 Poster: A snowHead
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brian
brian
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GVA car hire should be a sticky I think ....
Swiss side cars come with a sticker (vignette) allowing you to use Swiss motorways. Swiss side cars come with chains and winter tyres but they may not be included in the price, they may be a compulsory extra. French side cars chains and/or winter tyres have to be ordered as optional extras.
You do not have to carry chains but if it's snowing the police may insist you have them on some mountain roads and turn you back if you don't, in February I'd say they are a must have although Mégeve is quite low so you'd probably get away with it.
The French side is a bit of extra hassle but not that much if you buy the vignette at the swiss border (costs about £18 ) and can use the motorway.
If you go French side come back and ask for directions 
btw, good luck finding short break accom in France in Feb !
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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, good luck finding short break accom in France in Feb !
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Absolutely. First week would be the best as the French school hols don't start until 10 Feb. I would be very surprised if you found short term accomm in Megeve after that, but Sallanches is just down the road and has several hotels. You could drive up each day and try other areas - Combloux well worth a visit if there's more snow by then (not otherwise, as it is lowish).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We did French side - what an absolute nightmare we had returning the car. It was 3am when we got back to Geneva. Missed the turn off. Ended up forking out for a fricking toll on the Swiss side, managed to get back around, couldn't find way into the airport. Got into Swiss side and couldn't get back around to French side. Eventually we got to the gate on the French side that leads down to the carparks only to find it was locked as the airport was shut and wouldn't open till 5am! It was much fun......
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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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There is no reason good enough to rent from the French side out of choice.
Winter tyres and chains are legal requirement in Switz' so they are fitted/supplied to all cars on Swiss side.
Returning your car to the French side is a NIGHTMARE!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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THis link for Car Hire was the most reasonable we've found,and a few of us used it for the PSB. Choose Switzerland Geneva Airport for hire from the Swiss side. HOliday Autos use Alamo at GVA, they've been excellent when we;ve used them. The motorway sticker was included, and so were chains and snow tyres last winter. We've usually been upgraded too.
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bladeski, you can use the viamichelin website for route plans, they have the advantage of showing you where the speed cameras are too.
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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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Helen - Thanks for the link they are the cheapest I've found as well.
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Car hire from Switzerland always includes the tax sticker, winter tyres and chains in the price. Don't hire from France, we've always found it to be a nightmare, the Swiss are just so much more organised...We've driven from the 3V's and Tignes to Geneva and then onto Zermatt using the road signs which are excellent. Am not familar with Sallanches though...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Last time I hired at Geneva, I used Sixt.com - normally I'd just go with Holiday Autos, but these guys were quite a bit cheaper (once I deselected the extras I didn't need)
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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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We hired from the French side assuming that it would somehow be more logical since we were going to France. The first challenge is to get to the French side of the airport as you need to go back through pasport control and the signs are not obvious. We did it without going on Swiss motorways and therefore didn't need a vignette. As long as you are very careful about following the directions you can be OK - we did it out and back on two occasions without a serious wrong turn but you need an alert navigator or perhaps a GPS. I'd heard that it's more expensive on the Swiss side and not sure about insurance but if these wern't issues then I'd go for the Swiss.
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I echo what everyone else has said. Definitely go Swiss side.
On the question of car hire websites I used to use Holiday autos as 1st choice but I now go through travelsupermarket.com. They compare lots of different prices including Holiday Autos.
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You know it makes sense.
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Returning your car to the French side is a NIGHTMARE!
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only if you don't know the way. If you ignore all signposting off the motorway to the airport, and take the next exit (eastbound towards Lausanne) and follow signposting to Ferney, it's easy enough. I often see assertions that all swiss hired cars include chains as standard but I've not found that to be the case; you need to check. The Swiss side is definitely more straightforward but sometimes the price difference is enough to make it worth looking at the French side.
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is Swiss Geneva to Sallanches easy
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yes, very easy. Come out of the airport and take the signposting to FRANCE. Take the inside lane as you exit the airport area and stay in that lane, through several sets of traffic lights, until you come to a big T junction (ignoring any temptation to switch lanes) with FRANCE signposted to the left. Stay in the inside lane as you turn and then dive immediately right again into the continuation of the bus lane, ready to turn right onto the motorway. Follow signs to France and Chamonix. That takes you through a couple of tunnels, through the border (no problem, usually) and through two péages. Take the next exit after the second péage (Cluses), signposted Sallanches. Actually easier than it sounds but the signposting round the airport can be a tad confusing.
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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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If anyone does want directions to and from GVA then send me a PM and I have them in a PDF. We always hire from French side and it's not really a problem and has been cheaper from what we've found. It does mean going in and out of France/Switzerland in the airport a little. All part of the fun 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Paul-B,
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| we did it out and back on two occasions without a serious wrong turn but you need an alert navigator |
This was where we fell down - my "navigator" couldn't keep his eyes open. Another passenger in the back was getting stressed as he was dying for a wee, and the distraction of him made me go straight past the Lausanne turn off for Ferney. We then saw the airport, found the Swiss side but couldn't figure how to get to the French side. My mate who was dying for a pee had to use a pillar on the Swiss side and got yelled up by some bloke so we whizzed off and eventually got to where we wanted. My back seat driver mate had been moaning all week about our slow driving on the snow - calling my and my non-moaning driver mate "tea cosies". That's why we made no effort to let him out earlier!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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A couple of other snippets from my experience:
1, if you happen to be returning the car to another location in France then it is much much cheaper to hire from the French side (not surprisingly)
2, if your flight is delayed and you are arriving late, getting through to the French side in our experience involved finding a border guard etc and getting him to open up, plus the French hire car desks (I think) close at midnight, whereas the ones on the Swiss side (being the main ones) all stayed open.
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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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My back seat driver mate had been moaning all week about our slow driving on the snow - calling my and my non-moaning driver mate "tea cosies". That's why we made no effort to let him out earlier!
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quite right too.
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had to use a pillar on the Swiss side and got yelled up by some bloke
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should have used one on the French side, par for the course here. Was at a charming mountain restaurant recently, with the most beautiful toilets I have ever seen in such an establishment, and some boor still felt the need to stand in full view of the diners admiring the view over the Arly Valley and create yellow snow. Unbelievable. Can any multicultural male  tell my why Brits seem to feel the need for a "pillar", or such like, whereas Frenchmen can pee in midair? Or is this another thread?
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Never had to pay the Motoway tax either
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AxsMan, was that because the car you had already had a vignette, or because you avoided the motorway? Those eagle eyed Swiss border guards don't let anyone without a vignette past, on the border post on the motorway into the airport.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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in the past we've always used the swiss side but I've just been looking at hire for next w/e and it seems as though we save over 50 quid going for the French side so even if we end up buying a vignette it's worth a go!
MrDan, thanks for the generous offer of a pdf of directions (to the French side!!??) my pm is on it's way!
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MrDan, Thanks for the offer PM sent.
Thanks to all for help so far I knew would come up trumps.
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FAQ
) matches yours. The Swiss seem to want to make life difficult by 'hiding' the signs to the French side both in the airport and on the approach roads but if you follow the route the Hire company map shows it isn't THAT difficult. I've hired from GVA about half a dozen times now, only once from the Swiss side, and not had any real problems. Never had to pay the Motoway tax either. French side generally seems cheaper, (last time by about 30 Euro) so you pays your money and takes your choice ... 
