CGN
CGN is a privately held Swiss lake navigation operator founded in 1873, running scheduled passenger services and tourism cruises across 38+ landing stages on Lake Geneva using a Belle Époque paddle steamer and modern diesel fleet, serving tourists, commuters, and private charter clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1873
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CGN does
CGN (Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le Léman) is a privately held Swiss corporation founded in 1873 and headquartered in Lausanne, operating scheduled passenger navigation services across Lake Geneva (Lac Léman). The company serves 38+ landing stages spanning Swiss and French shores (including Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey, Evian-les-Bains, Thonon-les-Bains, Yvoire, and others), functioning as both a public transport utility and a tourism operator. Its customer base is primarily leisure and tourist travelers, supplemented by local commuters, group bookings (10+ passengers), and private charter clients.
CGN's core technology centers on a mixed fleet that includes what the company describes as the world's most prestigious Belle Époque paddle steamer fleet — historic steam-powered vessels requiring specialized engine and paddle wheel maintenance — alongside modern diesel-powered boats. The company operates an in-house shipyard with seven specialized workshops (Zodiac inflatable maintenance, woodworking/joinery, metal construction, steam engine mechanics, painting/refinishing, electrical systems, and diesel mechanics), and holds the sole Swiss license for Survitec Zodiac liferaft servicing. Ticket distribution flows through direct guichets at each landing stage, the cgn.ch e-commerce platform, and integration with the SwissPass/Swiss public transport ecosystem (GA, Half-Fare Card, NOVA platform managed by SBB/CFF).
Revenue is generated through a mix of transactional ticket sales (single, round-trip, loop cruises), subscription products (Abonnement Horizon, Abonnements de parcours, Junior Card at CHF 30/year), premium experiential cruises (gourmand dining, Belle Époque heritage experiences, Vignerons wine events, Riviera Tour), private charters and group bookings (CGN Exclusive), and gift cards (Bons Cadeaux). CGN participates in the Swiss national public transport tariff system and accepts Reka Checks and major card payments via Datatrans. The company carries no external funding, has no disclosed M&A activity, and is led by managing director Andreas Bergmann with Vincent Pellissier as legal representative.
CGN firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CGN
- Legal name
- CGN SA
- Website
- https://cgn.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1873
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- CGN is a privately held Swiss lake navigation operator founded in 1873, running scheduled passenger services and tourism cruises across 38+ landing stages on Lake Geneva using a Belle Époque paddle steamer and modern diesel fleet, serving tourists, commuters, and private charter clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CGN industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Passenger Ferry & Lake Transportation
- NAICS
- Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation (483114), Water Transportation (483)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400)
- akta.pro primary industry
- International Cross-Border Ferry Services (THAEAGAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cross-Border & International Passenger Ferries (THAIAJAI), Leisure Passenger Shipping Charters (Ferry/Excursion Vessels) (THAEAGAH)
Keywords
Where CGN is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
CGN business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Passenger Ticket Sales: Single tickets, round-trip tickets, and tour tickets (without disembarking) for lake crossings and scenic cruises between 38 landing stages across Lake Geneva (Lac Léman) in Switzerland and France.
- Specialty Cruises: Themed cruise experiences including Gourmand cruises (culinary), Vignerons events, Riviera Tour, and private/charter cruises for groups and events.
- Subscriptions and Season Passes: Abonnement (season passes) for frequent travelers, including the Abonnement Horizon product. The General Subscription (GA) from SBB is valid on CGN vessels.
- Gift Cards (Bons Cadeaux): CGN gift cards sold as presents for cruise experiences.
- Group Bookings: Organized group travel with 10 or more participants under specific group conditions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard individual tickets (single, round-trip, tour without disembarking) |
| Subscription | Annual | Junior Card (Carte Junior) |
| Subscription | Annual | Abonnement Horizon |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Reka Checks and Reka-Card accepted |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
CGN product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CGN operates scheduled passenger boat transportation services on Lake Geneva across more than 38 landing stages in Switzerland and France. The company combines public transit operations with leisure and heritage tourism cruises, running a fleet that includes historic Belle Époque paddle steamers alongside modern diesel vessels. CGN also offers group bookings, private charters (CGN Exclusive), themed events, shipyard tours, and lake-hiking packages.
Product overview
CGN (Compagnie Générale de Navigation sur le Léman) operates a unified public transport and tourism platform centered on lake navigation services on Lake Geneva. The core offering consists of scheduled passenger boat services connecting over 30 ports across Switzerland and France, supplemented by experiential cruise products including gourmet dining cruises, group packages, and exclusive private charters. The company manages the world's most prestigious Belle Époque steam-powered paddle boat fleet alongside modern diesel vessels. Ticketing is unified through the SwissPass system and CGN's own fare products includingAbonnement Horizon (flexible subscription pass) andAbonnements de parcours (route-specific passes), supplemented by gift cards. The architecture functions as a single integrated platform where standard scheduled services (Croisières en boucle) serve as the transport backbone, while premium experiences (Croisières gourmandes, Croisières privées) and special offerings (Les Rendez-vous des Vignerons, Riviera Tour) target leisure and tourism segments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CGN Mobilité: Mobility services offered by CGN including schedules N1-N2-N3-N4.
