Geneva Motor Show 2012: getting there and need to know

The Geneva Motor Show, or Salon international de l'auto if you want to sound cultured, is arguably the premier motor show in all of Europe. It takes place every year at the beginning of March, and offers not just a wealth of exciting new cars and other exhibits, but is by far the easiest of the big overseas shows for UK visitors to get to.

If you've seen MSN Cars' coverage from previous years and fancy attending in person in 2012, here's a quick run down of what you need to know.

The 20 most exciting cars at Geneva 2012
Geneva Motor Show 2012: need to know

Geneva 2012: need to know

The 2012 Geneva Motor Show is open to the public from Thursday 8 March through to Sunday 18 March - although a pair of preceding press days means MSN Cars' coverage will begin in earnest on Tuesday 6 March.

The doors are open every day from 10 am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 7pm over the weekend. Belying its importance, Geneva is a usefully compact show spread over a small number of interlinked halls, so you should easily be able to view every stand in under a day.

Budget a reasonable amount for food, but in our experience Geneva isn't horrendously expensive, and this is reflected in the Auto Salon's entry costs.

Ticket prices are as follows:

Adults: 16 Swiss Francs (around £11 at current exchange rates)
Children aged 6-16 and pensioners: 9 Swiss Frans (around £6 at current exchange rates)

There is a discount available for groups of 20 adult sor more (11 Swiss Francs per person, or around £7.50), while anyone entering the show after 4pm will get their ticket at half price.

Tickets can be bought online ahead of the event or at the door on the day (we would advise you to book early to avoid disappointment).

Geneva 2012: getting there

The Geneva Motor Show is an absolute doddle to visit from the UK - so long as you haven't got an aversion to flying. The Geneva Palexpo where the Auto Salon takes places is literally right next to the airport.

It's only a short walk to get between the two, which means you can genuinely go in and out of the event in a day from the UK. There are flights from numerous British airports, and if you book early enough they can prove pleasantly affordable.

If you do want to stay for more than a day - if you decide to drive out, for example (best to plan for this to take around about a day in itself) - there are plenty of hotels and even hostels in the area. Again you'll want to book sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment, as the entire car industry will also be coming to town.

The Motor Show itself has various entry and accommodation packages available, however, with prices starting at a not unreasonable 126 Swiss Francs (that's around £87), while even cheaper options may be found just a short hop over the boarder in France.

Guide to Geneva accommodation

Beware that taxi prices during show time can be a little on the strong side, not helped by significant amounts of additional show-related road traffic. Various public transport options are documented on the 2012 Geneva website.