 Poster: A snowHead
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Birmingham - Geneva - Zurich – Davos - Scuol - Zurich - Geneva - Grenoble - Les Deux Alps – Grenoble - Birmingham
Hi all, I’m departing on a little adventure next weekend for two weeks. I thought I’d post my plans on here to see if anyone has any useful tips/tricks?
I depart from Birmingham early Saturday morning with the intention of getting to Zurich by 17:00 to meet some friends flying in from Hong kong.
I’m actually flying to Geneva because I was able to get a cheap flight from my local airport.
Geneva to Zurich
So stage one is to get from Geneva to Zurich via train. I’ve read that this is a very scenic journey. I have a British passport and assume no problems travelling to Switzerland?
I’ll have my Skis boots and one of those wheelie cases with me.
Zurich – Davos - Scuol
From Zurich, my friends (should, hopefully) have everything under control.
Scuol - Zurich - Geneva
On the Friday, I intend to leave depart from a place called Scuol, and head back to Zurich and then back to Geneva. Once in Geneva, back at the airport, I will pick up a pre booked rental car.
Geneva - Grenoble - Les Deux Alps
I’ll then drive down to Grenoble, stay overnight in a cheap etap type hotel and pick up some friends from Grenoble airport in the morning before headed down to Les Deux Alps.
Les Deux Alps – Grenoble - Birmingham
A week later, drop the car off at Grenoble and fly home.
I think this could be a lot of fun…..
(The car hire has all been taken care of by a friend.)
My only concern is crossing over between Switzerland and France, I assume this is easily done at the airport??
Thanks for reading this, Any thoughts?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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p3te_hill, Geneva to Zurich airports easy, get the train you may need to change at Bern or Biel or if you catch the 13.36 train from the Airport there's a through train with no changes that gets in at 16.50, deppending on which one you get it should take between 3.10 and 3.15 hours, coming back the other way is equally simple, if you are getting into Geneva very early you could have a look round Geneva first (though I'm not hugly impressed by the place) or you could go to Bern and Break your journey there, a better bet as the Station is right in the City center and there are some nice sights to see within easy walking distance. You could even arange for your luggage to be sent on ahead of you to Scuol saving you the effort of lugging it on and off trains and arround airports.
Crossing from Switzerland to France is very easy though it actually occurs a short distance from the Airport
Other than making sure that the car has snowchains included and grabbing a map so that you can find your way into france without going on the Swiss Motorway you should be fine
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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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Great, thanks very much for that.
I really like the idea of breaking the journey, I should have plenty of time.
How would you go about arranging the luggage to be sent ahead?
My French is a little limited, speak a little German, I'm hoping that poeple at Airports/Stations will be able to assist me in English?
Many thanks again.
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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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...also
If I arrive at Geneva Airport via train from Zurich (probably changing at Geneva, to get to the french side - to pick up my rental car, do I have to go through this border you talked of, a short distance from the Airport?
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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p3te_hill The 'border' to the French side of GVA is actually inside the airport itself, you can walk through from the Departures terminal - no problem with any EU passport; the crossing point is tucked away in a corner at one end of the terminal - follow the signs for 'Secteur Francais'.
Cars hired on the French side don't normally have a Vignette (Swiss motorway tax) sticker on their windscreens, so after you drive out of the French sector you have to make sure you avoid crossing into Switzerland, otherwise you'll be stung with having to buy a Vignette at the border. Here's a link to the official access directions for all routes in/out of GVA, including the one avoiding Swiss territory.
And just in case you need it, here's a link to further info on Les Deux Alpes.
Best wishes for a great trip.
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to pick up my rental car, do I have to go through this border you talked of, a short distance from the Airport?
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p3te_hill, no, at the airport itself it's a matter of walking through a not-very-prominently signposted corridor to "France". No problem with English speaking assistance at the airport. Once in your car, your fun will begin, if you don't want to pay the 40 swiss francs needed to drive back into Switzerland, and along the Swiss motorway for about 10 - 15 minutes to the border mentioned by D G Orf.
It is confusing - you can get from the french sector of Geneva (on the edge of a town called Ferney Voltaire) by staying entirely within France, but it's a fiddle of a journey. Easier and quicker to head straight back into Switzerland and drive through Geneva (follow signs to the airport, then the signs for Geneva Centre). Easier and quicker still, buy a Swiss motorway vignette.
You will need a map - for example to find that Grenoble airport is way north of Grenoble. Viamichelin.com is very useful for route finding and gives you options for avoiding tolls (though once into France you'll want to use the péage (toll) motorways if you need to get a move on.
Provided you're a competent navigator and prepared to use snow chains and encounter some poor road conditions, your trip sounds great fun.
