 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Ok couple of questions, ive never driven abroad before, so is my licence valid? Its one of thos old green paper ones that folds up into a plastic envelope. Its also got my old address on it (need to get that changed actually!)
Also, im told from this site to hire a car from the french side of the airport (holidayauto's web?) . Is this true? If so, is it ALWAYS best to book online beforehand, and if so, how much beforehand... i.e months,weeks or days?
Lastly, how difficult is it to get to Chamonix from the airport? Is it well signposted, and will there be tolls to pay?
Thanks in advance,
Andy
pps... one more please!!! .... if I hire a small car (corsa et al) will I get my ski's in it??
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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You must update the address on your licence (it's a criminal offence to fail to do that!) but you don't need anything else to drive a hire car in France or Switzerland. But you should hire from the SWISS side (lots of threads on this, on Snowheads, but it's definitely far easier).
It's extremely easy to get to Chamonix. There are tolls, about 6 euros each way. Plus, if you hire a car on the French side, you'll need to pay 40 swiss francs for the swiss motorway vignette (the easiest route from the airport takes you on a swiss motorway out to the French border). If you hire a small car you will probably get your skis in if they are short, and if your front seat passenger doesn't mind having them round his/her neck. But you can usually hire a ski carrier to put on top of the car. Lots of advice about snowchains etc on here too.
Relax! It's easy, and there's plenty of advice available. When are you going?
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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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Your license is valid, I have always hired from the swiss side, prices vary but there is not normally much difference, it is nearly ALWAYS cheaper to book in advance, the drive is straightforward there are two toll stations one is about 1.9 euro the other about 5, excact figure on viamichelin, you can pay with a card or a note but its quicker if you have the right change to throw in the bin, takes about one hour. Dont know about a corsa but they will hire you a rack if needed.
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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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tolls 1.70 and 3.50
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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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We recently got our old licenses changed. If it's a change of address, the new (replacement) license is free of charge. You can download the necessary forms off the dvla website or get them from your post office. you send your old one away, with passport photos and they send out the new paper license along with the photo card. i think it took about 3 weeks for ours to come.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Swiss side, every time! and book as soon as poss.
Getting there - Leave the airport, follow signs to France and then to Chamonix. It's very easy. The only place you have to watch it is about 5 mins after you leave the airport - there's a sign to France that seems to point up a little side road to the left. Up ahead, you'll see a BIG sign for france pointing left at a T-junction - this is the one you want! The other one takes you on a funny route, I don't know why it's even there.
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Mon 29-10-07 17:57; edited 1 time in total
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| Quote: |
| Your license is valid |
I don't think it's valid anywhere with an out of date address!
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| Quote: |
| The only place you have to watch it is about 5 mins after you leave the airport - there's a sign to France that seems to point up a little side road to the right. Up ahead, you'll see a BIG sign for france pointing right - this is the one you want! The other one takes you on a funny route, I don't know why it's even there. |
I don't quite recognise this description. When you leave the airport, follow the signs to France. If you get in the lane signposted "Vernier", which is the inside (i.e right) lane as you leave the airport. Stay in that lane straight through several traffic lights (assuming that by winter they'll have stopped digging up one of those junctions, which is currently a muddle) until you get to a big T junction. The signposting for France then takes you left, then IMMEDIATELY right. As you turn left, the inside (right) lane is a bus lane initially, but ends at the junction. Get into that right hand lane smartish, then straight down onto the motorway, and follow signs to Chamonix which are very clear at all critical points. Credit card much easier than cash at the tolls, especially when you have just arrived and don't have a pocket full of eurobits.
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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, but how would anyone inspecting it know that the address was out of date?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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You really should by law change your name and address on your DL.
Hire company may want more than one proof of ID with a home address on it. I wouldn't want to get caught either in the UK or in France with documents which are incorrect.
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One other thing about car hire - most airlines have "car hire partners" - if you book with them, as you come through customs, you'll spot the desk by the mile long queue (no kidding, often an hour) in front of your "partner's" desk. Shop around the alternatives, most will respond to competitors quotes. (In my experience, easyJet and Europcar the worst - and completely unsympathetic - apt to send one of the team off for a break as you get to the front of the queue !)
Having said that, Europcar do have the trump of a 7-seater Touran at Saloon prices.
