whitearrow

Hi,

This may all seem very stupid, but we're going to arrive very tired and I'd like to have things planned rather than trying to figure it out on the fly.

We're flying to LHR, then LHR to GVA and taking ground transport via Mountain Drop-Offs to Chamonix in September. The Mountain Drop-Offs confirmation email says: "Our uniformed driver or representative will meet you on the Swiss side of Geneva airport in the arrivals hall. Turn left out of baggage reclaim, our desk is next to the Tekoe Tea Shop. Please keep your mobile phone with you and turned on once you are inside the terminal so that we can contact you."

So, my questions are, since we're going to France and not spending any time at all in Switzerland other than the airport:

-- Should we go through French customs and immigration, and if we do this, is there a way to get back to the "Swiss side" that is easy to find and navigate so we can find our driver?

-- Or should we go through Swiss customs and immigration? Does it matter that much? Eventually, we'll be returning to London via Eurostar. Will the French immigration people look askance at our passports if we never got an EU entry stamp?

Thanks for any help.

airoli

There is no way to arrive in GVA on an international flight and not exit through Swiss immigration and customs.

The direct-to-France exit only works if you arrive on a "domestic" flight from France.

Switzerland and France are both part of Schengen (along with many other countries). Once you've entered Schengen (here: into Switzerland), you can move freely within it. You will get an exit stamp when you leave the Schengen area (here: from France via Eurostar).

whitearrow

Thank you, that's very helpful. The search results I was getting were confusing. I appreciate the clarity, and will appreciate it even more after ~15 hours of travel on the day.

enelym1978

It's really super easy and straight forward.... flying from LHR, follow the signs to the luggage reclaim, exit and you'll see all these transfer companies right in front of you, slightly to your left. The area is all yellow, can't miss it.

whitearrow

Thank you!

GregWTravels

I've used Mountain Drop-offs before. It's a very short walk after you have left the baggage hall (as they say, to the left). You'll see a number of booths on your right after the tea shop. One of them will be Mountain Drop-offs.

Ldnn1

Just to add here, you will in fact be driving through Switzerland for quite a distance before you cross into France. You can see the route on Google maps. Where you�ll cross is a different part of the border than the one at the airport.

Not that you will notice as there are no formalities as you drive - this being the Schengen area as described above - but you can keep an eye out for the signs.

NickB

Indeed. Even with one's own car, going to Chamonix from Ferney-Voltaire (which would be the French side of the airport) without going through Switzerland would involve a substantial detour. Going through Switzerland (even if coming from the French side of the airport) is the normal, sensible route.

tom tulpe

From France to Switzerland and vice versa there are no immigration checks (Schengen zone), but customs checks can and do happen, because Switzerland is not part of the European Union.

CarlTheWebmaster

Worth noting that sometimes (often?) rental cars are a lot cheaper on the French side. (Seeing "Ferney-Voltaire" reminded me of the somewhat-circuitous-but-easily-navigable journey from the French side of GVA to Meribel, through Switzerland.)

whitearrow

Thanks, but we decided we really don't want a car in France. We have already arranged transport from the airport to Chamonix and will be using the bus from Chamonix to Lyon and the trains otherwise.