Hi all,

I will soon start a new job in Geneva. However, I'm looking for an apartment to rent somewhere near the border. Hopefully, it will be Annemasse. Worst-case scenario would be Annecy (not because of the town, but because of the distance).

I pay ~30 euros at toll booth to enter Switzerland by car, which is not very cheap. I found this "autoroute blanche" website regarding "telepeage", but I couldn't find anything about Geneva: http://www.atmb.net/atmb/en/autorout...-vehicles.html

Those of you who already commute from France to Geneva on a daily basis, could you help me find relevant information?

Thanks a lot in advance.

I dont commute from France to Geneva but I cross the border into France at least once a week to go shopping. I have never paid tolls to visit the towns just over the border and the tolls to Annecy are approx (cant remember exactly) 6 euros each way.

There is a wealth of closer possibilities to explore before you settle on Annecy. You should also look at Ferney Voltaire. It's very popular and you can even get a bus directly to Cornavin station.

There is an annual charge to use the motorways in Switzerland. You buy a Vignette for 40 Swiss Francs and that's all you pay for the year. It's fantastic value compared to a lot of other countries.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the tips!

We cross near Saint Julien (so south of Geneva), not at Bardonnex which is often very busy, but at the smaller, un-manned crossings. A lot of new buildings have gone up in this area, quite a few of them being appartment blocks. Vulbens, Vaillery, Viry, etc. No road toll fees (except the Swiss sticker, and you don't need that unless you go on the autoroute), we can be in Acacias/Carouge in less than half an hour. Whether this is any help will depend on your final destination in the city I suppose.

it doesnt cost anything to get into switzerland at ll .. but there are a few tolls near that general area.. on the way to chamonix

personally i would not try to avoid living in annemasse as it the worst area around..

Thank you all for such valuable information. I guess I could try selecting "Avoid toll roads" next time I turn my GPS on

What you save in costs in Geneva, you will waste in commuting time, tolls, gasoline, car costs etc, I think if you look closely the saving will be minimal. Swiss fiscal authorities allow Chf 0.60/km to be deducted for traveling costs, so you can safely assume that this is about the actual cost as fiscal authorities don't hand out presents.

Use this to calculate and maybe Chf 30.-- per hour for your time.

If anyone is still reading this thread...

I have a couple odd questions about this, pardon my ignorance:

1) Do they deal with passport issues/stamps when crossing the France/Swiss border like this every day via train?

2) If one were counting on the allotted 90 days visa-free tourist time in Switzerland (or in France, for that matter, if it's the same there...), and if you lived in France, commuting to/from Switzerland everyday, do the allotted 90 days get used up on the Swiss 90-day allotment or on the France 90-day allotment...? Maybe this depends on the answer to question #1...

Does this make any sense to anyone...

In answer to question 1), there are rarely, if ever any passport checks. You may be randomly asked for id, but that's all

For the original poster, the 30 Euros is a one-off charge per-year, so will work out a lot cheaper than the 6 euros or so charge per day from Annecy. This shouldn't therefore be the deciding factor on where to live.

It seems to me that parking in an underground parking in Geneva is quite expensive, and the center of town is congested at rush hour as well.
So perhaps a better idea is to park in Annemasse and take the tram.
Is anyone in the know on the parking situation in Annemasse?