lake without having to endure long detours when using buses or trams. The Mouettes operate year round.
- See also Pleasure Boats and Ferries on Lake Geneva for an overview of boating options on Lac Léman.
Can I take a folding wheelchair on the boats from Yvoire to Nyon?
It should not be a problem at. You probably won’t even need to fold it. However, note that the incline from the port area to the center of Yvoire is quite steep.