Geneva airport, also known as Cointrin Airport, is one of the main airports serving the ski resorts within easy driving distance such as Chamonix, Morzine, Courchevel, Val Thorens and La Plagne. It is situated right on the edge of the city of Geneva with easy access to the motorway. The train station is also located next to the airport terminal so there is good transport links into the city and to other destinations.
Geneva airport is unique in that it is right on the French/Swiss border and the airport can be accessed from both countries directly. Most travellers choose to go the more direct route via the motorway into Switzerland and then the airport is literally just over the border crossing. However if you are driving you must then purchase an annual vignette to allow you to drive on the Swiss roads and this costs around 30 Euros. Sometimes people choose to hire a car on the French side of the airport as it tends to be cheaper, but this means they do not have the vignette for Switzerland and thus the journey from Geneva airport to any of the French ski resorts is around an hour longer as you must drive around the edge of the Swiss border on the French side.
Geneva airport has the longest runway in Switzerland and is the main airport for a large number of airlines including Easyjet. In 2010 close to twelve million people passed through the airport. Many of those then took Airport transfers from Geneva to one of the several close by ski areas.
Geneva airport is only around an hour from Chamonix ski resort and a little over an hour from Morzine. Many travellers arriving at Geneva airport are going on to the Three Valleys ski area in the Savoie region of France. An airport transfer from Geneva to Courchevel takes around 2 hours, while a transfer to Val Thorens at the opposite end of the Three Valleys takes around 3 hours.
There are many companies offering Geneva airport transfers, although care should be taken to ensure that the company has the required documentation to allow them to legally operate as a transfer company in both France and Switzerland, including a French transport licence and the Canton of Geneva Swiss Taxi licence.
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