And the most difficult part of your trip to Chamonix (assuming from the Swiss side) is negotiating the high kerbs in the underground car park ! Seriously, the motorway, the vignettes, the tolls are a complete doddle compared to the stress of the M25. You're looking for the A40 in France, the Autoroute Blanche, Mont Blanc Tunnel - and, of course, Cham.
(but if you do follow signs to France and end up in Ferney Voltaire - having gone through customs within a mile of the airport - turn around and come back - DO NOT attempt to drive out of the other side of Ferney Voltaire - it will take you hours across country !)
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You know it makes sense.
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Incidentally, dependent on budget, if heading for an early flight home, the Novotel and Formule 1 at Ferney are incredibly convenient. Would advocate pushing on to resort on arrival though.
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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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Prestonian, You really, really want to book as far in advance as you can. High season weeks/easter/xmas frequently sell out completely well in advance. I have seen many a poor person pleading to try and find a car having simply turned up - even in low season. I have had at least one experience of having to rent from Annemasse which was economically and temporally inconvenient.
You also want to ensure that you give the correct arrival times and flights of your party as I have also seen poor people who didn't inform the desk of when they'd arrive tipping up late at Geneva to find the rental desk closed and their car presumably given to poor person #1 and en route to somewhere snowy.
Also, take the full rental details with you to the airport so that if your flight is delayed, you can pro-actively let the rental desk know. Expecting a desk whose hours are until 22h00 wait for you to arrive off a queasy jet delayed until 23h30 is probably unrealistic.
Holiday rentals are generally very good although when I was renting frequently I generally went direct as then I could use the frequent rental memberships to effectively jump the queue. And I could usually find similar prices.
Skis - unless tiny - don't often fit into very small cars. And are probably less than helpful if you are unlucky enough to have an accident. Rent a ski carrier. Just be very careful how you attach it - as there have been a number of attempts on my wallet because I "scratched the roof". And don't leave it unsecured to the car. Especially with skis on. They're just magnetic with rubber ties. Your skis, ski rack may all go walking off on their own.
Ensure you check the car thoroughly inside and out for damage - as they don't check that well and if they've missed something from a previous hire, you know who'll be found to blame if they notice it when you return the car.
They'll give you a prepaid fuel option. This is very convenient and cheap if you are going to use enough fuel to justify it. The desk staff should advise. Otherwise, take it full and return it full, remembering to factor in the refueling time. If you don't prepay the rates they charge to refill it for you are ridiculous. Clearly they make a lot of money from people getting this wrong!
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
Otherwise, take it full and return it full, remembering to factor in the refueling time.
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And remember that you can never find a petrol station near Geneva airport other than the funny one just beyond the car return that is very difficult to follow the pump instructions, then with a lethal right then left turn out of it. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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you think he's joking? I found having to change gear with my right hand quite difficult to get used to.
Lizzard, maybe they wouldn't know it was the wrong address if you were in a hire car, but the way the flics check car documents, any discrepancy, for example between your insurance documents and your licence, could well get picked up. And when I have hired cars they have carefully copied my address, from the licence, onto the documents. None of these things matters till something goes wrong...
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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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| pam w wrote: |
you think he's joking? I found having to change gear with my right hand quite difficult to get used to.
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i did at first but after another read, I can see his point 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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pam w, if you book online you have to give you credit card address which typically is your home address...whether you can get away with any argument that credit card & home are different is not something I have or would want to be bothered with testing.
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As others have said always hire on the Swiss side. Plus I'm sure you can get from the airport to Cham without using the motorway (and hence avoid the tolls). There is a route through Geneva centre. Try a route plan on viamichelin. Lots of hire companies rent sat navs as well these days
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| Quote: |
Lots of hire companies rent sat navs as well these days
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but you'll pay more than the motorway tolls you save , and take much longer!
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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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| Quote: |
| I'm sure you can get from the airport to Cham without using the motorway (and hence avoid the tolls). |
Yes, of course you can, you can ALWAYS avoid tolls throughout France. You certainly don't need to go through the middle of Geneva, either. You can head out through the border on the Swiss motorway (Swiss hire cars should have the vignette) and leave the A40 before the péage. But the tolls are small, and sticking to the motorway is quicker and easier. This is a holiday, not supposed to be a navigational challenge (though in my view, anyone who needs a satnav to drive through Geneva city and get out on the road to Chamonix shouldn't be allowed out alone; Geneva has good signposting).
