Arriving in Geneva

A snowHead

We are travelling at the beginning of March, driving down to Avoriaz. We are collecting at Geneva airport on our way through and have read a lot about vignettes and collection. Is there anywhere that you would suggest you can get a cab to from the airport and we arrange to meet our family at a different location to avoid airport hassle. Thanks

A snowHead

@Pix, Welcome to snowHeads!

I've moved this to "The Piste" where it's more likely to be seen by someone who will be able to help - "off piste" is really about off piste skiing

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

+1 to the welcome. The rest of the team could get a transfer with Alpybus - they drop at a cable car for Avoriaz or if it is a Saturday and the timings work then www.altibus.com have buses that run to the resort. Geneva by car can be a nightmare avoiding the tolls and coordinating a flight arrival with a long car journey can be difficult. I am not an Avoriaz expert (But use Geneva for Tignes) but at least this gives you a couple of ideas.

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Welcome to SHs @Pix. Do you mean you are driving but picking up others who are flying into Geneva? what exact date? Makes a difference but generally the airport will be Ok.

What driving route? You don't have to have a vignette but being able to use the Swiss motorway makes it quicker and easier.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thank you.
We are driving from st malo down to Geneva and yes collecting in Geneva on Saturday 5th march around 12pm. Thanks

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@Pix, In which case you would probably need a vignette - 40chf payable on the border or online in advance. The airport isnt too crazy and you could probably find somewhere nearby to have lunch/ a break.

Personally I would put them on a transfer (skiidy gonzales) which will cost you 40 euro per person but would save you a good amount of time and hassle coming into Geneva. Skiidy also drop off in Avoriaz not just at the lift and if your flight is late they don`t make you buy another ticket.

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If you're only picking up 2 people the suggestion of a transfer is good one as you'd save the cost of a vignette.

But assuming you have to take them back picking them up will be a fair bit cheaper. Are you stopping overnight? If it's a nice day driving over the Jura is much nicer than the motorway. Shorter, save fuel and tolls. A good road and you can drop down onto the Lausanne -Geneva motorway or into Ferney Voltaire depending which col you choose. Can buy a vignette at the border if there's anyone there, or at Ferney, just by the airport if not. Or on the internet, I believe.

The route to Geneva is signposted all along the Jura road- through Champagnole.

After all it is free

@pam w, Avoriaz - GVA via THonon is easy on the way back and doesn`t require a vignette.

Thank you, we are just picking up as they have a transfer booked for return.

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If you are careful with navigation I think you could get from Ferney to Avoriaz without getting on any motorway.

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I have been to GVA twice in the last couple of weeks via St Julien en Genvois and avoided the vignette charge, probably lucky that the crossing into Switzerland was unmanned.

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@Fogliettaz, but going thru the Perly gates doesn't mean any motorway so no vignette required.

The Geneva Airport website has a route map to avoid motorway. I used it a couple of seasons ago, travelling from Samoens. Bit fiddly but got there ok, difficult bit was finding arrivals, as you enter airport keep left and go down the ramp otherwise it is another convoluted circuit to get back to the entrance. Think I had to do it three times before I realised where to go as the signage at the airport was/is very poor.

You know it makes sense.

A ski holiday is expensive. The cost of a vignette might well be worthwhile. Geneva can be a pain to drive through.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

ViaMichelin will give you a route avoiding any need for a vignette.
I've just checked and they reckon 2hrs 20 from Ferney Voltaire to Avoriaz avoiding vignettes or 1hr 55 if you don't avoid. It's not much of a hassle to avoid them. We never buy a vignette. I'd rather have the Euros in my pocket.

A snowHead

I'll second the use of via-michelin website for help, it's really useful and generally very accurate for any of it's calculations.

Also I used for the first time last season a garmin satnav and the option to avoid tolls is a good help as it even knew local free parts to use on french autoroute as we crossed areas that I'd never have had a chance of sorting out while driving.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Is there a via point one can put in a satnav that effectively avoids the Swiss motorway (but not French motorways or French tolls) and thus avoid the need for the Vignette?

I'm picking up at Geneva (from the Grenoble direction) and then driving to Avoriaz, and it would be good to have a pre-plotted route for the satnav. Perhaps that means a different via for entering Switzerland than the via leaving it?

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@crosbie, drive through central Geneva - follow signs to Evian or Annemasse and pick up the roads from there

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I'm expecting an answer something like:

"Into Geneva add via point St-Julien-en-Genevois (then Geneva airport) and out of Geneva add via point Thonon-les-Bains. Even if motorways and tolls are enabled, this will still cause the satnav to avoid the Swiss motorway"

However that's just a guess. Knowing satnavs, they may well go off the motorway to the via and then back on the motorway to the next point - making one liable to a big fine (not having a vignette).

The thing is, I'm happy for French motorways and tolls, but not Swiss ones. 40€ is not worth a weedy stretch of motorway.

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You could leave the highway in France before St Julien and stick to Pays de Gex on the North side of the Rhone (and outside of GVA) until St Genis/Ferney. At that point get into Switzerland just for the airport - make sure you avoid the motorway it's easy to make a mistake with their poor signage.

To leave, stay in town but an alternative to the direct (but very busy route over Pt du Mt Blanc) is to head towards Carouge via Pt Butin and exit Switzerland at Perly, Croix de Rozon or Verney, catching up the French highway respectively at St Julien, Archamps or Gaillard.

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Arriving in Geneva

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