 Poster: A snowHead
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Can anyone tell me about advantages / disadvantages of hiring a car on either side.
Last time we did it, I hired one on the French side because we were travelling to France, and it about £100 cheaper for the week.
However we got completely lost on the return to the airport and ended up paying for a road permit to enter Switzerland so we hardly made any saving in end.
Is there any advantage of hiring a Swiss car except for the road penalty if we get lost eg do they provide free snow chains etc?
Also, can anyone provide detailed and fool proof instructions for getting in/out from the French side without wandering into Switzerland - this seems to be beyond the skills of our SatNav!
Thanks in advance - we are booked into La Tania so will only need the car for France once we get going 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just spotted my typo! Meant '3V' as in three valleys, not £V, although that may have been a Freudian slip, considering the prices!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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All Hire Cars from the CH side will be equipped with snow tyres and vignette for the Swiss motorways. Can't help with the avoiding Swiss motorway thing as I've never had to do it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Rent on the Swiss side and you get snow tyres. A huge advantage if - as you hope - there's snow around.
If you rent on French side you can drive through Geneva. You only need to avoid Swiss motorways.
But Geneva can be very busy.
I'd go Swiss unless the difference is huge.
If you decide to rent on the French side the secret is to head for Ferney Voltaire on return, not follow signs to the airport. Last few times I've rented French cars, in summer, they've given out useful maps.
Be very wary of satnav in the Alps. You do better with a traditional Road atlas.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Beware - some of the cheaper consolidators (e.g. auto-europe) have started charging extra for snow chains even on the Swiss side for some rentals.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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It's just so much easier renting on the Swiss side for getting to the right bit of motorway in or out. Unless the price difference is huge, have a stress free time and go via the Swiss bit.
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Looks like I'll play safe and go for Swiss, Thank you.
Yes I completely agree about the sat nav issue, I usually set it for Albertville and then navigate from there, we have been caught out before!
Does anyone know if there is an extra charge with the hire companies for taking a Swiss car over the border to France? could this affect insurance?
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@Renside, nope, typically, no extra charge for driving into France. YMMV.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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And, despite some assertions, you don't always get them automatically. You must have chains. Even with snow tyres as the police can insist, especially on busy transfer days. If you practice putting them on in the warm and dry in the car park (if the weather looks threatening) you can check the size is right. It isn't always......
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Any recommendations for car hire companies on the Swiss side who include snow chains as standard?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Renside, nope, typically, no extra charge for driving into France. YMMV. |
Last week, the Hertz salesman in GVA warned me that if the car broke down in France, and I called for assisstance, I would have to pay £500 XS, unless I paid for extra insurance...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I always go to the French side. The price difference is staggering. I was looking for a small car (Corsa) next weekend - French side £47, Swiss side £97. Whenever I look the French side is 2/3 or even cheeper than the Swiss side. Avoiding the Swiss motorways (you do not have to avoid the Country) is not difficult as @pam w, says head to Ferney - Voltaire not the airport. The road to the airport is on the left just after reentering France. The filling station is on the right . On collection, the French side has a nice little bar where the rest of the party can have a drink while you collect the car and the cars are just outside the door, no need for a minibus transfer.
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Does anyone know if there is an extra charge with the hire companies for taking a Swiss car over the border to France? could this affect insurance?
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Yes it is called motorway tolls. The Swiss vignette is effectively a toll for using Swiss motorways. I am not sure if this is still the case but one unsung advantage of hiring from the Swiss side was that the French speed cameras never caught up with you. However like all things I think the data is shared nowadays.
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I'm looking at a price difference of about £60 cheaper for a people carrier on French side (5 people, ski kit to carry). So if the snow chains are included on Swiss side then it makes sense to hire there but its not clear on the website if they are ( not pricing listed on Swiss side). On the French side they want 17 euros a day for snow chains!
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You know it makes sense.
