 Poster: A snowHead
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Ok, so I have seen a couple of other threads on this...but hear me out....Planning xmas trip to 4V this December, just checking car hire from Geneva airport.
Exactly same dates in 2021, car hire was £338 for 9 days - the best quotes coming in this year for same class (estate car) around £1050...even accounting for inflation this is absolutely bonkers.
Does anybody have any hacks or insight as an alternative? I was even looking to fly into Turin, whilst its a longer drive, car hire is c£280.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Try from the french side?
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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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@Dravot, why not just take the train?
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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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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
| Try from the french side? |
yes, that seems an alternative, but if I've understood it correctly winter tyres/chains are a chargeable extra, plus vignette...I can live with those additional costs. But did I read somewhere that it is a problem to access Swiss side for return flight home?
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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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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Dravot, why not just take the train? |
want access to a car to get around 4V, not least to get down to big supermarkets in Sion
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
But did I read somewhere that it is a problem to access Swiss side for return flight home?
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Possibly you did, but it's not true. But the difference between renting on the international side or the French side is often not big enough to compensate for not having snow tyres. But the train might be a good alternative.
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| Dravot wrote: |
| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
| Try from the french side? |
yes, that seems an alternative, but if I've understood it correctly winter tyres/chains are a chargeable extra, plus vignette...I can live with those additional costs. But did I read somewhere that it is a problem to access Swiss side for return flight home? |
You just need to make sure you drive back to the right bit of the airport to drop the car back off on your return to the airport.
There's a car hire place just off site in the shopping centre I believe, think it's cheaper.
https://geneva-rentalcars.com/en/
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| swskier wrote: |
| Dravot wrote: |
| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
| Try from the french side? |
yes, that seems an alternative, but if I've understood it correctly winter tyres/chains are a chargeable extra, plus vignette...I can live with those additional costs. But did I read somewhere that it is a problem to access Swiss side for return flight home? |
You just need to make sure you drive back to the right bit of the airport to drop the car back off on your return to the airport.
There's a car hire place just off site in the shopping centre I believe, think it's cheaper.
https://geneva-rentalcars.com/en/ |
thanks. Just checked.
VW Golf £700 for 9 days...
Last edited by After all it is free  on Sun 23-04-23 18:14; edited 1 time in total
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
But did I read somewhere that it is a problem to access Swiss side for return flight home?
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Possibly you did, but it's not true. But the difference between renting on the international side or the French side is often not big enough to compensate for not having snow tyres. But the train might be a good alternative. |
it seems that a number of suppliers offer winter tyres for a small supplement. The train is not an option as need to be able to get about when we're there
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| Quote: |
But did I read somewhere that it is a problem to access Swiss side for return flight home?
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It is not.
Having decided on a last minute trip to Les Arcs today I looked at car hire. The Swiss side (which I find not as conveinent as the French side) turned out to be less expensive than the French. It was around 280€ for 5 days but bizzarly less for 7 days.
@Dravot, You have months and months before your trip. Car hire prices go down as well up as time passes. I'd leave the car hire until much later. Like December.
@swskier, I looked at https://geneva-rentalcars.com/en/ but found they do not rent out after 18:00 so it was of no use to me.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
But did I read somewhere that it is a problem to access Swiss side for return flight home?
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It is not.
Having decided on a last minute trip to Les Arcs today I looked at car hire. The Swiss side (which I find not as conveinent as the French side) turned out to be less expensive than the French. It was around 280€ for 5 days but bizzarly less for 7 days.
@Dravot, You have months and months before your trip. Car hire prices go down as well up as time passes. I'd leave the car hire until much later. Like December.
@swskier, I looked at https://geneva-rentalcars.com/en/ but found they do not rent out after 18:00 so it was of no use to me. |
Thanks John, you're probably correct..it can wait. Flights will only ever get more expensive, so I will book them soonest!
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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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| johnE wrote: |
| Quote: |
But did I read somewhere that it is a problem to access Swiss side for return flight home?
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@Dravot, You have months and months before your trip. Car hire prices go down as well up as time passes. I'd leave the car hire until much later. Like December. |
If you find a good price, worth booking with free cancellation, and then continue checking and cancel as and when something cheaper comes along.
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@Dravot, ok, can see shopping being a thing but no car needed to get round 4Vs? Surely?
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You know it makes sense.
