Car hire from Geneva airport to Annecy – French or Swiss airport exit?
Mar 10th, 2011 by lakeannecyexpert
If you are going to fly into Geneva airport and asking yourself whether to check out and hire a car on the Swiss or French side of the airport, than read this post. The short answer is: If you are new to the area, don’t know Geneva and the region, check out via the Swiss side and hire a car from a Swiss car hire company! Otherwise you take the risk of getting lost and you could potentially add more than an hour to your journey to Annecy. Here is why.
I know my way to lake Annecy but still had problems
I have been driving from Geneva to Annecy at least 100 times in my life. I always hire a car on the Swiss side, which gets me onto the motorway next to the airport and with the new motorway extension into Annecy within 30 – 40min drive. Yesterday I did not.
I got ‘conned’ by one of the online car hire companies into hiring a car from the French side. The only provider (holidaycars) only gave me the choice of ‘Geneva airport’ which by default should be the Swiss side of the airport, but when I booked and printed the rental voucher it told me that the car has to be picked up on the French site. I was a little puzzled, but can’t be too difficult.
From the French airport side to lake Annecy is more difficult
Here the difficult bit. I checked out via the Swiss side, than had to go through customs again to get to the French side. The car hire desk on the French side had a massif queue (because car rental tends to be a little cheaper on the French side) so I waited 40 min to get a car. The Swiss operation is much bigger and much slicker. Once I got the car, I had to drive through a ‘French’ corridor road to get me into France, heading away from Annecy into the wrong direction. Once in France nothing is signposted and you need a navigation system to find your way to Annecy.
Knowing the region, I turned around and headed back towards Geneva and aimed for the motorway. Here another annoying thing. In Swiss you pay motorway fees for the year so if you hire a car on the French side this is not included and using Swiss motorways for 7 miles or 5 min cost you 30 Euro. Hire on the Swiss side includes motorway fees!! After 30 min of navigation through the suburbs of Geneva I got back onto the motorway, nowhere to buy the vignette to display so I chanced it and got over the boarder to France without paying. Not a risk you want to take when on holiday.
Go Swiss when travelling from Geneva airport to Annecy
What should have been an hours drive from Geneva to my house in Doussard, became a two hours drive. Including the wait at the car rental desk almost a three hour journey. I have a good sense of direction and know the area well so I did not get lost. Imagine you do this the first time.
My advice for your travel from Geneva airport to lake Annecy. Don’t checkout on the French side, don’t hire a car on the French side. Pay a little extra and get a car on the Swiss side and go straight onto the motorway. Don’t take a change! You will be better of that way. The swiss side is also better for Geneva airport transfers serviced by Alp2Alps.com, which we can highly recommend for friendly drivers