Car Hire France Offers in Numerous French Locations

The numbers of passengers using Geneva Airport is on the increase according to a recent report. Eleven and a half million people used the airport in 2008 meaning an overall increase of 5.7% on 2007.

The news comes as a surprise to many considering the current economic recession. Easyjet is one of the main airlines using the airport. The growth of the airport looks set to continue for 2009 with one hundred and ten thousand passengers in the 1st weekend of 2009 which is the 2nd highest number ever recorded at Geneva.

It was thought that numbers would be down this year however many local Geneva business’s are reporting healthy numbers. It seems that ski holidays are an essential part of many people’s lives and will not be one of the first things to be cut.

A recent report by the IATA has shown a four and a half percent drop in airline traffic worldwide in November. It is believed that numbers will continue to drop over the year. There was an 8% drop in traffic when compared with November 2007.

Don’t forget to get a quote from our car hire Geneva service if you require a Geneva rental car for your visit.

So why am I writing about car hire Geneva on a car hire France website? It’s in Switzerland isn’t it? Well yes but Geneva Airport is actually on the border of France and Switzerland so is in fact split between the two countries.

103km of Geneva Cointrin International Airport’s border is shared with France while just four and a half km are shared with Switzerland. The airport is situated 5km form the city of Geneva. Passengers can enter from either country. Passengers entering from the French side and remaining within France do not have to go though border checks.

It normally works out cheaper to hire a car in the French section of the airport. If you hire a car from the Swiss section of the airport then you rental car will come with a sticker called a vignette. This sticker is needed to gain access to all the motorways in Switzerland.

So if you hire a car on the French side and intend travelling to Geneva then you will need to purchase a vignette from a petrol station or post office. However even taking the cost of the vignette (€25) into account you are still likely to find better value rates on the French side of the airport.

Geneva is a city which is well known for many things such as being

Headquarters of the UN
Home of the cuckoo clock
Home to the rich

But of course the thing it’s best known for is skiing. Geneva is situated between the Alps and the Jura mountains making it a prime location for skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts.  There are over 100 ski resorts within a three hour drive of Geneva. Some of these are located in bordering countries such as Italy and France.

Popular ski resorts include Morzine, Zermatt, Courmayeur, Wengen and Val Thorens. For advanced skiers or snowboarders looking for a challenge, Chamonix may be the answer with its tough terrain and surprise adventures.

If you are after an authentic alpine holiday then Gstaad could be the perfect spot with it’s charming picturesque Swiss architecture.

If you need a hire car to get about then take a look at our car hire Geneva airport service. We source the widest range and best value Geneva car hire rates available and present them for you to compare for yourself in our simple to use cost comparison booking engine.