#1: Yes. But to avoid a large drop off fee, you should plan on returning it to the Geneva Airport French Side, or one of the French towns in the area, such as Annecy.

#2: Europcar is a good bet. But if you can use AutoEurope or Kemwel, you can compare prices on several different rental agencies. Both are brokers, under the same ownership, and are very reliable.

#3: it depends on what you want to see and do. The total distance is not that great, but there is a lot to see. Almost all of the Alsace villages are pretty small (excepting Strasbourg and Colmar), so you can see several of them in a short time. But if you wanted to see Strasbourg, Colmar, Geneva and Annecy, for example, each would take a lot of time. If you want to visit some of the cities, I would suggest seeing either Colmar or Strasbourg but not both; then skip Geneva. Annecy is great, but you'd need to spend some time there. Yvoire, on the other hand, can be a short visit.

Hi Robert,

Thanks alot for your valuable info :)

1: Yes. But to avoid a large drop off fee, you should plan on returning it to the Geneva Airport French Side, or one of the French towns in the area, such as Annecy.

==> May I ask, how far it is from Annecy to Geneva? To discover the Geneva lake area, we will need to choose somewhere to overnite (1-2 nites). Should we avoid Geneva for its higher accommodation cost though we want to visit its old quarter? FYI, we will need to take train from Geneva to Zurich to fly back Vietnam. If the distance between GVA and Annecy is not too far, Annecy will be a better choice.

2: Europcar is a good bet. But if you can use AutoEurope or Kemwel, you can compare prices on several different rental agencies. Both are brokers, under the same ownership, and are very reliable.

==> Could you advise whether the GPS included?

3: it depends on what you want to see and do. The total distance is not that great, but there is a lot to see. Almost all of the Alsace villages are pretty small (excepting Strasbourg and Colmar), so you can see several of them in a short time. But if you wanted to see Strasbourg, Colmar, Geneva and Annecy, for example, each would take a lot of time. If you want to visit some of the cities, I would suggest seeing either Colmar or Strasbourg but not both; then skip Geneva. Annecy is great, but you'd need to spend some time there. Yvoire, on the other hand, can be a short visit.

==> For the bigger cities (Strasbourg, Colmar and Geneva), we want to visit only the old districts, not the whole area. Do you think we have enough time?
We are planning to spend 5-7 days in Alsace (Strasbourg, Colmar and small villages in Alsace), then driving through Fr. Comte to get to Geneva Lake area. We have another 2 days 1 nite to explore before train to Zurich.

If we only see Geneva's old district, can it be made in 1 morning, then we head to Yvoire? Heard that Yvoire is a very pretty flower town by the lake

Btw, could you please suggest what and where to see in Annecy? FYI, we are not Museum Lovers :))

Thanks a bunch :)

GPS is a probably a matter of luck. Some cars in the same category have it, some don't. I reserved a car in Chamonix - "economy size." They offered me a choice of 2 vehicles, one had built-in GPS so I grabbed it. It was invaluable.

Chi,
Here's some answers:
(1) Geneva to Annecy is less than an hour by car; but there's also pretty frequent bus service, which goes to near the center and also the airport. I would suggest avoiding Geneva, but then again, I really disliked it the one time we stayed there, so I'm not unbiased. I don't know where the old part is; maybe we were even staying in it. If so, I didn't think much of it. But the lake area is nice.

(2) I think GPS is usually available as an option, but I'm not sure, since I've never considered getting it.

(3) The problem with seeing the cities, even if only the center, is the time spent driving into the city and looking for parking. I wouldn't even attempt that in Geneva, and my one experience driving in Strasbourg was horrible (it was a busy weekend, though). Colmar is much more modest in size. One option is spend one night in Strasbourg and one night in Colmar, then the other 3 nights at one place in between and take day trips. Or, you cam spend all 5 nights at a centrally located village and take day trips. We've done that, including taking public transportation into Colmar to spend half a day.
As to the last part, I would skip Geneva and go right to Yvoire. I've spent a night in Yvoire, and it's beautiful (if touristy). Geneva is huge, and you already know how I feel about it. As to Annecy, here is what I just posted to someone who asked about what to see Annecy:
"The "old town" center. The lake (one can't miss that), including a walk part way around it. An outdoor market in the center if there is one the days you're there. If you want the link to my travel blog, which has several entries for Annecy, send me a message; the forum rules don't allow posting such links (I've had mine removed before)."
Good luck, and feel free to ask for any more advice.

You certainly don't need a car in Colmar, and although I was able to park mine at a Park and Ride near a tram stop in Strasbourg driving in Strasbourg was unpleasant.

You may like a car to explore the neighbouring towns and villages you mention.

I spent all my time in Geneva going to other places because I didn't care for any of Geneva at all.

I found the lake shore in Annecy quite nice but didn't spend too long there.

For Alsace, I chose to stay in Eguishem, very close to Colmar but cheaper, quieter, and easy to drive in and out of. No car needed in Strasbourg.