Driving from Geneva to Annecy

Driving from Geneva to Annecy.

Carhire is available at Geneva airport from both the Swiss and French sides. It can be quite a bit cheaper on the French – however, Swiss cars tend to come with the Swiss vignette which allows you to drive on the Swiss motorways whereas those hired in France often do not. If you arrive alte at night the Swiss side rental desks are open half an hour later.

It is perfectly possible to drive out of Geneva avoiding Swiss highways and thus not have to pay for the vignette. It does take a little longer this way – but if you avoid rush hours then we usually reckon it’s about ¾ hour door to door.

Instructions for exiting Geneva from the French secteur without vignette.

You will land from the UK on the Swiss side. You will need to pick up any luggage and exit into the main entrance lobby through customs (exit rien a declarer).

Turn left in the main lobby and follow signs up the escalator to French secteur departures. Go back through French customs and there you will find the French car rental desks. From here its just a matter of going in the direction they point you towards the carparks, go down one level in the lift or down the stairs and you are in the rental carpark.

You turn right out of carpark and follow a fenced road for some wiggles.

At T junction at end turn right and go almost immediately through French border customs.

Keep straight through tunnel and then over the motorway and up the hill. Go through one roundabout.

You are looking for blue signs to Lancy which will be pointing right. Turn right onto Ch Edouard –Sarasin marked Lancy (blue sign). This turns into Ch Terroux.

At T junction turn left. Still following blue signs for Lancy and then Route de Pont Butin.

At fork take right lanes into Ave du Pailly (Etap hotel on left). Next fork keep left (think marked Lancy Blue signs again and Pont Butin)

Keep straight for Lancy and the Plan les Ouates (blue signs)

At Plan les Ouates follow blue signs for St Julien-en-Genevois and Perly douanes. D201.

Keep on through customs at Perly D201 and follow signs for Annecy D201

At A40 intersection with D201 you can choose to keep on the D201 all the way to Annecy, or follow route A40 to A41 intersection and take the A41 peage down to Annecy. The peage will get you to Annecy in under half an hour, the D201 takes about ¾ hour depending on traffic. In Feb 2012 the peage cost us about 6 euros 40 cents each way.