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@Dravot, I've pnly used French side hire at Geneva once but getting from one side to the other was easy. We just had to show our boarding passes.
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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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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Dravot, ok, can see shopping being a thing but no car needed to get round 4Vs? Surely? |
If you're a reasonable skier its not...but Mrs Dravot would struggle with some of the reds from Siviez to Thyon.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Dravot, ok, well, whatever
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Dravot wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
| @Dravot, ok, can see shopping being a thing but no car needed to get round 4Vs? Surely? |
If you're a reasonable skier its not...but Mrs Dravot would struggle with some of the reds from Siviez to Thyon. |
Where are you thinking of staying?
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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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| swskier wrote: |
| Dravot wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
| @Dravot, ok, can see shopping being a thing but no car needed to get round 4Vs? Surely? |
If you're a reasonable skier its not...but Mrs Dravot would struggle with some of the reds from Siviez to Thyon. |
Where are you thinking of staying? |
nendaz
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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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| Dravot wrote: |
| swskier wrote: |
| Dravot wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
| @Dravot, ok, can see shopping being a thing but no car needed to get round 4Vs? Surely? |
If you're a reasonable skier its not...but Mrs Dravot would struggle with some of the reds from Siviez to Thyon. |
Where are you thinking of staying? |
nendaz |
Is Mrs @Dravot ok skiing the pistes down to the Prarion-Plan du Fou Gondola, and then from Plan du Fou down to Siviez?
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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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| swskier wrote: |
| Dravot wrote: |
| swskier wrote: |
| Dravot wrote: |
| under a new name wrote: |
| @Dravot, ok, can see shopping being a thing but no car needed to get round 4Vs? Surely? |
If you're a reasonable skier its not...but Mrs Dravot would struggle with some of the reds from Siviez to Thyon. |
Where are you thinking of staying? |
nendaz |
Is Mrs @Dravot ok skiing the pistes down to the Prarion-Plan du Fou Gondola, and then from Plan du Fou down to Siviez? |
After a couple of days on some of the easy blues over in Thyon and banging up and down i'alpage I hope we'll be able to attempt it. Failing that there's the ski bus over to Siviez to meet for lunch. Still need a car for a 'big shop' in Sion
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Makes it an expensive shop. Are there no places which deliver? Or are local shops sufficiently more expensive to cover the cost of car hire and fuel?
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@Dravot, are you not better staying in Thyon then? (off topic I know) Or La Tzoumaz.
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| swskier wrote: |
| @Dravot, are you not better staying in Thyon then? (off topic I know) Or La Tzoumaz. |
we did consider that - and veysonnaz - but Nendaz offers the best compromise. We are going with 2 groups of friends, my wife is least bothered about skiing and will be genuinely happy pottering up and down Tortin or L'Alpage with one of the other mums (or so they tell me!)
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Makes it an expensive shop. Are there no places which deliver? Or are local shops sufficiently more expensive to cover the cost of car hire and fuel? |
thats a good way of looking at it - I'll calculate. From memory, the local supermarket was nearly double the price for meats, wine and beers - so I guess an extra CHF100 on red wine as a start! We typically do 2 big shops for a 10 day break.
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| Dravot wrote: |
| swskier wrote: |
| @Dravot, are you not better staying in Thyon then? (off topic I know) Or La Tzoumaz. |
we did consider that - and veysonnaz - but Nendaz offers the best compromise. We are going with 2 groups of friends, my wife is least bothered about skiing and will be genuinely happy pottering up and down Tortin or L'Alpage with one of the other mums (or so they tell me!) |
Fair enough, if it works then you're all good.
I didn't notice the Migros in Nendaz being overly expensive, but can't say for sure. Pricier than Martigny Lidl, but even that's not cheap.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Look at flights to Basel.
It's only an extra 40 minutes drive versus Geneva, flights can be a lot cheaper and car hire too.
Back when we used to fly we could save hundreds of pounds for a family of 4.
Also if you shop in Migros they always charge the same price for the same goods in all their stores wherever they are.
Denner also charges a standard price for wine and beers etc in every shop.
Meat...in Switzerland meat is murder on the wallet!
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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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Car hire prices are truly bamboozling. I'm shopping around for 4 days next month, from Geneva. French side is a bit cheaper, and I have a vignette which I bought, but didn't stick on, when I transited Switzerland earlier this month.
