Cycling in Morzine

[[email protected]]

I'm going to be cycling in Morzine in May. Can anyone tell me if a bus
or train runs from Geneva International Airport to Morzine during the
month of May? I have searched several sites for bus/train schedules
but either there is no public transportation between these two cities
in May, or the schedule for that time period has not yet been
published. When I communicate with the tourist office in Morzine, they
refer me to the Altibus site, but there is no information there for
May.

Also, can anyone make a suggestion for the best way to get to
Interlaken from Morzine?

Thanks for any information.

Ken

 

[Tony W]

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I'm going to be cycling in Morzine in May. Can anyone tell me if a bus
> or train runs from Geneva International Airport to Morzine during the
> month of May? I have searched several sites for bus/train schedules
> but either there is no public transportation between these two cities
> in May, or the schedule for that time period has not yet been
> published. When I communicate with the tourist office in Morzine, they
> refer me to the Altibus site, but there is no information there for
> May.
>
> Also, can anyone make a suggestion for the best way to get to
> Interlaken from Morzine?

http://www.bahn.de has a good train information system

The Swiss one is none too shabby either

http://www.sbb.ch/en/

T

 

[John Hearns]

On Sun, 26 Mar 2006 11:20:13 -0800, mega_toad wrote:

> I'm going to be cycling in Morzine in May. Can anyone tell me if a bus or
> train runs from Geneva International Airport to Morzine during the month
> of May?

I used to live in Geneva. There are no direct trains from the Geneva
Airport railway station to the Morzine area.
However, there is another station across town called Geneve Eaux-Vives.
It is a bit of a smaller affair, and as I recall trains leave to Chamonix
from there.

I'm not sure about buses. The coach station in Geneva is just off the Rue
de Mont Blanc in the centre of town, shouldn't be too difficult to cycle
there from the airport.

I hate to say it but me, I would price up an Easycar rental car from the
airport. You have to pick them up from the car park of the Palexpo next
door. The airport has an on ramp to the motorway.

 

[John Hearns]

On Sun, 26 Mar 2006 11:20:13 -0800, mega_toad wrote:

> I'm going to be cycling in Morzine in May. Can anyone tell me if a bus or
> train runs from Geneva International Airport to Morzine during the month
> of May?
Looks like there is a train from Geneva Eaux-Vives to Thonon, which
involves a change at Annemasse. Journey time 44 minutes.
To get to Eaux-Vives from the airport you will have to cycle across town,
which isn't impossible.

No idea about Morzine to Interlaken, but there are trains from Geneva
Airport. Sho

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the links!
I'll check them out.
K.

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the information. Public transportation isn't sounding too
promising.
I was actually thinking about hiring a car and may look into that now.
K.

 

[[email protected]]

It appears that I may need to double back to Geneva to get the train to
Interlaken.
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my query.

K.

 

[Nick Kew]

[email protected] wrote:
> It appears that I may need to double back to Geneva to get the train to
> Interlaken.

'ang on, aren't you supposed to be cycling?

/me has mostly-good memories of getting off the ferry at Ostende and
cycling to Interlaken. Definitely no trains.

--
not me guv

 

[John Hearns]

On Sun, 26 Mar 2006 17:31:44 -0800, mega_toad wrote:

> It appears that I may need to double back to Geneva to get the train to
> Interlaken.

If you haven't booked anywhere yet, why not just stay in Switzerland?
Frequent trains to just about everywhere, cable cars to get your bike up
high. Major train station underneath the airport.
National network of cycle routes here:
http://www.cycling-in-switzerland.ch/
Sleeping in farmer's barns sounds good as well:
http://europeforvisitors.com/switzaustria/articles/schlaf_im_stroh.htm

 

[Roberto Divia]

[email protected] wrote:
> It appears that I may need to double back to Geneva to get the train to
> Interlaken.

Geneva to Interlaken via Jaun Pass is a ~170 Km ride across very beautiful
regions. The Jaun is a bit tough, but after that it's all down all
the way to Interlaken. The problem is that it takes ~100 Km to reach the
base of the Jaun from Geneva.

Another option would be to take the train to Bern and then bike to Interlaken
(flat but nice, a longer way via Langnau and Glauben is also possible) or
- my preferred - train to Aigle and then bike via Cole de Mosses and the
beautiful Simmental: a ride I did several times and that I have always
enjoyed. Biking from Geneva to Aigle is of course possible: flat (along
the lake) but long (~3 hours at sustained pace). Nice view (lakeside road)
and some big towns to cross (Lausanne, Montreaux, Vevey).

If instead you wish to take the train all the way, you'll find several
connections and many rides. Just watch out: not all the trains accept
bikes on board!

