car hire from Geneva

[Toady1]

A couple of mates and I are going skiing next month for a long weekend in Morzine area. Is it cheaper and easy to hire a car for us when we et to the airpor, or is it better to do it onlone from here before we go? I've managed to find something like an astra estate or c4 for around £200 for the 4 days online, is it cheaper to do it once there though?

[PauloV12V]

TOP TOP TIP!!

Rent from the french side and ask for snow tyres in the car.. its 30% plus cheaper, you can walk to the other half of the airport in 2 mins and its basically the other side of the runway for delivery and collection.
Regs

[eightseventhree]

transfers are only €50 per person return to morzine, add on fuel and risk of dinging it if it snows if there are only 4 of you wouldn't transfers be simpler?

(i know im suggesting not driving round mountain roads, but you can rarely get over 30mph on the road from Cluses to Les Gets)

[Toady1]

Thanks that's what I was told but wanted it confirmed by others on here that have done it. We want a car for the flexibility of travelling to Morzine and Les Gets and also for the evening as we're actually staying in St Jean D'aulpes.

[eightseventhree]

fair enough! . . . i think the bus between Les Gets and Morzine stops at 10pm (free) and a taxi is about €15 / 20 in a taxi. Day time ski over!

[Toady1]

eightseventhree said:

Day time ski over!

Awesome!! Can't wait!

Paulo - are you saying to rent from the French side as you can't hire a Swiss car to drive in France? thanks

[Amateurish]

eightseventhree said:

fair enough! . . . i think the bus between Les Gets and Morzine stops at 10pm (free) and a taxi is about €15 / 20 in a taxi. Day time ski over!

Rental car makes good sense if you are staying in St Jean.

There is a bus, it's called the Balad'Aulps bus. But it doesn't run in the evenings.

[Amateurish]

Toady1 said:

Awesome!! Can't wait!

Paulo - are you saying to rent from the French side as you can't hire a Swiss car to drive in France? thanks

Not, it's just cheaper. Although IIRC cars in the French side don't come with the vignette (Swiss motorway tax) so you might get stung for that cost on your way to Morzine.

[Toady1]

Can you not navigate out of the airport without going on the motorway to avoid paying their £40 tax for about a km of road?

[Amateurish]

It's nearer 15km really.

The alternative is driving through the centr eof Geneva, then along the South shore of the lake to Thonon on the N5 and then to St Jean. But that can easily add an hour to your journey, more if it's busy in Geneva.

[LaserTam]

Me and a couple of mates are doing something very similar. Just booked our car hire and it was actually cheaper on the Swiss side and included Winter tyres, where as the couple we tried on the French side did not include them but I believe they are compulsory (maybe wrong on that) so you have to pay for them.

[jogon]

PauloV12V said:

TOP TOP TIP!!

Rent from the french side and ask for snow tyres in the car.. its 30% plus cheaper, you can walk to the other half of the airport in 2 mins and its basically the other side of the runway for delivery and collection.
Regs

I was advised the exact opposite as on the swiss side the cars have to be fitted with winter tyres and snow chains along with the Vignette already in place. On the French side you have to pay extra for winter tyres and then stop to get a Vignette as its not possible to leave Geneva airport without going through Switzerland. Works out cheaper overall.

Didn't do it ourselves as we had a private transfer but the lady who drove us, and lived in Flaine for 10 years, recommended the swiss side for car rental.

[taaffy]

We ski 2 -3 weeks a year and always hire the car on the Swiss side of Geneva airport. No pi$$ing around getting to french side of airport. Only a 2 minute walk from baggage collection to avis hire desk. All cars have winter tyres which are mandatory in the alpine regions. They also come with a blue payage badge so you do not have to pay road tolls. It is also a lot easier to return the car to the Swiss side when returning your car as to get to the french side to return your car is an absolute faff.

5 mins from car park and you are on the motorway, 60 mins later you are in Chamonix, Morzine, Les Gets, Megeve ...etc.

Edited by taaffy on Tuesday 8th January 13:56

[anonymous-user]

www.enzolocation.ch

[Toady1]

bulldong said:

www.enzolocation.ch

Cheap prices! But my French isn't good enough to read it all! Plus it's not at the airport is it??

[anonymous-user]

Toady1 said:

Cheap prices! But my French isn't good enough to read it all! Plus it's not at the airport is it??

No, not at the airport but 1 stop on the train to Geneva central (Gare Cornavin) and a short walk. Hassle but immensely cheap.

[Toady1]

I'll try translating it later! Thanks

[Cheib]

Just to reiterate what others have said....hire from the Swiss side....French side is a shocker as I once discovered when trying leave a resort where it had snowed for a week. Had to buy snow chains and nearly missed the flight. Not only do the cars not have snow tyres they don't have chains either....total nightmare.

[Zod]

PauloV12V said:

TOP TOP TIP!!

Rent from the french side and ask for snow tyres in the car.. its 30% plus cheaper, you can walk to the other half of the airport in 2 mins and its basically the other side of the runway for delivery and collection.
Regs

Supplementary top tip:

Be careful on return to the airport when following autoroute signs not to end up on the Swiss side. I did that once and had a 13km drive around Geneva to get to the French side! Nearly missed my plane.

[taaffy]

Zod said:

PauloV12V said:

TOP TOP TIP!!

Rent from the french side and ask for snow tyres in the car.. its 30% plus cheaper, you can walk to the other half of the airport in 2 mins and its basically the other side of the runway for delivery and collection.
Regs

Supplementary top tip:

Be careful on return to the airport when following autoroute signs not to end up on the Swiss side. I did that once and had a 13km drive around Geneva to get to the French side! Nearly missed my plane.

Revision to supplementary top tip revision of Top Top Tip!!

Hire from Swiss side