Parking in Geneva

Parking in Geneva is easiest in one of many underground garages (which is also the most expensive option). White zone parking on the ground offers tipically max 90 minute parking for CHF 2.80 per hour. Blue zones offers parking for up to 89 minutes for free - but sometimes trying to find a free spot in Geneva's city center is like hoping to win a lottery.

Parking garages, usually underground, are located all over the city. This option is convenient, easy and safe. Turnoff might be high pricing.
P+R Parking: Parking garages located at the periphery of Geneva with close public transport option. Popular way of getting to work by many locals living out of Geneva (annual ticket costs about 1100 CHF), but also available for tourists, who can park their car for a usual hourly rate of CHF 1 per hour or CHF 10 per day and continue to the town by bus or tram. For CHF 12 per day you get combined parking and 1 day public transport ticket, making it a great deal.

TIP: When arriving by plane, go to the Airport's Information desk and collect a free paper brouchure with the map of all P+R parkings and parking garages.

Parking Zones: Geneva offers free parking in a white parking zone without a ticket machine and hour of free parking in a blue zone.
Free parking lots: Newly built parking lot at Cern Globe offers huge amount of free parking places, free for the whole day, with tram/bus stop Meyrin, CERN (18, Y) adjanced.
Night parking: from 7pm until 7am the parking at blue and white zones is free for unlimited time. Parking is also free on Sundays and bank holidays.

Parking Zones

White zone - Unless stated otherwise, white zone is paid parking where parking sign states maximum parking time (usually 90 min). In this case, you need to buy a ticket at the ticket machine nearby (coins or credit card) or by mobile via PayByPhone app, costing usually CHF 2,80 per hour.
Ticket machine will require either your car's registration number, or the number of the box where You are parking (written on the street). Ticket machine accepts credit cards or coins and gives no change back. The length of Your parking ticket will be calculated based on the sum of coins you put in. For example, if parking fee is CHF 2,8 per hour and you put in CHF 3.50, you will be given 60*3.5/2.8 = 75 minute parking ticket. Ticket must be visibly placed under the windshield.
Parking in white zone is most often limited, usually to 1,5 hours.
Some white zones outside of city act as blue zones and are free of charge for given time limit (usually 3 to 4 hours), properly set paper clock is required here (works the same as a blue zone - set the time to next half hour mark).

Mobile app - Download parking app 'PayByPhone Parking' to pay for parking via mobile: AppStore | GooglePlay. Application will let you fill in your credit card details, car plate registration number and will make paying for parking very easy, as well as help you remember position of your car, remaining parking time or renew your parking. Code for city of Geneva is 1200.

Blue zone - Residents park here for free (see bellow), others can park at blue zone free of charge for limited time. Requires blue parking disc. Set the time on the disk clock to the nearest fortcoming half hour mark and You have 60 minutes of parking after this settet time. For example if You arrive at 9:23, You set the clock for 9:30 and You can park until 10:30.
Between lunch break - 11:30 - 13:30 You need to set the disk for next half hour and You are permitted to park until 14:30.
Between 17:31-19:00 You can set the disk for next half hour and park until 8am at the morning.
Between 19:00-8:00 You don't need to set and display the paper clock, if You leave by 8am.
Parking disc (Paper clock) to be bought at any gas station, police stations, shops selling car accessories or tourist office.
Sunday: From Saturday 7pm until Monday 8am parking at the blue zone is free.

Macaron

Locals can purchase a year badge called macaron to allow them to park in blue zone in their area of work/residence without any limits, for 200CHF/year. For this reason, most of the blue zone signs shows parking disc with a note: Excepté Macaron X, meaning everybody has to set up and display paper clock, except for those owning macaron for given area (X).

Yellow zone - Usually yellow zones are for suppliers and customers of adjacend business/shop, thus parking here for others is not allowed. During it's opening hours you can only stop here to load/unload cargo and passangers; after working hours parking sometimes allowed. See the descriptive sign.

Red zone - free parking up to 15 hours, You need red parking disc, which is available at the tourist office, police stations and banks).

Parking rules: All wheels of vehicle must be within the parking lines (or on them).

Fine for unlawful parking, for parking at a white zone without ticket or at blue zone without parking disc or after the deadline (code 200.a): CHF 40.
Fine for parking outside of designated zone: CHF 60.

Fine is issued in the form of cheque, which can be paid in any post office.

P+R Parking

> For locals

P+R parking spot is for comuteers living out of Geneva and working in Geneva, if he/she has not good transport option to get to job available.
In addition to this, if his/her home and work place are more than 2km from the parking lot, he/she is also entitled for Unireso ticket.
Such parking place with public transport ticket cost about CHF 110 per month or CHF 1200 per year.
For more information and application formular, visit la Foundation des parking organisation.

> For tourists

Some P+R parking spots are available without any special requierements, i.e. for tourists or visitors for one or more days. Those are:
usual hourly rate of CHF 1 per hour or CHF 10 per day and continue to the town by bus or tram. For CHF 12 per day you get combined parking and 1 day public transport ticket

Parking lots & parking garages

There are dozens of car parks distributed across the city. They are open non stop with a free parking place at 99.9% of times - in that case green sign LIBRE displays number of free parking spots. Underground garages are much more secure than open air parking. Price starts at CHF2 per hour during working hours, half of that after 7pm and on the weekends.
Most notable parking garages are:
> Train Station Gare Cornavin offering over 900 spaces in it's Cornavin parking lot.
> Airport parking provides over 5000 parking spaces for parking up to 2 months for reasonable prices.

Map of Parking in Geneva:

Parking Garages, P+R parking and Parking lots, as well as aditional information about available places and prices for each specific parking location are on the new site: www.geneve-parking.ch

Free parking:

• Blue zones - In blue zones You can park for free for up to 89 minutes (officialy 60 minutes). In car You should have a paper clock, where You note the parking starting time and leave it at visible place at the front car window.
  From Sat 6pm until Monday 9am parking at the blue zone is free.
  
• Supermarkets - In Shopping Moles such as Balexert, Manor, Coop or Migros You have a parking lots with one hour, or 40 minutes of parking for free. Parking for any longer than usual shopping time often gets extremely expensive, though. You might need to show your shopping recipe when leaving the parking lot.
  
• After 7 pm - White and Blue zones (majority of open air parking) are free after 7 pm to park on. Underground garage parking price halves.
• Hotels - Many hotels in Geneva offer free parking in their own parking lots, as a part of accommodation package.

Wallet parking:

• White zones - Parking on white zones is charged for any duration of parking. There are ticket machines located in a proximity. You have to leave your parking ticket in a car on a visible place.
• Parking lots - There are many parking lots distributed all around the city, mostly underground. Watch for a traffic signs to lead you into the parking lot. They usually have a light board displaying the number of parking places left.

Useful parking tips

Area around Rue du Marche, east from Boulevard Georges-Favon is mainly commercial area, thus the parking there out of work hours in weekends, bank holidays and at night, from 7pm to 7am, is easy (and free).
At residential areas, on the other hands, parking is easy during the day, when people are in job.
Parking between 12'o clock and 2pm is free in blue zone. It is also free for 1 hour, so if You arrive at 10:31am, You set Your disk for 11:00 and You can park until 2:00pm.

Macaron
Residents can buy macaron for CHF 200 per year (companies for CHF 400), allowing them (but not guaranting a free spot) unlimited parking in the blue zone in the area of their residency, or their work.