 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi y'all.
Heading to Nendaz again this new year - arriving GVA at about 2pm. Car hire on the French Side.
Was thinking I could save some cash by going for a 'big' shop in the French sector - it has got to be miles cheaper than Swiss resort prices?
So can anyone offer some advice about where to head for such a French sector superstore?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes, there are two;
#1 is a carrefour - come out the the French Sector where you pick your car up, turn left and go through Douannes, at roundabout take 1st exit.
#2 I can't remember the name of it but at roundabout take 3rd exit (ie turn left) a couple of KM down there it's on the LHS
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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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are you driving? when you head over the boarder there's a big migros in annemasse by mcdonalds and H&M  cant miss it...
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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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Thanks for the advice.
Yes I am driving - does Migros not equal - no alcohol!
Marcellus - I am picking the car up in the French sector - to I have to go through the Douannes?
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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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| Fifespud wrote: |
Thanks for the advice.
Yes I am driving - does Migros not equal - no alcohol!
Marcellus - I am picking the car up in the French sector - to I have to go through the Douannes? |
from memory the Annemasse Migros is in a sort of mall with a booze shop next to it
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cantridepete, is the pass to Verbier even open?
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| midgetbiker wrote: |
| cantridepete, is the pass to Verbier even open? |
I would think it would be - but you'd never go that way out of choice - maybe to avoid Swiss motorways but it's a long way round.
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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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it is now i believe, but it was closed a couple of days ago. I'm really not sure what the best route is from gva to nandaz though, the pass is the only way i've gone cos were so close to it....
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Can't imagine why you would go via Annemasse (and south side of Lake) or Chamonix (and over the pass).
Surely the best option is North side of the lake, Lausanne,Montreux, up the Rhone valley to Martigny head for Sion and then turn off for Nendaz. Would think it is about 1 hr 30m (2 hours max)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| DJL wrote: |
Can't imagine why you would go via Annemasse (and south side of Lake) or Chamonix (and over the pass).
Surely the best option is North side of the lake, Lausanne,Montreux, up the Rhone valley to Martigny head for Sion and then turn off for Nendaz. Would think it is about 1 hr 30m (2 hours max) |
Indeed. You can do it in 1hr 45 driving quickly, struggling to do it much quicker than that. It takes about 1 hour and a half from Nendaz (an hour from Verbier maybe?) to Chamonix and it's difficult to drive quickly on THAT road - although some do!
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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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| Quote: |
come out the the French Sector where you pick your car up, turn left and go through Douannes, at roundabout take 1st exit.
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no, if you come out of the French sector and turn left, you're in France, you don't go through the customs that way. Then, yes, right at the roundabout and right again at the next IIRC, signposted "Centre commerciale"
Yes, the Migros at Annemasse has no booze and I wasn't too impressed with the booze shop when we were there - a bit pricey, I thought - obviously not for impoverished British skiers who are looking for quantity rather than quality. 
If you come out of the French sector at geneva then you have to go back through onto the motorway (ie turn right at the exit, then immediately through customs) to go almost anywhere except up into the Jura. Buy a Swiss motorway vignette right there, if you don't have one.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
come out the the French Sector where you pick your car up, turn left and go through Douannes, at roundabout take 1st exit.
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no, if you come out of the French sector and turn left, you're in France, you don't go through the customs that way. |
errrm Pam... technically once you pick the car up and leave the car park you're in Switzerland, certainly by the time you get to the road under the runway you are so you actually have to cross back into the France.
The road from the car park exits about 50m in Switzerland, so turning left takes you to the Douannes and back in to France.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
errrm Pam... technically once you pick the car up and leave the car park you're in Switzerland
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sorry, might have misunderstood your message which said:
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come out the the French Sector where you pick your car up, turn left and go through Douannes, at roundabout take 1st exit.
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if you come out of the French sector having picked up a car there, you drive out into France, at Ferney Voltaire. If you pick up a car at the standard place on the international (Swiss) side then it's more complicated than you've written to get to the French sector. Unless there's a better way, I'd get onto the motorway heading towards Lausanne then take the next exit to Ferney Voltaire, and follow signs to Ferney which will take you under the runway. Then through customs, then it's right at the next two roundabouts to get to the supermarket (which is a v good big one, with long opening hours).
