vnfilm1

I am looking for recommend / inputs regarding car rental at Geneva Airport . There is two members in my party . I prefer Automatic transmission for our 7 days trip . Here is my question:

a) The name of company which you normally hire a car at this airport

b) Did you get any problem for renting / returning rental car

c) Please share pro / con to rent a car at Geneva Airport and your experience

d) Which type of car you recommended us to rent. We will have 2 luggage ( 1 carry on, 1 medium size checked luggage)

e) Can I use my California Driver license to drive in Switzerland

f) Any thing we need to be aware before renting a car in Switzerland.

g) How much it normally cost for renting a car for 8 days.


Thank you

jackal

Can't share specifics to all your questions, but I did want to make a couple of notes:

-If you merely "prefer" automatic but "can" drive a manual if needed, you should strongly consider driving a manual. An automatic will be significantly more expensive.

-A US-issued DL is generally sufficient in most other Western countries, though it never hurts to stop by your local AAA and pick up an international driving permit just in case you run into that one agent at that one agency in that one city who decides to enforce some obscure policy to require one.

-There is no such thing as a "normal" rental cost. I'm in Alaska now. Three and a half weeks ago, a friend picked up a rental car here for $3 per day. Last night, I looked for a car here for someone else and couldn't find anything less than $150 per day. Plug in your dates and see what comes back.

rcspeirs

Geneva airport has a "Swiss side" and a "French side". Cars rented in Switzerland will have a "vignettes", which you must have for motorways. Cars on the French side are sometimes cheaper, but probably won't have a "vignette", so you'll need to buy that and add it to your cost comparison. If you drive a car without a vignette on a motorway, you will very probably be caught and fined.
If you want an automatic, you need to reserve one. Otherwise you'll get manual transmission.
There is no "normal" cost. Pricing is dynamic. You just have to get quotes and see who has the best deal for your dates.

ticino

We have rented from Hertz on the Swiss side a few times. No problems but I do prefer renting in Zürich as in Geneva you have to take a bus to the parking where the cars are. Last time the bus was full, had no air conditioning and it was almost 30 degrees outside. Fortunately my bags arrived late so KLM took them to the hotel.

We always rent automatic. Last time we got a small Mercedes, A200 I think. One thing to keep in mind is that you cannot drive the fancier Swiss cars into Italy, I think this is true for all rental companies not just Hertz.

In general it is cheaper if you pre-pay and also get the full insurance (if you want full insurance) online. I would say 700 CHF for a week is reasonable for a medium car including full insurance.

vnfilm1

Thank you ALL for valuable input .

This is my first trip in Switzerland. And we plan to drive within Switzerland.

Is it easy to find a parking in city . We plan to visit Geneva area, interlaken, Grindewalt

Do you recommended to bring a portable GPS from home or should I rent a car with it included
@ticino,
Do you recall how long it takes to take the shuttle from Geneva airport to car rental parking?

When you return a rental car, do you return at parking area or at airport. Is there any gas station close to airport to refill gasoline before return the car rental

Please advise

bhomburg

All major agencies give you the choice of renting from the French or Swiss side. For example, Avis has 'Geneva Airport (French side)' and 'Geneva airport, Swiss side' on their website. Generally, rentals on the Swiss side are a good deal pricier than those on the French side, but they have a greater selection of automatic cars especially in smaller, non-premium car groups.
Just compare both options before booking.
The 'vignette' toll tag which you'll need to travel on Swiss highways and is included on all rental cars in Switzerland costs all of 40 CHF, in case you need to buy one when renting from the French side. This usually is more than offset by the difference in rental cost. Also, especially if you have a diesel car, fuel is cheaper in France, so fill up there before returning if you want to save a few bucks.
https://www.gva.ch/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-72/ has all the details about how to rent a car at GVA.

If you want to drive into Italy, carefully read the fine print of your contract and/or research to verify before reserving/picking up. Some agencies limit which cars you may take into Italy - Avis doesn't let you drive there with Mercedes and BMW models, for example. France is generally OK, as is Germany.

It is pretty easy to find parking, but be prepared to pay dearly, especially in Geneva (also, if you stay at a hotel, check parking rates. Those can be very pricey there). Personally, I wouldn't bother with a car while staying in Geneva and only pick it up before leaving.
Switzerland generally has street parking regulated and limited. Check if there's a 'parking disk' in the car, because you'll need it to park in the ubiquitous 'blue zones'.

rcspeirs

You said "gasoline". Your car might be petrol or diesel and it is imperative that you refill with the correct fuel. Misfuel will cause catastrophic damage to the engine (multiple thousands of any currency you care to choose) and you will be charged for that.
If you are staying in Geneva, do not pick up the car until you leave.