{"id":21124,"date":"2017-12-20T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2017-12-20T10:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zestcarrental.com\/blog\/?p=21124"},"modified":"2025-01-28T11:09:46","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T11:09:46","slug":"hire-car-geneva-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zestcarrental.com\/blog\/hire-car-geneva-airport\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide to Hiring a Car from Geneva Airport"},"content":{"rendered":"

*Updated for 2025*<\/em><\/p>\n

Travelling between sides of Geneva Airport<\/h2>\n
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Due to some recently applied security updates to Geneva airport, you’ll only be allowed to pass between the Swiss and French side of the airport if you have a valid air ticket for +\/- 1 day of when you’re trying to pass through. This applies to moving between each side.<\/p>\n

If you’re collecting from a different side of the airport but don’t have this, you’ll need to travel by road and you may open yourself up to requiring a Vignette<\/a> although most hire cars from the airport come equipped with one already.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Geneva airport has two sides<\/h2>\n

Geneva Airport is located on the Swiss-French border and is a common place to land for those wishing to hire a car in Switzerland<\/a>. However, the northern limit of the airport straddles the Swiss-French border which can lead to complications. Although there are two terminal buildings at Geneva Airport, Terminal 2 is only used for certain flights in the winter. It is closed at other times. Therefore, you will arrive in Terminal 1 and after collecting your luggage, you will need to proceed to the car rental providers desk.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019ll be spending your holiday in France or in Switzerland will determine which side of Geneva Airport you\u2019ll want to hire your car from.<\/strong> If you plan to holiday and drive in Switzerland, it is best to collect your hire car from the Swiss side of Geneva Airport<\/a>, as the car will come supplied with a vignette necessary for driving on Swiss roads. You\u2019ll also need to consider the hire of winter tyres or snow chains<\/a>. Some of the suppliers located in the Swiss side may provide these free of charge during certain times of the year.<\/p>\n

The car rental desks are located in different locations for car collections in the French side and in the Swiss side. When collecting your hire car from the French side of Geneva Airport<\/a>, you will exit the airport on a secure road which will take you across the border, into France.<\/p>\n

You can view a map of the terminal building on the Geneva Airport website, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What are vignettes and do I need one?<\/h2>\n

Vignettes are badges that are required to drive on any Swiss motorway. They are required to be purchased and displayed no matter how short your trip on a Swiss motorway will be. They cost 40 CHF and are only available as an annual pass.<\/p>\n

If you’re collecting your hire car from the Swiss side of Geneva airport<\/strong> then the car will come with a Vignette supplied and will be included in the price of the car rental.<\/p>\n

If you’re hiring from the French side of Geneva airport but wish to drive in Switzerland<\/strong> on a road requiring a Vignette, you’ll need to double-check that the car has a Vignette supplied as it’s not guaranteed. It is supplied most of the time but it’s best to double-check.<\/p>\n

When you get your Vignette or into the hire car which has one, make sure to double-check that it’s displayed correctly as there is a fine for displaying it wrong. Make sure the sticker is stuck directly to the windscreen and not behind the tinted portion of the windscreen. It’s not enough for the Vignette to simply be visible on the dashboard it has to be stuck to the windscreen directly, don’t use tape as this renders the Vignette as tampered with and therefore invalid.<\/p>\n

Geneva Airport \u2013 French side<\/h2>\n

We currently work with the following providers on the French side of Geneva airport:<\/p>\n