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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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Ah but the OP said;
| Fifespud wrote: |
| Car hire on the French Side. |
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Poster: A snowHead
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marcellus, yeah, exactly. And when he comes out of that long road surrounded with barbed wire he will be.............................................................
in France!
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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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Totally confused now. I'm going to head for the Carrefour - which way do I turn, do I go through customs first etc.
May not sound like it but I really appreciate the help folks.
Out of interest - are the Swiss pouring in to France to shop - is it miles cheaper as we sometimes find between North/South Ireland?
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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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Fifespud, if you pick up a car in the French sector, you drive out through a long roadway with high wire fences. At the junction with a main road you either turn RIGHT, through customs, under the runway and onto the motorway (where you can turn left towards Lausanne or right towards France, Chamonix, Annecy etc) OR, being already in France and wanting to go to big cheap French supermarket, you turn left, away from the customs post. There's a roundabout just a few hundred metres up the road (and you could note the fuel station for filling up when you come back) where you take the first exit (ie right) and then just a few more hundred yards you turn right again, signposted to a Centre Commerciale, where vast great supermarket will be found.
If you then want to get back onto the motorway, whether to drive up round the lake towards Lausanne or back, past the international side of the airport, and onto the Bernex border post and France, you need to turn left at both those roundabouts, through customs, under the runway and onto the motorway.
A map or aerial photo isn't very helpful because the road routes in and out of that airport owe more to politics than to geography. There are absolutely no signs whatsoever, on the Swiss side, to the French side. On the other hand ALL the signs saying "AIRPORT", even when you're still in France, lead you to the Swiss side. There is one very insignificant sign to the French sector, immediately after the Ferney Voltaire border point.
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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 - I've driven out of the French side - maybe 3 times in my life - I was convinced customs was a right turn - now you have confirmed it - thanks.
Brilliant instructions - I'm cutting and pasting them right away.
Are the prices as I imagine?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Fifespud wrote: |
Totally confused now. I'm going to head for the Carrefour - which way do I turn, do I go through customs first etc.
May not sound like it but I really appreciate the help folks.
Out of interest - are the Swiss pouring in to France to shop - is it miles cheaper as we sometimes find between North/South Ireland? |
Depends what you're buying....if it is meat then yes, it is about half the price (although technically you can only bring in 500g of meat per person to Switzerland, although it will be bad luck to be stopped). Other things are a bit cheaper, although I've never really done a true like for like comparison. However one good yardstick is that the last time I was at the Carrefour in Ferney half the cars had Swiss plates.
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Used to work in Ferney-Voltaire and lived in the Pays de Gex - The large supermarket mentioned was a Lion I believe and it was a bigun' even 20 years ago. The site has probably been extended is under a different name now.
Ferney has or did have a big outdoor market on Saturdays and is/was always packed with people coming from over the border in CH. Swiss customs used to have a field day!
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The large supermarket in Ferney Voltaire is now a Leclerc, as marcellus, mentioned take the 3rd turn off at the rounabout i.e turn left. The petrol is pretty cheap there if you have the time when you are returning your car to the French side.
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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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marcellus mentioned two supermarkets - for one (the one I know) he said you turn right (first exit) at the first roundabout, and for the other you turn left (third exit).
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From memory the Carrefour just once you turn left out of the French airport exit is well marked - we found it without issue in a torrential downpour in the summer when trying to exactly the same thing as you
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, The one I was referring to is the one you turn left to (third exit) at the roundabout, it is a large Leclerc opposite the Novotel and F1 in Ferney Voltaire.
It is under 5 minutes drive from where you come out of the French sector, you turn left onto the main road (away from the Douannes) and it is maybe 100 metres to the first roundabout. You turn left and just follow the road until you come to the next roundabout across from the Novotel. You turn left at this roundabout into the large car park.
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FAQ
) you can come off the motorway at sallanches and go to the big carrefour, its just off the main road so its on the way. again you cant miss it 
