GVA questions
 

My husband and I are leaving for GVA at the end of the week. Frommer's mentioned that GVA has an ATM of sorts which will allow us to get Swiss Francs directly by putting in $20, $50 and $100 bills. Is this still true? If it is, it seems like an attractive alternative to putting in an ATM card and getting charged 3% for using my card. Does the direct currency exchange provide a good exchange rate? The same as using my ATM card? Just curious.

Also, I know we can store our luggage at Cornavin. Is there also a storage facility at GVA as that would be more convenient for us than at Cornavin.

Thanks for your help.

I got better rates at the GVA ATMs than at the bill exchange machine but that was last year.

At the CFF railway station area at GVA there is a place to leave your baggage that is open from around 7.30 a.m. until around 7.30 p.m. or something like that. There are also automatic self-service baggage lockers.

I recall seeing the conversion machine that the OP referred to at GVA some years ago. I was waiting to meet up with a fellow traveller from another flight at the rental car counters. I remember standing next to the machine and facing the Hertz counter.

But I prefer ATM's.

You always get better rates at ATMs than changing Notes into Notes, Bills into Bills. Devisen versus Sorten ... and my NetBank does not charge any fees for ATM.

Today at OANDA:

$100 Notes = CHF 123.53 Notes
$100 ATM = CHF 131.83

Looking at the Frommer's page you referenced, I believe the machines mentioned give exactly the same exchange rate as manned UBS counters, e.g. a not so great +/- CHF0.05 from the official rate. This comes out to slightly more than 3%...

The GVA manned 'left baggage service' is located in the adjacent train station just past the ticket counters and charges a rather steep 7CHF per bag per day. It is listed as open from 7:00 to 19:30.

I have a different question for the experts on GVA. My wife and I are flying into GVA on the 30th. I am flying from CDG on AF and she is flying from EWR on CO. Where is going to be the best place for us to meet? Will I have already cleared Customs in CDG or will I have to clear again in GVA?

Any and all help is very much appreciated.

You'll both be clearing immigration/customs at the same and only exit in Geneva, Swiss side (there is a separate exit for the French side).

There is nowhere to wait airside at the arrival level, all arriving passengers are funneled into immigration; you certainly won't be able to go wait at the CO flight's arrival gate, and v.v. If your flights arrive at similar times, I recommend the few chairs landside just outside of customs; standing in front of the immigration booth waiting for the other party could attract unwanted attention...

For a somewhat longer wait, there is a beverage outlet with a few tables immediately to the right upon exiting customs, which also happens to have view on the baggage claim area.

monahos is certainly a better expert than I am, as I only fly once a year to GVA. My understanding is that AF flights (as well as LX flights, all operated by AF) leave from CDG2F1 (Schengen), which means that you are already in France, either because your travel originates in CDG or because you are connecting in CDG, for example, from the US (and therefore need to clear immigration in CDG)

Why do these flights leave from 2F1 ? Because they are Schengen flights, as they arrive in the French sector at GVA aiport (BTW, they're still international flights with respect to mileage earning, thank God). When you arrive in GVA, you can either go to the French sector, with no immigration or customs check, or go to the Swiss sector, where you will clear French immigration, Swiss immigration and Swiss customs ... and the luggage belt goes through both the French and the Swiss sectors.

Any correction from the local experts is welcome, as this is only an once i a year experience, dating back to February for my yearly pilgrimage to CVF ;)

JOUY31 is, as always, 100% correct on the French issues. The French emigration booth is rarely manned, IIRC.

It is just that anyone flying into the Swiss sector of GVA, even from ZRH or BSL, must go through Swiss immigration and customs which, fortunately, are hassle-free in the vast majority of cases. The minority might consider taking the train, which most people do anyway for domestic trips :)

I'd meet in front of the Hertz Car Rental counter on level -1. I recall seeing chairs facing the Hertz counter. And there is only one Hertz counter, too. This is on your way to the rail station at GVA.

See www.geneva.ch/TerminalMap.htm

Thanks for everybody's help. :)

We returned from GVA on Saturday and everything worked out so easily. Thank you for your help. I easily found the "left luggage" area of the GVA rail station and we used our ATM cards directly for cash. Thanks again.