Geneva car rental – French or Swiss side

  • Sidbee78
    Participant
    2 posts
    6 September 2022 at 0:46:34 #828273

    Me , my wife & 2 Children plan to spend first 6 nights in Switzerland (1 Night in Geneva , 3 Nights in Interlaken, 2 Nights in Zermatt ) and final 2 nights in France ( 2 Nights in Chamonix)I am planning to rent a car for inter city travel and Half Fare Swiss Pass for Mountain Excursions ( Jungfraujoch , Titlis & Matterhorn ). Renting from Switzerland would include the Vignette , but not the Breath Analyzer needed for France and Vice Versa. Planning to rent in France as the Rentals including Insurance are much cheaper . Few Questions :

    1. Where can i find the Vignette ? , as i plan to take the Car from the Airport and spend the First night in Geneva.

    2. Is a rental car from France allowed into Switzerland?

    3. How much would be 24 Hrs Public Parking be roughly around in Geneva , Interlaken , Tasch ?

    4. Are Credit Cards accepted for Parking, Tolls etc ?

    What do you the experts suggest?

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    Anna
    Moderator
    6277 posts
    6 September 2022 at 7:23:49 #946538

    Hi Sidbee78,

    Welcome to MySwissAlps.

    1. Hiring a car from France may be cheaper but not all cars are supplied with the Swiss motorway vignette. You can buy the vignette online or from the gas station or post office. You can find more information here: http://www.myswissalps.com/motorwayvignette, https://www.myswissalps.com/car/carrental.

    2. Yes, if you have a rental car from France, you are allowed to drive into Switzerland. Be sure you have the vignette.

    3. The cost of parking varies from town to town. Generally, it’s CHF1 per hour. In larger cities, parking can be a little tricky and expensive. You can find useful parking tips here: http://www.myswissalps.com/car/parking

    4. There are no tolls in Switzerland. The motorway vignette covers that. In most public parking space, the most common payment method is cash (coins) or TWINNT (mobile payment). Some places however do accept credit and debit cards.

    Let us know if you need more info.

    Regards,

    Anna

    Sidbee78
    Participant
    2 posts
    6 September 2022 at 16:53:20 #946539

    Thanks Anna for your reply .

    Is it possible to stay the first night in Geneva and then go back to the French side of the Airport ( Enter from Swiss Side) on foot , to pick up the car ?

    Thanks

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    6 September 2022 at 22:27:15 #946540

    You can walk through the airport from Swiss to French side without any problem due to free movement (Schengen).

    You may find it also much cheaper to stay in a hotel in Ferney Voltaire, the French town (village when I grew up there …) on the French side of the airport

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    7 September 2022 at 6:02:45 #946541

    Hi there,

    yes, you can do that. If you are looking for accommodation in Geneva, have a look at this list: http://www.myswissalps.com/geneva/hotels.

    Ildiko

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