Anyone have advice on renting a car in Geneva to travel to Chamonix and Annecy,
We are flying from London, and the fares into Geneva are less than Lyon, but the hassle of rental car seems daunting, I am confused on the ease of getting to the French side of the airport. Is there anything else to keep in mind when renting a car in Switzerland and taking it into France. Many Thanks for your help.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11872 posts
kemwel.com and autoeurope.com, show "French" side or "Swiss" side of airport for a pick up location.
No personal experience, but it looks reasonably straightforward to "pick a side"
Posted by
Chicago
645 posts
At GVA, upon arrival of your flight, you can cross into France within
the airport directly, and access the French rental car desks.
If you rent on the French side of GVA, the costs may be cheaper, but when
you return the car, you can only return to the Swiss (main) side of the airport
through the airport if you have a flight that day or the day after (the immigration
officers can demand proof). The alternative is a long-winded bus ride or an
expensive taxi ride (it's not walkable; look at the map).
If you rent a car in one country and drive it into another, you need to make
sure it is equipped with things like toll vignettes for the second country. Since
many people arrive in Geneva and drive into the French Alps, this should be
straightforward. If you rent the car on the French side of GVA and want to
drive into the French Alps, it's not easy to do without going on Swiss highways,
for which you need the aforementioned vignette.
For less hassles, renting on the Swiss side is probably best.