- Croisières Belle Époque
Products and services
- Croisières en boucle (Loop Cruises)
- Croisières gourmandes (Gourmet Cruises)
- Croisières pour les groupes (Group Cruises)
- Croisières privées – CGN Exclusive
- Abonnement Horizon (Horizon Subscription)
- Abonnements de parcours (Route Subscriptions)
- Cartes cadeaux CGN (Gift Cards)
- Randonnées autour du lac (Lake Hiking Packages)
- Visite du chantier naval (Shipyard Tour)
- Riviera Tour Seasonal themed cruise event along the Riviera coast of Lake Geneva for tourists and locals.
Companies that use CGN
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CGN technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature4 records
CGN partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Alliance SwissPass / Service directcoreCGN participates in the Service direct national (SDN) ecosystem comprising 240+ public transport companies and communities. Data is shared within this ecosystem through the NOVA platform managed by SBB/CFF for revenue distribution, ticket validation, and customer service.
- SBB/CFF (Swiss Federal Railways)coreSBB/CFF manages the NOVA central database platform for Swiss public transport and provides revenue distribution services for the Service direct. CGN landing stages are connected to SBB train stations.
- SwissPasscoreSwissPass is the common support medium for subscriptions (GA, Half-Fare) accepted on CGN vessels. SwissPass Mobile provides digital ticket functionality.
- SwissTainableminorCGN participates in the SwissTainable sustainability initiative for Swiss tourism, co-branded on the website footer.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CGN competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- DFDS: Large European ferry and logistics operator with cross-border passenger services. Comparable in cross-border passenger ferry operations and subscription/ticket integration, though at significantly greater scale.
- Stena Line: Major European ferry operator running cross-border passenger and freight services. Comparable to CGN in cross-border ferry operations and integrated ticketing, though at a much larger scale and with a freight focus.
- Vaporetto / ACTV Venice: Operates urban waterborne public transport in Venice. Shares CGN's integration with public transport tariff systems and scheduled passenger service model, though in an urban rather than leisure-lake context.
Others
- Swiss Federal Railways (SBB/CFF): National rail operator and partner via SwissPass and NOVA platform. Relevant as a strategic distribution partner and as the orchestrator of the integrated Swiss public transport ecosystem in which CGN operates.
Direct peers
- BLS Schifffahrt: Operates passenger ferry services on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz in Switzerland. Directly comparable as a Swiss lake passenger ferry operator with similar scheduled service, integrated ticketing, and leisure cruise offerings.
- Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe (BSB): Operates scheduled ferries and excursion cruises on Lake Constance, spanning Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Highly comparable to CGN as a cross-border European lake passenger and leisure shipping operator.
- Lake Constance Shipping (Vorarlberg Lines): Operates passenger ferry services on Lake Constance from the Austrian side. Comparable to CGN as a regional lake ferry operator offering scheduled transport combined with leisure/excursion cruises.
- Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG): Operates scheduled passenger ferries and mini-cruises on Lake Zurich under the ZVV tariff system. Closely matches CGN's combination of public transport and leisure cruising in a Swiss lake context.
Emerging players
- Compagnie du Ponant: Premium small-ship cruise operator offering high-end themed voyages. Comparable to CGN's Croisières gourmandes and Belle Époque experience products targeting experiential luxury travelers.
Regional players
- Navigazione Laghi Maggiore: Operates scheduled ferries and leisure cruises on Lake Maggiore and other Italian lakes. Comparable European lake passenger and cruise operator with similar heritage vessel and event-based leisure offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks3 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CGN social profiles
Digital presenceCGN compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
CGN financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CGN leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
CGN funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CGN M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CGN
What does CGN do?
CGN operates scheduled passenger boat transportation services on Lake Geneva across more than 38 landing stages in Switzerland and France. The company combines public transit operations with leisure and heritage tourism cruises, running a fleet that includes historic Belle Époque paddle steamers alongside modern diesel vessels. CGN also offers group bookings, private charters (CGN Exclusive), themed events, shipyard tours, and lake-hiking packages.
Is CGN a public or private company?
CGN is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was CGN founded?
CGN was founded in 1873. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is CGN based?
CGN is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does CGN make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Passenger Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are specialty Cruises, subscriptions and Season Passes, gift Cards (Bons Cadeaux) and group Bookings.
Who are CGN's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are DFDS, Stena Line and Vaporetto / ACTV Venice. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB/CFF) is listed as an others. Direct peers are BLS Schifffahrt, Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe (BSB), Lake Constance Shipping (Vorarlberg Lines) and Zürichsee-Schifffahrtsgesellschaft (ZSG). Compagnie du Ponant is listed as an emerging player. Navigazione Laghi Maggiore is listed as a regional player.
Does CGN have an API?
No public API is recorded for CGN.
What industry is CGN in?
CGN's product category is Passenger Ferry & Lake Transportation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAEAGAL, International Cross-Border Ferry Services, with a secondary code of THAIAJAI, Cross-Border & International Passenger Ferries. Its NAICS code is 483114 and its SIC code is 4400.