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| pam w wrote: |
| This is a holiday, not supposed to be a navigational challenge... |
Having rented once from the French side I will never, ever do it again. It took a clear 40 mintues extra - primarily because the French side was soooooooooooo sleepy at 22:00 that we had to physically find the car hire person.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Martin Nicholas wrote: |
| Quote: |
Lots of hire companies rent sat navs as well these days
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but you'll pay more than the motorway tolls you save , and take much longer! |
You're right. it takes damn long time to drive to Chamonix if you try to avoid the tolls. I really lost my patience last winter.. I strongly recommend driving on highway. It is fast and you won't get lost. And it is not that expensive.
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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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the French side was soooooooooooo sleepy at 22:00 that we had to physically find the car hire person.
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Having once parked my (non hire) car on the French side, because the car parks on the Swiss side were full, I arrived back on an international flight at 22.30 and found that France had gone to bed for the night. I had to ring a bell and wait quite a while for someone to come and let me through. It's bizarre. Some aspects of Geneva airport are very smooth and sophisticated, others are fairly third world.
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Completely third world (and we've been through Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar) is the EasyJoke check-in. How the Swiss let them make such a toilet of that end of the airport I do not understand - and for all his cheerful inflight invitations (Andy@EasyJet.com) you won't get a response if you point it out. (and the supervisors on duty are already fed up to here with whingeing Brits) Strongly recommend BA if the times suit - and if not, stay overnight at Ferney as noted above.
Bizarrely, BA's Gatwick North Terminal bag-check seems to work - and the staff on the desks are helpful and solicitous - rather than abrupt and fed up.
(and no, I don't work for BA but there is a limit to how much steerage abuse you can take - thankfully the Irish tinker doesn't fly to Geneva)
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You know it makes sense.
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Chris Craggs, last time I checked in for BA on the French side - because we had to leave the car that side, because we were flying back with people without visas for Switzerland - it was atrocious and despite arriving in plenty of time we almost missed the flight. It was extremely busy, and difficult to work out which of the crowded and chaotic queues was for our flight. I shoved my way up to the desk and it said to pick up the phone and ring an extension, if you wanted to check in with BA (!). I tried, but nothing was happening, constantly rang engaged. I went to anyone who looked like they knew anything, who all shrugged and said for BA, just ring on that telephone. Eventually, after many fruitless attempts to raise anyone on the phone, we decided to walk through to the Swiss side, which is actually not legal, but we only had hand baggage, and we got away with it despite not having any boarding cards. We then checked in on the Swiss side, at the very last minute, and in a bit of a panic, and complained about the phone. The BA check in clerk discovered that the phone was "off the hook"! She was very apologetic but the whole arrangement was (as they say in Dar es Salaam) "shenzi". So far I have only checked in once with easyJet on the French side, and it went smoothly enough. Flying with BA is no guarantee of a hassle-free flight experience....
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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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have always been suspicious of trying to check in via French side - it appears only to be set up for French internal flights - Geneva to Paris, Toulouse etc. Even when returning hire cars on French side have always gone to Swiss to check in. (another pain in the backside - lug your luggage down stairs)
But point taken, BA are certainly not without their share of blips. Can guarantee you will not get "very apologetic" from EJ tho !
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Poster: A snowHead
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I drove to the Atomic boot camp in Tignes and found my way to Chamonix very easily. Just follow the motorway signs to France and then onto Chamonix.
I found holidayautos very easy to use but was a little annoyed at having to pay an extra 20CHF per day for full excess waiver which I could have sworn I had done online! Also they give you the option of buying a full tank of fuel so you don't have to find a petrol station on the return journey to the airport.
First time driving on the right was a laugh and you do have to concentrate but was not impossible.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
was a little annoyed at having to pay an extra 20CHF per day for full excess waiver which I could have sworn I had done online
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whatever you do online, or when booking, and however many full insurances you take, this always seems to happen with all car hire outfits. A bit of a fiddle, and irritating, especially when there are noises about "no hidden charges". . The extra charges for additional drivers can be very steep, too. In the six years I have been hiring cars in Geneva, or arranging it for others, the overall costs seem to have risen quite steeply. The best deals were from the short-lived EasyRentacar outfit, if booked well in advance, like the flights. Maybe they gave such good deals they never made any money - and it was a bit of a hike from the terminal.