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p3te_hill, I've found that in Switzerland most Swiss people speak English as a second language, for sending the baggage on ahead you will need to go to teh Airport Station, there you will find an information point where I am sure someone will give you further directions, they usually say allow a couple of hours more than your journey as the luggage won't always be on the same train as yourself, that's why I mentioned it as from the sound of it you will have plenty of spare time, where I go to (Wengen) the hotels even go and fetch the luggage from the station for you, but so long as you arrive at the station before the Luggage area closes you will be fine, worth checking what time that will be for your destination Typically it's arround 8pm but may be earlier or later, if you arrive after it's closed you will have to wait till the next morning so consider that when packing.
For the railways it may be worth you looking at a 3 day Swiss Flexi Pass, valid for any 3 days within a 30 day period, it covers you for many of the trains, steamers and post coaches in Switzerland, so you could use 2 of the days for going to and from your destination to Geneva and have a third day available to go sightseeing if the weather was dreadful or something, the normal option of the Swiss Transfer ticket is not any good to you as you are not going direct from your point of entry into Switzerland to your destination
3 day Swiss Flexi Pass is £146 2nd Class or £220 1st Class and can be bought before you travel from http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/ticketverkauf_uk_en.php
By comparrison a second Class Return from Geneva to Scuol would cost 260CHF and a first Class one 430CHF So you'd be getting a small saving on second class and a huge saving on first class fares at todays exchange rate
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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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Sorry, meant Swiss Transfer ticket or Swiss Card Need to buy transfer ticket outside Switserland, but can get Card at station. Dont know about stops on journeys though,
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lizski, You can make stops on your journey with a transfer ticket but I have a feeling that you are only supposed to do so at locations where you change trains, with a Swiss Pass you just get on and off wherever and whenever you want, Swiss cards just give you a discount and would probably not be worthwhile on this journey, also you can't use a Transfer ticket on a non direct route such as the one above, I've used a Swiss Pass many times and the Transfer ticket on a number of occasions, but in this case I reccomend the 3 day Pass because of the indirect route
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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p3te_hill, I don't have the finer details but the SBB sell a sort of combi ticket to skiers that gives you discounted rail and lift pases plus 15% off Intersport rental. The SBB have been touring resorts plugging this over the last few weeks all over Switzerland, the discounts were in the order of 30% on lift passes, I'm not sure which resorts were involved but its certainly worth asking when you but your tickets, The last hour or so up to Davos on the train is particularly scenic, We made it last month from Flumserberg to Davos for a day trip and loved it.
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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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D G Orf, I understood Swiss card is like Transferticket plus you get halffare on any other tickets you buy inbetween.
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lizski, I think you're right, however the problem for p3te_hill, is that he can't use either the card or the Transfer ticket because he's not using the direct route from Geneva to Scuol and back to Geneva, although he's not going far off of it, by going to Zurich Airport he breaks the conditions of the ticket, Now he might get away with this because truth be told I have gone From Zurich Airport to Zurich and back without the ticket being checked however if it were then the chances are that he might be asked to pay for a new ticket, of course he might not be or he could say that he'd missed getting of at Zurich and had turned arround and come back at the next station, or he could just buy a ticket from Zurich to Zurich airport.
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You know it makes sense.
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If you are hiring your car on the french side, watch out for the cost of winter tyres and snowchains. Its obligatory to 'winterise' hire cars in switzerland - not so in france.
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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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All theoretical as he might have own arangements, but I would buy Swiss Card, do transfer from Geneva airport to Zurich and back later, then all other tickets you can get at half price. Might work out good value, and as you can buy it there, dont have to decide untill later.
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Poster: A snowHead
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lizski, Actually all he'd have to pay in theory is from Zurich to Zurich airport return as the direct route to Scuol from Geneva goes via Zurich
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks D G Orf, Lizski, Pam w, Frosty and sarep.
This is all very interesting. I'm going to have a think about this and post back my thoughts.
I guess travelling with a ski bag is fairly simple, do you just take it on the train with you or does it go in a special luggage area?
Again, thanks to all for this really really useful information.
Pete
...now to sort out the slight pain in my boots!
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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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p3te_hill, many Swiss trains have luggage capacity at either end of the carriage, I've never had a problem finding space fopr my luggage on a Swiss train, the same cannot be said of UK trains. If you register baggage through to your destination you can send the ski bag as well, if you arrive late at the destination you can pick it up first thing in the morning from the station
I ought to add that I've travelled all over Switzerland by train over a number of years so have a fair bit of experience of doing so 
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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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p3te_hill, If your going to Davos then you should go and see Hierling in Davos by the BMW garage, they are expert boot fitters and where the reason I visited Davos for the day. You should make an appointment as they are extremely busy, particularly if you want an evening appointment (to avoid missing time on the slopes). http://www.heierling.ch . They were expensive (plus 30% for the exchange rate too) but for the first time in a few years I can ski all day.
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FAQ
