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getting to French side from Swiss side at Geneva?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi Guys - had a look at historical Snowhead car rental discussions and couldn't find a definitive answer on what you do when flying into Geneva on the Swiss side (me EasyJet this Friday) and then getting on foot to the French side (to rent a car from Alamo). I take it you just follow the signs for France pre-customs and hey presto you're there? Or is there a tappity-tap-tap bit of local knowledge required????
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
dg3............how do you know which side you arrive on? I'm flying BA beginning of Dec.
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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?
I rather thought it was to the right, the left being for flight boarding, but I've never actually needed to do it. I'm going back to the UK for a couple of days this weekend, I'll try and recall to keep an eye open.

However, it's Switzerland, the staff on the information desk will be delighted, if not to say to say deeply fulfilled, to tell you where you need to be.
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Dg3 its fairly easy to find the French side when you arrive - like you imagine just follow the signs.

BUT I still have nightmares about trying to find the way back into the French side of the airport to drop the car off. Make sure you leave plenty of time - the maps provided by the carhire shops are vague to say the least.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Dan, due to a particularly bizarre conjunction of French and Swiss national cultures, they mutually swapped bits of respective countries - the swiss offering the french a bit of the airport to do domestic flights with in return for some french land to extend the runway onto. Or something like that. So definitely if you're arriving from France and maybe if you're arriving on Air France you'll be in the French Sector. Otherwise I'm pretty sure you'll be Swiss side.
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Could you not pick it up on the Swiss side? We've had an Alamo rent a car in Geneva from the swiss side
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
thanks guys....seems like a case of following the signs and cheers for the tip Maggy on leaving extra time for French return shenanigans. But if you see a lost and bedraggled geezer at Geneva in a few months time, you'll know I had a few directional issues Wink
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
We booked the car at the Swiss side, and just went from there, altough I do remember being worried about it , it wasn't a problem.
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As people say, it's relatively easy to get from Switzerland to France in the airport - turn left when you get out through Swiss Customs, go along a bit then up one flight (escalator or , I think, a lift) and follow (relatively well hidden) signs back through French customs and you come out at a group of car rental firms. Going this way you can keep your trolley for your baggage (exciting on the escalator).
Once you have the car you then have to decide whether to stay in France (we always do when going to Cham - just go straight through Geneva) or whether to go back into Switzerland and pay them an extortionate 40 francs for the privilege of using a little bit of their motorway.
As Maggi says, getting the car back can be a little tricky - pay plenty attention on the way out to get your bearings - and remember you have to drive through a tunnel under the airfield.
Also, on the way back, you can't use a trolley after French customs because they have big bollards in the way. It means you have to haul your luggage for quite a distance. Depending on how many are in your party, and how much luggage you have, it can be worth dropping some people off at the (Swiss) entrance with the luggage while one (or two) return the car.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
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I have seen grown men weep, trying to find the French sector of Geneva airport. The secret - write this down - is to go past the sign to the airport, and follow signposting to FERNEY. This is the next exit (coming from Chamonix) after the airport exit. Then keep on ignoring signs to the airport, follow FERNEY, which will take you under the runway - once you have found that tunnel, you have it sorted. The entrance into the French sector is immediately after customs, on the left. There is an extremely cheap hotel just opposite, if you get stuck in geneva.

HOWEVER the arrangements inside the airport have changed, for the worse. There used to be a magic walkway through between Switzerland and France (streetside, not airside) with an orange signpost ). You just had to show the security guy your passport. But that now appears to be shut - I have asked several times, and its existence has been denied, in fluent English. it means you have to get back through the baggage hall, and can lead to all kinds of grief and delay. It can be like Alice in Wonderland, Geneva airport.

Like a previous commentator I have found the previously big price differences between the French and Swiss side car hire to have disappeared. it is FAR easier to rent on the Swiss side, their cars have the 40 franc motorway sticker, then to get out to Chamonix etc you just follow the green motorway signs to FRANCE (confusing, because in France autoroutes are signposted in blue!). It's a lot easier and quicker than going through geneva, except maybe at night when there's no traffic. Getting back to the Swiss side is a morceau de gateaux - just follow the airport signs.

Geneva is not ideal (I spend a lot of time there, picking up and dropping friends, as we have an apartment in France). I can strongly recommend Chambery - tiny little airport, you can park right outside for nothing, plenty of hire cars available, no international borders to bother about, huge supermarket a couple of hundreds yards away. Flybe flights from Southampton are at much more sensible times this year, though easyJet is still usually cheaper!

Geneva airport publishes a leaflet explaining how to reach the French sector without going into switzerland at all. I have never done it, but if one of your party has papers for France but not Switzerland, it could be vital.
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pam w, I'd echo your advice about hiring on the Swiss side, the price difference just wasn't worth paying for the motorway sticker. I'd alter your booking if you can. dg3.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Dont do it I drove round Geneva for an hour trying to find the French motorway signs-just pay the extra and get to the motorway in 10 mins
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