 Poster: A snowHead
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I’ve booked a short trip to Morzine in March next year for me and my two children, 7 & 4. The transfers from Geneva to Morzine seen expensive and hiring a car looks much cheaper but as I’m on my own I’m not sure if I need the added stress of driving. Is it a difficult drive? Are the roads likely to be ok? Any other tips gratefully received!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Dead easy drive - about an hour and 15 minutes if you go via Taninges/Les Gets. The highest point on that way is in Les Gets at about 1150m so it’d be very unusual for the road to be bad (I’ve probably driven that way 7 or 8 times a season for the last 4 years and never had a problem). There is an alternative route along the lake to Thonon and then up the valley that never gets above about 900m (and that’s Morzine itself). If you hire from the Swiss side the car’ll come with winter tyres. Don’t forget to factor in car seats - you may be able to take them on the plane free but if not most car hire companies will charge extra.
Have a look at skiidygonzales for shared transfers though - they seem to be charging about €55 each way per person, so that will be a bit cheaper than a private transfer.
Lots of transfer options on this spreadsheet too - I’d always say “go local” rather than one of the big operators as if things go wrong they’ll generally sort something out. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aE9crBSfm32N7GOLUPxH-po2p0mLyoiLV5Y-602SnYE/edit?gid=0#gid=0
EDIT: Easyjet will take 2 items free for the 4 year old such as car seats (applies to under 5s) - whether you’d get away with 2x car seats I don’t know (do 7 year olds have car seats? I can’t remember!!).
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 2-10-24 9:20; edited 2 times in total
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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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Welcome to  forum@Tea_please,
Probably one of the easiest ski places to get to, either transfer or self drive.
Roads should be fine at that time of year, it's not a high altitude destination with consequently very normal driving in practical terms. Unlikely to give you any real concerns from this aspect. More fuss in getting into and returning the hire car is greater consideration.
Generally well served by transfer providers, you should have some spread of options for this too, likely someone will further contribute suggested company to enquire at.
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Thanks @andy from embsay, that spreadsheet is great.
I’ve tried to avoid shared transfers over the last few years but expect that the waiting time here is probably similar to sorting a hire car so perhaps that’s the easiest option after all.
7 year olds do still have car seats. Or at least they do in my car!
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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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@ski3, thanks for welcome. I’ll be popping up with lots more questions! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Tea_please wrote: |
Thanks @andy from embsay, that spreadsheet is great.
I’ve tried to avoid shared transfers over the last few years but expect that the waiting time here is probably similar to sorting a hire car so perhaps that’s the easiest option after all.
7 year olds do still have car seats. Or at least they do in my car! |
I don’t find sorting a hire car much hassle tbh - we always book Europcar (join their loyalty scheme for a 10% discount and faster check in), and there’s never more than one or two people in front of you. It’s a 5 minute easy, flat walk (or a bus) to the car park then you’re out and on your way, pretty much straight onto the autoroute. However we never have much baggage (or children!).
Have a look at the various providers on the spreadsheet for shared transfers - most use 7/9 seater minibuses so the likelihood of a long wait is pretty low. I just booked a private for my daughter and friends with Powdercabs and they had a discount code (WIN25 I think) that got it down to €475 return.
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I've been doing that trip at least once a year for about 10 years and provided you avoid the cheapest of the cheap operators shared transfers make for a very good option. I normally use Ski-Lifts but have used Skiidy Gonzales without problem in the past too - and think my Ski-Lifts transfer this year were also €55 each way/€110 return.
Shared Transfers:
- Looking at £300 for the 3 of you (rtn)
- I know Ski-Lifts do/would be amazed if their competitors don't have a supply of child car seats and provided they know ahead of time 2 of your group will need them the driver will have 2 seats waiting for you.
- I think the longest I've had to wait is 10, maybe 15 minutes - but normally I buy a cup of tea and make it hardly half way down before ditching it as we have everyone.
- The waiting area is just chaos at the best of times so use the toilets in baggage reclaim before you collect your bags/tie the children to something while you wait 
- It's also quite a trek from the waiting area to the mini buses - but drivers are usually friendly and will offer to carry bags for the person struggling most (which as you may well be carrying the youngest at that point is likely to be you, so you won't have to juggle everything yourself)
Hire Car:
- Book early and probably cheaper (though maybe not once fuel/tolls are added in).
- If you're lucky your hire desk will only have a short queue and you'll be on your way as quick as a transfer bus. If you're unlucky yours will have a long queue and still be queueing when you could be half way to Morzine.
- From the hire desks to the car park is either a (not especially pedestrian friendly) 5-10 minute walk or a free bus - but while you can use a trolley to get your bags+child seats to the hire desks you have the hassle of throwing bags and children on and off the bus, and hunting for you car to deal with.
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@Mjit, if you’re just going to drive to/from Morzine then an EV from Europcar (such as a VW ID3, which seem to be one of the cheaper models they have) will get you there and back without needing to charge and currently doesn’t need to be returned with a minimum charge %, so you if you’re not doing a lot of running about in resort your “fuel” is free and no need to go looking for a garage/charger on the way to the airport.
And the tolls are €2.10 each way going to Morzine, so immaterial really.
Europcar offer free cancellation up to 48hrs before so I tend to book when I book flights then keep an eye on prices. A Cupra Born/VW ID3 in March is currently about £50 a day, a bit cheaper than a petrol Golf.
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I'm a big fan of renting cars (or driving my own) to ski, but on my own with two young kids I'd look hard at shared transfers with the firms recommended by those who know. You also need to think about parking in resort, which isn't always easy, and having to dig the car out if, as you hope, it snows during your stay.
But yes, it's a very easy drive! The drive itself is unlikely to cause you any problems - it's the faff at both ends which I'd be concerned about!!
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Morzine is probably the best served resort for transfers from Geneva, and there isn't usually too much waiting (a firm that expects people to wait around for long would lose repeat business when there are so many alternatives). You don't have to concentrate on driving an unfamiliar route even if it isn't hard, and you don't have to worry about parking.
My guess is that they price it to be competitive with car hire prices, but obviously if you find a good deal on a car that might swing it for you.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Origen, that’s a very good point about children - as I said we’re adults only, hand baggage only and know what we’re doing (our record is under 25 minutes from wheels touching the ground to being in the car). I think if I had 2 kids on my own and the price difference was within reason I’d go for a shared transfer!
Incidentally, Taxi Morzine (who are on the spreadsheet and only do privates, so probably too spendy for 3) have some sort of concession with the airport that means they can park just outside the terminal so avoids the usual trek to where the minibuses park.
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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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Thanks all. I think I’ll go with the shared transfer as suggested. The cost of those recommended isn’t much more than hiring a car so probably likely to retain more sanity that way.
Off to find some tips on wrangling two children on a mountain solo…
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| j b wrote: |
| My guess is that they price it to be competitive with car hire prices, but obviously if you find a good deal on a car that might swing it for you. |
That’s probably right(ish) for a week trip, but a small group going for a short break will often find car hire is quite a bit cheaper. What can also be an issue is out of peak season some operators seem not to offer shared transfers every day, so they can be quite hard to come by outside weekends - it’s why I ended up booking a private for my daughter and friends as there wasn’t a shared option available early (leaving Morzine c6am)on a Tuesday.
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