France, the Alps and the Riviera.
Two very different Frances for a chauffeur company: the ski valleys an hour from Geneva, and the coast between Nice and Saint-Tropez. We run both, and the border in the middle is routine for us.
Where we collect
For the French Alps, the answer is usually Geneva rather than a French airport. Chamonix is about an hour and a quarter from Geneva, and Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Gets and the Portes du Soleil are all closer to Geneva than to Lyon. It is the shortest approach to major skiing anywhere in Europe.
Elsewhere we collect from Paris Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Le Bourget, from Nice Côte d'Azur for the Riviera, and from Lyon for the Tarentaise resorts. Cross-border work out of Geneva is a normal booking for us, not an exception, and our vehicles and drivers hold the documentation to operate commercially in France.
The routes we run most
- Geneva Airport to Chamonix, under Mont Blanc
- Geneva to Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Gets and the Portes du Soleil
- Lyon to Courchevel, Méribel, Val d'Isère and Tignes
- Nice to Monaco, Cannes, Antibes and Saint-Tropez
- Charles de Gaulle to central Paris, Versailles, Reims and the Champagne houses
- Chamonix through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Courmayeur, about twenty minutes
Crit'Air, tolls, and the weeks the coast stops moving
France runs low-emission zones on a sticker system called Crit'Air. Paris, Lyon, Grenoble, Marseille and a growing list of others restrict access by vehicle emissions class, and the sticker has to be on the windscreen before you arrive rather than bought at the barrier. Our vehicles carry the right classification for the zones we work in, which is the sort of thing that only becomes visible when someone has got it wrong.
The motorways are tolled, and on a long run such as Paris to the Alps the tolls are a real number. They are inside your quoted price rather than added at the end, which is worth checking with any operator before you book.
Two weeks a year the Riviera behaves differently. The Monaco Grand Prix in late May and the Cannes Film Festival each close roads, move drop-off points and fill every vehicle in the region. Both are entirely workable, but they are booked weeks ahead and planned as timed movements rather than as ordinary transfers.
Questions
What people ask us.
Which airport is best for the French Alps?
Geneva for Chamonix, Morzine, Avoriaz, Les Gets and the Portes du Soleil. Lyon for Courchevel, Méribel, Val d'Isère and Tignes. Geneva is closer to major skiing than any other airport in Europe, which is why most of our French work starts there.
Are you licensed to drive from Switzerland into France?
Yes. Our vehicles and drivers hold the documentation required for commercial cross-border work, which not every Swiss operator has.
Do I need a passport crossing from Geneva?
Carry your passport or national ID card. Both countries are in Schengen so there is usually no stop, but checks do happen.
Are motorway tolls included in the price?
Yes. French motorway tolls are inside the quoted price rather than added afterwards, so the figure you agree is the figure you pay.
Can you work during the Monaco Grand Prix or Cannes?
Yes, and both need booking well ahead. Road closures move the drop-off points, so we plan those weeks as timed movements rather than ordinary transfers.
Can you take us on to Italy from Chamonix?
Yes. Courmayeur is about twenty minutes through the Mont Blanc tunnel, and we operate on both sides.
Travelling in France?
Resort, address or airport, put it in and the price comes back straight away.