 Poster: A snowHead
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Anyone experience of hiring French side? I know that I will need the vignette to cross into Switzerland (heading to verbier) but will vehicle have winter tyres from French side? Are they mandatory in Die Schweiz?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Snowsartre, winter tyres are only mandatory in winter conditions in Switzerland. I live in Basel, and the climate here is very mild, so it's rare that you would need winter tyres locally. People who drive the mountains will have two sets of tyres, but plenty of people are on summers all year round. So I wouldn't assume that cars hired on either side of the airport are fitted with winter tyres automatically.
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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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I've hired from the French side and whilst vignette and winter tyres are issues you emerge straight onto the motorway which is highly convenient. Swiss side you have to head through the city. Not sure how complicated it is now as there has been a lot of road works over the last few years.
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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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@DJL, not sure what it was like previously but it's easy now and you don't need to navigate across the city. Head right/south out of the airport signposted Basel, continue for a couple of km till you get to a roundabout with Grand Casino Base/ Basel Airport Hotel (all lit up and neon). Turn left at roundabout then immediately right onto the motorway (A3). Goes underneath the city in a tunnel. Pops out by Badischer Bahnhof on the other side of the Rhine and is briefly non-motorway, but you just keep going straight past the station (for less than 1km) and then you are back on the motorway.
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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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I can confirm navigation is easy (and I have no sense of direction). I always hired French side when I was working in Mullhouse, but hired Swiss side last Easter when skiing in Germany. It's a tiny airport and everything is easy to find. A great option if you can get cheap flights, and the place I find easiest to use Avios 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Gämsbock, good to hear it is no longer a hassle. We don't often fly to Basel as GVA is more convenient for Chatel (and we usually drive out anyway) but for a visit to friends in Mulhouse it is super convenient and always seems very quiet.
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I found car rental from Basel French side recently very easy. Vehicle collected and returned immediately next to terminal, 2 minutes walk. Navigation to/from airport also easy. Cost significantly less than similar vehicle from Swiss side. Very likely extra charge for winter tyres (and snow chains if needed?) although some might offer 'winter package' deal from French side. Variances between different rental companies, so definitely worth checking small print details for each option.
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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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Airport is built on French territory, so French side accesses directly onto Autoroute. Swiss side uses a Customs road for a few km to link back into Swiss territory, but it's pretty straightforward to get on the motorway and transit past Basel City.
Swiss cars get a vignette, French cars don't, but French cars are almost always cheaper, do some comparisons.
Winter tyres, you need to look at fine print to see whether these are even available or what the extra charges are.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Well the Swiss side to get to Switzerland (for a Swiss ski resort) is via a customs road anyway, so to all intents and purposes, travel is effectively entirely within Switzerland, so no issue there (if there even was an issue).
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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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So if you hire French side you can't drive to Switzerland as an EU national?? Madness. Is this what the post Brexit world will look like? 
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@Snowsartre, no, it's the other way around - i.e. you can't drive a Swiss registered car that you don't own into the EU as an EU resident.
But anyway, my understanding is that is has been sorted out - it never applied to hired vehicles in the first place and was basically misunderstanding on the part of some of the hire companies. If you hire from the Swiss side and drive to Verbier the car will stay in Switzerland so it's a non-issue for you on several counts.
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