Chamonix Skiing
   










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Chamonix Skiing

Location and directions

If you intend flying into Geneve, try to book your car from the Swiss side of the airport and not the French side. From the Swiss side of the airport you are immediately onto the Autoroute and your car will have a Vignette (a sticker on your windscreen allowing you to drive on the precious Swiss Autoroutes!!). Taking your car from the French side means you either have to buy a Vignette (not cheap) or drive through the centre of Geneve which is time consuming and not so straightforward on the return journey.

Chamonix from the Swiss side of the airport

On exiting the underground car park, move immediately into the right hand lanes and follow signs to France. You quickly end up on a long straight road with a number of sets of traffic lights. Follow this until you hit a major "T" junction (always following signs to France). At the "T" junction turn left and move immediately into right lane and take first right (only few 100 metres from "T" junction). This highway will take you through the border control (prize available for the first person to make the Swiss customs officials laugh, or even smile). Once you're in France you'll start to see signs to Chamonix and it's all very straightforward (staying on the A40 all the way).

About 30 Km from the airport you'll hit the first Peage (about 1.70 Euro but subject to rapid inflation) and after another 30 Km you'll hit the second (3.60 Euro in 2008 at least). The apartment is 100Km from the airport.

As the A40 autoroute runs out you soon start climbing up from the valley to Chamonix. You'll pass through 2 tunnels and after the second keep your eyes open for slip road marked St Antoinne & Les Houches. It's the 2nd exit marked Les Houches after you exit the 2nd tunnel. After a few hundred meters you'll hit a mini roundabout. Take 2nd exit and follow this road past a supermarket on your right (this is your local supermarket and as good as any around). A little further you'll leave the buildings of Les Houches then watch carefully for a sign to the right marked Chamonix. Take this. If you miss it go to the roundabout a few hundred meters further on and turn round. After turning right (it'll be a left if you've had to turn around at the roundabout to retrace your steps) take the second right turn up the hill (miss this right and you'll immediately rejoin the main dual carriageway you left a few minutes ago heading towards Chamonix). 20 meters up the hill is the left turn onto our complex of apartments. Turn into the complex but from the lower car park turn right and go to the upper car park. Our apartment is in block C (written above the garage door) and the entrance to our apartment is on the nearest corner to the car park and up the external stairs.

Returning to the airport - Swiss side

Head down the valley and onto the Autoroute. Follow signs to Geneve then airport (be careful of speed cameras while you're in Switzerland - they'll get you for 1 mph over the speed limit. Why do you think Switzerland is such a rich country??).

Close to the airport follow signs to arrivals/departures and as you drive over the road you were on you'll see a sign (in tiny letters) to car rental return. Park the car somewhere near where you picked it up and return the keys to the appropriate kiosk in the car park. Then it's up the stairs, lift or escalator to the departure level and the Easyjet check in is to your extreme left (very last counter).

Chamonix from the French side of the airport

If you are unlucky and can only book a car on the French side, follow signs for Geneve centre. You will cross the bridge over the end of Lake Leman and shortly afterwards pick up signs for Chamonix and Evian. Some distance after crossing the bridge and heading always straight on towards Chamonix (don't take the turn to Evian) you'll need to turn right at a set of traffic lights (marked Chamonix). This will lead to a T junction where you'll turn left (again marked Chamonix). Can't go wrong from here.

Returning to the airport - French side (assuming your car doesn't have a Vignette)

As you're approaching Geneve on A40 Autoroute, at junction 14 avoid signs to airport and stay in left hand lane marked Geneve/Vallard. This will quickly bring you to border control. Keep following signs to Geneve centre which in fact is always straight on. After many traffic lights the road eventually bends sharply to the right and brings you to a cross road. Straight over this and up to the T junction. Turn left here onto Rue du Rhone. Keep in right lane and at traffic lights turn right and over bridge (Lake Leman will be on your right). Stay in left lane as you cross the bridge and as you head directly up the hill once over the bridge you'll start to see signs to airport (always straight on) until eventually there is a turn to the right (clearly marked airport). Take this but now be careful not to follow signs to airport because that will bring you to the Swiss side of the airport (wonderful system eh??). Instead keep right and follow signs to Ferney (I've recently heard that the signposting has changed here and I'll update this bit once I've done the journey again myself). This will bring you to border control and immediately after customs there is a turn left (you'll think you're turning into Colditz as you'll be driving between wire fences on both sides of the road). This will bring you to the French side of Geneve airport and car rental return is signposted.

Food shopping

Les Houches now has 2 very good supermarkets but there's a massive Carrefour in Sallanches if you want to drive down there.



This link to Multimap may be useful. The apartment is on Route de l'Ecole. Click Here