 Poster: A snowHead
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We are travelling to Val Thorens on 16th April and I would like to rent a car from Geneva. Couple of questions:
Is it a more straightforward journey there and back if I hire from the Swiss side? Have read it can be complicated particularly on the return to the airport.
Will I get winter tyres if I hire from the Swiss side?
And can anyone recommend a cost effective firm to use? Seems to be very expensive.
Thanks in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yeah Swiss car hire is more expensive, especially this season. The Swiss side is easier, you'll get winter tyres and a vignette.
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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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| Quote: |
Is it a more straightforward journey there and back if I hire from the Swiss side? Have read it can be complicated particularly on the return to the airport.
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I find the Swiss side more complicated. Others find the French side. It depends on what expereince you have. If using a GPS navigation system remember to enter Freney-Voltaire as your destination to return to not Geneva Airport. You may need to purchase a vignette if you have rented from the French side. Sometimes, but not always they are in the car already.
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Will I get winter tyres if I hire from the Swiss side?
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I think you will upto April 1st. After that I'm not too sure.
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And can anyone recommend a cost effective firm to use? Seems to be very expensive.
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It is expensive. When we rented in January it was cheeper at the Swiss rather than the French side. Choose your own booking agent. We use Argus, but other companies are available.
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the journey is really not complicated at all from either side, provided you do your homework and don't rely on satnav. Cost comparisons vary a lot - sometimes French is cheaper, but not always. If it is, and you really want to keep costs down, and are a competent navigator, getting to France through Geneva, rather than on the Swiss motorway, is not big problem though it can slow you down. Depends on your priorities. If cost is key, from what people have reported recently there's no real argument for renting in advance - wait till just before you go, which also gives you a chance to make an accurate call on how much value winter tyres will have for you.
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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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Check the thread on Car Hire Discounts to see if the are any discounts currently active. Hertz are currently doing 15% off if booking before the end of March, plus free 2nd driver. You may have to join Hertz Gold Club, but that's free and has a dedicated priority desk and if you're lucky, an upgrade.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Thu 24-03-22 10:09; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I can't see how the swiss side can be "more complicated".
Anyhoo, chums saved a load of cash by renting in Vernier, which is a 5 minute taxi from the airport.
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I always rent on the Swiss side, French side is such a pain to get in and out of.
Hiring: 1) go to quidco 2) take the link to holiday autos 3) book there - excellent value and I do not consider expensive
Last time round I was given a Merc from Sixt as a 'family sized car'
In winter, vehicles have always had snow tyres
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JasonOster,
That day you could travel by train from Geneva to Moutiers (£33 for 2, on The Trainline website), then Altibus from Moutiers to Val T (€11 pp one way). 
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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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| iainm wrote: |
I always rent on the Swiss side, French side is such a pain to get in and out of.
Hiring: 1) go to quidco 2) take the link to holiday autos 3) book there - excellent value and I do not consider expensive |
It's currently £400 a week for a car on the Swiss side  . That seems expensive to me, as I paid £230 for 2 weeks rental from the French side in January.
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I’ve done both, recently. The French side is a pita, I’d happily pay a premium for the Swiss.
If you have much luggage, one problem with the French side at present is that the return route (at least in Feb) required us to carry all the bags; we couldn't take a trolley over the “border” on the return path through the airport (clearly we were t the only ones to discover this, there was a pile of abandoned trolleys beside the “border”. Since you go through a couple of sets of one-way doors, we couldn’t even shuttle the bags - we had to pick them all up in a single load and carry them together. Easy if you’re coming from your own place, harder if you’re carrying skis, boots, hold-all, flight bag etc.
On top of that you have the lack of snow tyres, lack of vignette, and more tortuous route.
The Swiss side is easy, and if you choose to walk rather than wait for this bus, it’s even easier. And you can push your trolley the whole way 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Yes, here's the walking route from the car hire desks and shuttle bus station, to the P51 rental pick-up car park. The dotted lines are pedestrian crossings: be sure to look both ways. Part of the route goes right in front of an office building and there's a waist-high swing gate you go through, but it's not private. Note the location of the small self-service petrol station just in case you need it on the return.
I'd always recommend getting petrol elsewhere, earlier, but if you're pressed for time this is a useful last resort. Although you can get queues if it's a busy time.
Always double-check when collecting from P51 that you're also returning there: a friend of mine didn't and didn't notice that the return was to Ferney Voltaire. Apparently because the rental company predicted there wouldn't be enough room in P51 on the day. So they had to drive from P51 to FV, and get a shuttle back, and almost missed the flight. The rental company had a pre-printed map so it was obvious this wasn't just a one-off situation, although relatively uncommon.
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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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@LaForet, interesting. It always seems further when you take the shuttle bus, thus appears not walkable, especially with grumpy kids, normal bags and ski bag!
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@LaForet, there’s an alternative slightly easier (maybe 50m longer) route which is trolley-friendly, basically the road parallel but above your line, on the north side of the car parks. I use your route if I have a backpack, and mine if I have a load of stuff.
Follow the signs out of the car hire desks for terminal 2 (I.e. when you come out of car hire into the bus loading bay, turn diagonally right) then follow the footpath and after a few hundred metres, at terminal 2, cross the road on your left (pedestrian crossing) into the back door of the parking. Lift down a couple of floors (2 huge lifts, can get a couple of trolleys in each) and you’re right beside Avis.
@ster - tell the kids you’re racing the bus. Works every time with mine! And we always win
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks all, really helpful.
Why Ferney-Voltaire on GPS rather than Geneva Airport?
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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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Why Ferney-Voltaire on GPS rather than Geneva Airport?
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Because a GPS and all the road signs will take you to the international (Swiss) side of the airport. If you have a car hired on the French side, then you need a different entrance, which is in Ferney Voltaire. On the left just after you come under the runway, in a tunnel and through the French border.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Seems like prices have dropped. I was getting quoted some ridiculous prices for a long weekend at Easter. Enterprise now quoting £279 for a VW golf for 5 days from the Swiss side.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| swskier wrote: |
| Seems like prices have dropped. I was getting quoted some ridiculous prices for a long weekend at Easter. Enterprise now quoting £279 for a VW golf for 5 days from the Swiss side. |
It's worth keeping an eye on it right up until the last minute (or until the cancellation window ends). I was able to book 12 days for £145 a couple of weeks ago for a Peugeot 208, by booking the day before travel. It was from the French side, but happy to go there for that price!
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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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@musehead, think we have a 3 day window on cancellation, so i'll check again 4 days before. Thanks for the tip.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I just went to update my car rental for next week to be shorter and it came back way more expensive, so I'll just leave it be !
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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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Mine dropped significantly. Bigger car for half the price four days out.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Same here, prices have dropped off for a rental on this Saturday.
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