Travel details
Chalet Moonrise is 90 min drive from Geneva Airport or 3 hours from Zurich Airport. There is also an excellent rail network.
Geneva Airport
Major Airlines flying direct into Geneva from the UK include:-
Car Rental
All the major car rental firms are situated at Geneva Airport Also worth considering are Holiday Autos.
If you are travelling in the winters/ski season, do remember to book a ‘winter pack’ or snowchains. You may prefer to also book a 4 x 4 vehicle (does not have to be an SUV/off-roader, e.g. Audi A4 Avant).
It is inadvisable / illegal to drive in Switzerland in the winter without having winter tyres and a set of snowchains (we include instructions on how to fit them in your booking pack if booking in winter).
Driving from Geneva Airport
76 miles / 125 km – journey time approx 90 mins
The journey from Geneva Airport is very straightforward – being about 1 hour on the motorway past Lausanne and Montreux following around the top of Lake Geneva. Turning off at Aigle and driving up into the mountains through small picturesque mountain villages. We provide detailed driving directions and location details upon booking.
Airport transfers by Taxi/People Carrier
We would recommend Alpine Cab who offer a private chauffeur driven vehicle service. Prices are available on their website, but if you mention Chalet Moonrise at the time of booking, you will be offered their special contract price and with no additional supplement for Saturday travel. Their vehicles are fitted with DVD in-car entertainment and nearly all are 4 x 4. They have child and booster seats available.
By train from the Airport
There is an extremely reliable and civilised (typically Swiss) rail service direct from Geneva Airport to Villars and Barboleusaz (sometimes spelt La Barboleuse).
To find the train station from Geneva Airport, turn left after you come through Arrivals, past the car hire desks on the right and through the revolving door into Geneva Airport Railway Station. Ticket purchase counters are 50m on the right or you can use the ticket machines which are multi-lingual.
There is also a supermarket at the far end of the station where you can purchase provisions (although there are also several petrol stations on the way which sell provisions).
There are two rail options:-
Take a direct train to Aigle (pronounced ‘Eggler’.)
This takes about 90 mins. You can either pre-book a taxi to meet you from there and take you the final 30 mins to Barboleusaz and the Chalet (Taxi Tel 024 495 8484). Also, our local agent, Christophe Dubuis, is available for Aigle/Barboleusaz journies if pre-booked and charges approx CHF 80 one-way (check this at the time). (He is also the person you would deal with during your stay in the chalet and arrange for key hand-overs etc.)
Travel to Barboleuse/La Barboleusaz by train.
For this you will need to change at Bex (pronounced ‘Bay’) for the mountain train. (Some services also require a change at Lausanne). At Bex take the mountain train which stops on the area immediately outside Bex Station. It winds its way along the streets of Bex then climbs to the train stops at Gryon and then Barboleusaz. The fare is approx CHF 85. This entire journey takes about 2 hours 20 minutes. You can then pre-book a cab or our local agent for the short 5 minute journey up the mountain (this is a tough hike to walk up unless it is a nice day and you have no luggage !)
If you leave Geneva Airport later than around 7.30pm you will need to book the train to either BEX or AIGLE and get a taxi up the mountain. The mountain train from Bex to Villars stops running at about 9pm.
For train times and advance online ticket sales, go to www.sbb.ch
Driving from Zurich Airport
155 miles / 243 km – journey time approx 2 hours 50 mins
Driving from Calais (via Channel Tunnel or car ferry)
490 miles / 789 km – journey time approx 8 hours 50 mins
Driving from Paris and other cities
361 miles / 581 km – journey time approx 6 hours 50 mins
- Lyon - 149 miles (240km)
- Brussels - 430 miles (850km)
- Amsterdam - 530 miles (850km)
The AA have an excellent European route planner service on their website
If you bring your own car you will need a vignette to use the motorways (this replaces the toll system) and this can be obtained from the Swiss Tourist Office in London.
