Car hire in at Geneva

Booking car hire from geneva airport, does anybody know whether i need to pick the car up Swiss or French if im heading to Courmeuyr/Mont Blanc tunnel. :D

You can pick up your hire car from either side. The hire docs will specify French or Swiss Sector.
If you collect your car from the French side, it probably won't have a Swiss Vignette, so avoid the Swiss Motorways until you reach France.

Additionally, if your car is located on the Swiss side, the hire vehicles are now off airport.

bandit wrote:You can pick up your hire car from either side. The hire docs will specify French or Swiss Sector.
If you collect your car from the French side, it probably won't have a Swiss Vignette, so avoid the Swiss Motorways until you reach France.

Additionally, if your car is located on the Swiss side, the hire vehicles are now off airport.

don't you always get winter tyres in Switzerland as it's a condition of insurance? while in France it's more hit and miss? apparently, obviously I don't rent cars in Geneva :lol:

Whichever side you hire it from - allow yourself an extra hour before check-in to find the flipin return place. We drove into Swizerland, back in to France, did a lap of Geneva - nearly threw a sat nav out of the window - came close to divorce and almost ditched the car before we found the return car park on the French side recently.

ise wrote:

don't you always get winter tyres in Switzerland as it's a condition of insurance? while in France it's more hit and miss? apparently, obviously I don't rent cars in Geneva :lol:

It's quite often charged as an extra on the Swiss side too :roll:

Watch out for a "Shuttle Bus" 9 CHF charge appearing on your bill, if you use the Swiss side. The car park is 5-10 minutes walk, it's well signposted and as the bus is rather small, you may wish to walk instead.

Thanks for those replies. Still not sure, if i collect French side i dont get winter tyres?! can anyone else confirm this. Sounds like theres not much differnce? Looking forward to returning the viechle, the wife and I normally end up arguing over directions, so this could be explosive!! :evil:

I hired from Swiss side a few weeks ago (holidayauto which meant Budget at Geneva). As stated you will get winter tyres and swiss motorway pass from the Swiss side.

Budget were one of the companies mentioned who sometimes add on the charge for winter tyres but they didn't charge me. No did they charge me for the "complimentary" bus. Nor would they have got 9Euros out of me. If they try charging, tell them you'll walk and get the bus anyway because there aren't any tickets.

Swiss side was quite easy to find from the motorway - quite well signposted to the airport and then there are signs for car-hire as long as you keep your eyes peeled. French side is apparently more difficult.

Unless the Swiss side is significantly more expensive I'd take it from that side. But, as stated,do allow an hour to return your car, go through the paperwork (the only place I haven't been able to dump a car and run) and wait for the bus to the terminal.

The conditions say you can take a car from Switzerland to the EU for no more than 8 days- but if it was longer I can't see how that would be enforced.

KevinC, the car hire company will have your credit card number, folks seem to be finding the 9CHF added on, when the next c/c bill arrives at home. One to watch.