Hi all,

 

Has anyone driven to Switzerland (e.g. Geneva or Zurich) in late December?

 

What was it like? Is it possible or does the weather make it a no-no?

 

Also, has anyone driven in Switzerland in December?

 

We are thinking of going there but I am not sure whether to:

 

a) fly there and use trains;

b) fly there and hire a car;

c) drive there and use the car everywhere.

 

Using trains seems sensible except with 2 kids and lots of luggage, cars seem far more convenient.

 

Any advice much appreciated.

Hi all,

 

Has anyone driven to Switzerland (e.g. Geneva or Zurich) in late December?

 

any advice much appreciated.

Yes mate, just off to bed but will reply tomorrow with all the info you need :thumbup1:

 

 

Info as promised.

 

I have been flying in and out of Geneva 3 to 4 times a month for nearly 2 years so am very familiar with the Airport and surrounding area.

 

Option a) fly there and use trains?

From your location you can fly from Gatwick or heathrow but I prefer Gatwick as its just easier and the on airport parking is about the same price as the off airport parking and so easy.

Sleazyjet run about 5-6 flights a day to Geneva but its a crap service (the push and shove airline) unfortunately its the only carrier that runs a regular daily service to Geneva from Gatwick so I have no choice but to use it.

However BA run a ski season service that starts on the Sat 3/12 through to the end of March, I use it during the winter months and believe it or not the service is cheaper than Sleazyjet...! you get allocated (leather) seats, complimentery food and bar service, 23kg baggage allowance to sleazys 20kg and its rarely a full flight. the service is superb, you can easy get a quote for the dates and times from both websites.

People are being hoodwinked into thinking that Sleaze airways are the cheapest but not always, the only thing thats guaranteed with Sleaze is the poor service..!

there is a SBB mainline rail station right outside the airport and I attach a link for you to check train times and destinations.

 

http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

 

Option b) fly there and hire a car?

when you exit Geneva you can choose to exit on the Swiss or the French side. All the major car hire companies have a desk there (Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, Alamo) you can book your car online before travelling and unless theres a particular offer on with one of the hire companies I have regularly booked through a website called Autoeurope. enter your dates on their website and they will get you the best deal with whoever.

Hiring a car on the Swiss side is generally a lot more expensive than on the French side.

There are pros and cons, hiring on the Swiss side means the car will come with a windscreen Vignette so you can go straight on the swiss motorway without fear of a fine. also the car collection point on the Swiss side is right beside the motorway so easy away and return.

 

Hiring on the French side the car will not come with a Vignette but this can be purchased at the border crossing for 40 Swiss Francs for a minimum 12 months Vignette. Returning the car is a little more tricky as you have to drive round the houses a bit to find the drop off point, you cannot collect the car in France and drop it off on the Swiss side and vice versa.

 

Option c) drive there and use the car everywhere?

Should not be a problem in December, certainly the French and Swiss are much more efficient at keeping the motorways clear than in the U.K.

As all the motorways are toll roads they have snow ploughs running continouosly during the bad periods and they dont use Salt, instead the ploughs spray the road with antifreeze which seems to work a lot better. if there is snow then the minor roads may be impassable but main roads shouldnt be a problem.

The cheapest route to Switzerland is through Germany as the motorways are Free but if you plan a stopover in any German city a pollution sticker may be required. see website below

 

http://www.tolltickets.com/country/germany/emissionsticker.aspx?lang=en-GB

 

Driving through France will cost about 70-80euro in tolls but the roads are much better and less traffic. Sorry but Petrol is expensive everywhere as in the U.K.

 

Any questions just ask.. :thumbup:

wow some top notch infomation there croeso. So much so I actually believed I was going on this trip by the time I'd finished reading it :D

ive driven through geneva in early jan, was -20 but perfectly ok

 

worst bit was driving back up the m20

Croeso - an absolutely superb response and very informative.

 

I will certainly be in touch for any questions.

Croeso - an absolutely superb response and very informative.

 

I will certainly be in touch for any questions.

 

No worries mate

 

 

:boat: