Short Ski Breaks from Geneva Airport

There are two huge advantages that come with choosing Geneva Airport as your arrival hub for an Alpine adventure. First of all there’s the fact that so many of Europe’s best…or at least cheapest…budget airlines offer routes to Geneva Airport all year-round, meaning no matter when you’re looking to go you’ll not have to overpay for the privilege. And as far as the second benefit goes, Geneva just happens to be enviably positioned near some of the best ski resorts to be found anywhere in Europe.

It’s often considered something of an upheaval to try and squeeze a ski trip into just a few days or a weekend, but doing so via Geneva really is possible – even easy if you play your cards right. It’s all about planning ahead and covering all bases, while of course choosing a resort that won’t take an age to get to.

Ski Resorts Within Easy Reach

Now, what you have to bear in mind is that there is a ‘possible’ resort transfer time from Geneva Airport and a more realistic time you’re likely to be looking at. Some will tell you you’re only 45 minutes from Megeve, but more often than not a bit of traffic will see this heading more toward the 90-minute mark.

So with realism in mind, here are a few picks we recommend and the times you can expect to spend on the transfer bus from Geneva Airport:

Le Grand Bornand – Approx 55 minutes

La Clusaz – Approx 55 minutes

Les Carroz – Approx 60 minutes

Megeve – Approx 80 minutes

Chamonix – Approx 75 minutes

 

Now, bear in mind that these aren’t just random picks of where you could go if you’re short on time, but are instead some of the finest ski hotspots in the world that fall conveniently within the reach of Geneva Airport. Choose from any of these and just as long as you get those airline and transfer times right, a couple of days is really all you need.

Lighten the Load

Geneva Airport is as good as any when it comes to keeping things fluid, but in busy times it’s inevitable that you’ll be waiting…and waiting…to pick up your gear and baggage. Likewise, you’ll have to sacrifice an extra hour on the slopes to queue up at the baggage drop desks on your way home, so the best advice is to travel as light as possible with hand-luggage only and rent the gear you need when you get to your resort. It might not be your usual ‘thing’ but you’ll gain time the likes of which is truly priceless.

Transport Connections

And the same applies to resort transfer services too. The arrivals hall at Geneva is littered with companies offering shuttle services to all corners of the Alps, but do you really have time to join a queue, study a timetable and then wait a few hours for the bus to arrive? Of course not – you need to book ahead with a service that’s perfectly timed for your incoming flight and takes you right to the heart of your resort, pronto! These are the kinds of common sense things that can add valuable hours to your trip and really make a weekend ski getaway worthwhile.

Photo sources: flickr.com/photos/jrguillaumin – wikipedia.org – flickr.com/photos/skiolog – commons.wikimedia.org – flickr.com/photos/trailsource