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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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This Holidayautos excess waiver issue has happened to me too.
If you buy the HA excess waiver, the hire company at Geneva Airport (eg National) will sometimes try and sell you their excess waiver as well.
We were caught out by this once and, like mjr, shugged our shoulders, "I thought we had it, never mind" and paid. But we DID have it. It wasn't much for a few days, so we didn't worry about it.
Last trip, we got the HA waiver and the car got a scratch, probably while it was parked somewhere. National were very efficient and explained that, as we had the HA waiver, the credit card would be charged for the repair, and HA would refund the charge to the credit card within seven days. You don't need to do anything else, it all happens automatically, ring them if you don't get your refund. (It hasn't arrived yet, but this was only three days ago).
No doubt it's just that they get told to check that everyone has their insurances in order, but watch out for this one, it could add up to a lot on a longer trip. if you have the HA waiver, you do NOT need the hire company's own waiver as well.
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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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hehepam w, I remember that Easycar drop-off very well. The sign to it was about the size of a cigarette packet, too.
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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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firebug, and between the terminal and the pick up point, puzzled people with trolleys full of stuff, and tired kids, up and down in lifts, past the station, round that funny bus stop place. Then having to crawl around the car, in that very dark car park, searching for scratches. Or cleaning the car down (on one memorable occasion) with an old pair of Y-fronts because they charged you extra if you took it back dirty. All character building stuff. Cheap though, and on the Swiss side. The hassle was was nothing compared to the depths of rage and despair of those who had driven round the airport fourteen times looking for the way into the French side. The first time I did that I was with my sister, who had done it before, and kept telling me (quite rightly) to follow the Ferney Voltaire signs. Her husband, who had never done it before but fancies himself as a navigator and has an authoritative air even when he gets it wrong, telling me something different. Me driving with them quarrelling in the back and giving me contradictory instructions! These days, though I get in and out of any bit of Geneva airport with my eyes closed and put on snowchains with one hand tied behind my back, I am still scarred by some of those early experiences, when I would drive for miles with my heart in my mouth, and little traction, rather than grovel around in dirty muddy snow and get freezing cold working out what to do with the chains. When you do it a lot, it's easy to forget how unfamiliar and intimidating it can all seem.
PS But I still practice the snowchains at home every year, before the first wintry drive down
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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 forgot the fact that you got a car with a pint or so of petrol, and got no credit for any fuel you bought back, so spent the start and end of your trip either hunting for petrol stations or expecting the vehicle to splutter to a halt at any minute. In fact, no wonder the venture was not a great success!
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Last week Europcar (booked through easy jet as the cheapest) were sending cars out with full tank and making it quite clear that you should return it full or they would charge you for the fuel and a service charge for doing so. (Petrol went up 15c a litre during the week  )
The nearest fuel pumps are credit card only by the World trade centre. Right hand side AFTER you have passed the turning for hire car return. After fuelling follow signs back to the airport. (Basically takes you back over the motorway and around in a circle to the hire car drop off turning again).
Previous visit with Holiday autos you could pay 60chf in adavnce and return the car empty. Much better system IMHO.
(How anyone can properly check a car for damage in that underground car park is beyond me!)
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Nearest pumps are take the Ferney exit and either cross the border into France (pumps immediately on other side) or head up the hill to Geneve Centre Ville and there's a brace of BP garages about a mile up the road. Europcar offer you the option -and as I've never managed to return it empty, I prefer to fill up !
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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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boredsurfin, they normally give you the option, although you have to decide at the point of rental. I suspect if they weren't giving you the option they were breaking their Ts & Cs and banking on most punters not knowing the system.
The pre-paid fuel, bring back empty option is worth it if you're going to use a large proportion of their petrol (I seem to recall 150kms being the break even point) and you then need to be careful to return it as close to empty as you can. Ideally coasting down to the car park on fumes and having to get Mr Hertz to help you push it inside.
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David Murdoch, I did get a vague look and slight shrug before he said you are better off bringing it back full
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FAQ
My embarrassing inability to tell left from right has struck again. Thanks for the heads up!