The best price I've found so far, for a small automatic, is direct with Hertz. Holiday Autos, who have been bombarding me with meaningless emails about "10% off" (off what???) are significantly more expensive.
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Probably a bit early to be booking for December. Prices should come down.
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You know it makes sense.
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| pam w wrote: |
Car hire prices are truly bamboozling. I'm shopping around for 4 days next month, from Geneva. French side is a bit cheaper, and I have a vignette which I bought, but didn't stick on, when I transited Switzerland earlier this month.
The best price I've found so far, for a small automatic, is direct with Hertz. Holiday Autos, who have been bombarding me with meaningless emails about "10% off" (off what???) are significantly more expensive. |
its definitely a Swiss thing - Italy and France have increased, but Swiss hire prices are insane
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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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| rungsp wrote: |
Look at flights to Basel.
It's only an extra 40 minutes drive versus Geneva, flights can be a lot cheaper and car hire too.
Back when we used to fly we could save hundreds of pounds for a family of 4.
Also if you shop in Migros they always charge the same price for the same goods in all their stores wherever they are.
Denner also charges a standard price for wine and beers etc in every shop.
Meat...in Switzerland meat is murder on the wallet! |
I thought the big supermarkets in Sion were pretty reasonable 150CHF for a big shop, including booze and other 'treats' that we wouldn't ordinarily buy. Coop in Nendaz was something like 4CHF for an emergency small bag of pasta!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Renting Swiss side is easier and car prices will drop from about October as it does every year. I would use train and busses and it’s very good. I dont think will not make up some the car rental costs by hoping to save from your big shop in Sion.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What are your dates/where are you searching?
Just guessed at 22nd/31st and ran a search on Skyscanner and to get anywhere near the £1k mark I had to go up to a Mercedes E class convertable!
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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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Btw Geneva airport’s own rental comparison site is often the best and offers zero cost cancellation and amendment terms. I often cancel and rebook if prices drop on the site after I have made my pre-bookings for the season.
You need to scroll down to the car rental section.
https://genevaairport.org/
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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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@Ozboy, just for the avoidance of doubt, that isn't Geneva Airport's own site ...
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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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It's so unpredictable - at present I get a better price direct from Hertz than through that airport link.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Mjit wrote: |
What are your dates/where are you searching?
Just guessed at 22nd/31st and ran a search on Skyscanner and to get anywhere near the £1k mark I had to go up to a Mercedes E class convertable! |
yes, for French side. I think others have confirmed that its not as complex as I thought to collect from French side
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Using Waze makes getting back to the French side to return the car a lot clearer to find. Leave plenty of time when doing it for the first time. I do think renting for French side is a much better option in the summer - even if it means buying a CH vignette if required.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Ozboy, just for the avoidance of doubt, that isn't Geneva Airport's own site ... |
Thank you for pointing this out - it’s not the official site (as I’ve just seen the disclaimer at the bottom of thei page) and the car rental section is white-labelled from cartrawler.com
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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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Just for completeness, this is the official GVA landing page for Car Rentals.
I'm not saying the prices you'll get there are competitive, although they often are. More that I find it useful to get a baseline quote from one of these first for comparison. Sometimes, the ~.ch rental sites used here have prices and vehicles not visible on their generic ~.com or ~.co.uk sites. And sometimes, as people have mentioned, the consolidator/intermediary websites don't actually have the best rates. And for our trip out next month, it turned out that the easyJet link had the best rate. There doesn't seem to be any consistency, so it's worth testing out a variety of sources.
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@LaForet, I just used the easyjet link and it took me to cartrawler. The prices were the similar to those quoted by the https://www.arguscarhire.com link (also to cartrawler) except they were in sterling as opposed to euros. The difference being the exchange rate used. In this case I think they only linked to the Swiss side omitting the often less expensive French side.
As a plug for Argus, last summer we booked a car from Venice to take us to the Dolomites. The Lufthansa flight was delayed over 3 hours and when I phoned the car rental company to say we will be late they informed us that they'd be closed and suggested we book a hotel for the night in Venice and collect the car the next morning. I phoned up Argus who we had booked through. They canceled that booking and booked us another car (this time at the airport) and refunded us about 200€ as the new booking was for less. Brilliant service. OH! it tooks us over 3 months to get our 250€ per head compensation off Lufthansa.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Tue 25-04-23 11:09; edited 1 time in total
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