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Makes sense to go Swiss then
You could save a useful amount of time driving out to Bardonnex on the motorway rather than going through Geneva. you will save even more time and temper if having snow tyres means not having to stop to put chains on
You'll be safer too, of course.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Look for a hire car in the class "intermediate wagon". This will be something like a Mondeo Estate. Put the skis on an inflatable ski rack and there's plenty of room for 5 people plus ski gear. Much cheaper than a people wagon.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I've recently had cars from both sides of the airport and the french side is much cheaper. Thats where the next one comes from when I'm back in 3 weeks.
Its easy to avoid the swiss motorway and the chaps at Sixt gave me a handy map with directions. They also told me that at certain times, you will be unlicky to get stopped at the broder where the motorway is for the charge.
When dropping off, there is also a little french side security check so you avoid the queues in the main check in hall for security
When getting a car from the swiss side you will need to tell them that you are taking it out of switzerland and they will probably charge you extra for their recovery service.
A friend didnt tell them as he'd used the swiss side lots of times before but ended up with a couple of hundred euro bill when he had the unlucky event of two flat tyres one after the other with the second being on the auto route
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Having done both recently, don't be scared of the French side. I only did it to try it out as we had plenty of time a few weeks' ago and was expecting it to be a pain, which it wasn't. In fact, on French side no need to get a bus to the cars so arguably slightly easier.
Not really much difference in getting out to France. Coming back pretty much the same and petrol station near French sector entrance. Would be inclined to buy Vignette online beforehand as bit of a pain to stop and buy.
Downside is snow tyres.
So balance is price (but net off Vignette @ CHF40 I recall) and snow chains.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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If you're going to buy the vignette then the advantage of lower cost is partly negated. The price difference is NOT consistent either. I have rented on the French side in summer but did regret it one time, caught in huge traffic jam in Geneva.
In winter the snow tyres are a huge advantage but it's true the pick up is easier on the French side which is also far quieter. There's a handy big supermarket too.
The navigation is easy once you know how, as ever but can be very confusing without the right instructions.
You would be unlucky being caught without a vignette driving out of Switzerland at Bardonnex but very lucky to get in without one. I've done 4 return trips to the airport in the last 3 weeks and there was 100% scrutiny each time, going into Switzerland.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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What about the timing of the booking for the best price? I will be hiring a car at Xmas, does anyone have an idea if the prices will go up or down between now and Xmas? 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Coco wrote: |
| What about the timing of the booking for the best price? I will be hiring a car at Xmas, does anyone have an idea if the prices will go up or down between now and Xmas? |
You might find there are no cars left if you leave it to the last minute to book a car for xmas.
Prices will depend on how busy they are. Likely to be very busy xmas week.
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@Coco, I can't imagine prices coming down. I'd book as soon as you can.
Cars have the advantage of being able to be moved around to suit demand.
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Unless you book a fully paid, non-refundable rate you can always book something now and keep an eye open for prices falling. I often do this with my weekly car hire at STN. I had 4 x 3 days booked at c.£82 per hire for October. When checking other dates I noticed that new bookings for the dates I'd previously booked were now at £43 for 3 days. Ever the canny Scot I made 4 new bookings and then cancelled all my £82 bookings.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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we don't have a vignette on the car, I just use the saint Julien en genevois boarder crossing to go into Geneva and the main one leaving. never had any problems....
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@eddiethebus, you mean the Perly Gates 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@eddiethebus, @altis, I find St Christopher just as useful as St Julien
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Is the vignette always included in the price on the Swiss side ???
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@altis, roflmao
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You know it makes sense.
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@wasley, The vignette should already be on all their cars on the Swiss side.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@wasley, t should already be on all their cars on the Swiss side.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yes, always included, @wasley,
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We had a hire car from the airport a few years ago and the vignette was out of date so we bought a new one at the border and it was refunded at the desk when we returned the car.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Thanks for the replys....The price is pretty much the same for my 4 days in April ,Swiss or French .So makes sense to go the swiss side and save any hassle
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The route between Croix de Rozon and the Perly Autoroute junction means you can bypass busy Geneva and just use a little bit of the Autoroute, avoiding Bardonnex, and I would have thought you would have to be very unlucky to be caught on (no guarantees of course!).
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FAQ