Ciao,
--
Roberto Divia` Love at first sight is one of the greatest
DepH Bat:53 Mailbox:C02110 labour-saving devices the world has ever seen
Route de Meyrin 385 ---------------------------------------------
Case Postale Phone: +41-22-767-4994
CH-1211 Geneve 23 CERN Fax: +41-22-767-9585
Switzerland E-Mail: [email protected]

 

[Roberto Divia]

Roberto Divia wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
>> It appears that I may need to double back to Geneva to get the train to
>> Interlaken.

Actually, I have just realized where Morzine is. If biking to Interlaken is
a viable option, then it is rather feasible. Morzine down to Thonon/Evian
and then Aigle-Mosses-Gstaad-Interlaken: a very nice ride! If you want to
take an extra col, then Morzine-Abondance-Morgins-Monthey-Aigle. The
detour must take ~2 hours while the tract from Aigle to Interlaken is
~4 hours.

Ciao,
--
Roberto Divia` Love at first sight is one of the greatest
DepH Bat:53 Mailbox:C02110 labour-saving devices the world has ever seen
Route de Meyrin 385 ---------------------------------------------
Case Postale Phone: +41-22-767-4994
CH-1211 Geneve 23 CERN Fax: +41-22-767-9585
Switzerland E-Mail: [email protected]

 

[John Hearns]

On Mon, 27 Mar 2006 15:29:45 +0200, Roberto Divia wrote:

Hi Roberto! Good to meet someone else from CERN on the newsgroup.
I used to live in the Old Town, then later on in Meyrin.

I leave it up to you to tell the group that cyclists in the canton must
have number plates

 

[Roberto Divia]

John Hearns wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Mar 2006 15:29:45 +0200, Roberto Divia wrote:
> Hi Roberto! Good to meet someone else from CERN on the newsgroup.

Hi John, happy to hear from you too.

> I leave it up to you to tell the group that cyclists in the canton must
> have number plates

Nope. We did some research on this triggered by a similar request in
this newsgroup. What we found out is that Swiss law imposes a vignette
(no number as such, it's just a sticker) for all *Swiss* bikes. This
sticker gives a RC plus some sort of basic identification. Bikers not
resident in Switzerland do not have to buy it.

From http://www.ville-ge.ch/geneve/amenagement/site_info-velo/infos.htm:
> La vignette vélo est une assurance RC pour les vélos. Cela signifie qu'en cas de sinistre causé à autrui avec un vélo, l’assurance couvre les frais, sans franchise, jusqu'à 500'000.- CHF (que le sinistre se produise en Suisse ou en Europe, ou en Turquie).
> Pour les personnes résidant en Suisse, cette vignette est obligatoire. Pour les personnes domiciliées hors de Suisse, ce n'est pas le cas. Par contre si le vélo est employé régulièrement pour se rendre en Suisse, elle devient également obligatoire. Cela s'applique de surcroît si le vélo reste en Suisse (stationnement).
> Cette situation est décrite dans le Droit sur la Circulation Routière (DCR), Ordonnance sur l'assurance des véhicules (OAV), chapitre 2, art.50
> Pour toute question relative à la RC vignette vélo, le n° vert 0800 000 685 (assurance Generali) vous renseigne.
> Vous pouvez acheter cette vignette à la poste, dans les postes de police, chez certains marchands de cycles, dans certains grands magasins etc...

In short, the sticker is not mandatory for non-Swiss residents excepted
when they use their bike regularly in Switzerland or if they park it
in Switzerland. Just show your UK passport. In any case, in 15+ years I
have never been checked (excepted when I had an accident, of course).

Said that, I am happy to have mine and I recommend all bikers to get
something equivalent (RC *and* accidents) in their country. For a
small price it may avoid lots of troubles.

Ciao,
--
Roberto Divia` Love at first sight is one of the greatest
DepH Bat:53 Mailbox:C02110 labour-saving devices the world has ever seen
Route de Meyrin 385 ---------------------------------------------
Case Postale Phone: +41-22-767-4994
CH-1211 Geneve 23 CERN Fax: +41-22-767-9585
Switzerland E-Mail: [email protected]

 

[Tony Raven]

Roberto Divia wrote:
> John Hearns wrote:
>> I leave it up to you to tell the group that cyclists in the canton must
>> have number plates
>
> Nope. We did some research on this triggered by a similar request in
> this newsgroup. What we found out is that Swiss law imposes a vignette
> (no number as such, it's just a sticker) for all *Swiss* bikes. This
> sticker gives a RC plus some sort of basic identification. Bikers not
> resident in Switzerland do not have to buy it.
>

You also have to have similar stickers on all Swiss skis but I doubt
anyone would say that skiers have to have number plates.

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

 

[Roberto Divia]

Tony Raven wrote:
> You also have to have similar stickers on all Swiss skis but I doubt
> anyone would say that skiers have to have number plates.

You mean the BPA? Those are not AFAIK mandatory. They only prove that the
skis have been serviced...

I'll look for more info.
--
Roberto Divia` Love at first sight is one of the greatest
DepH Bat:53 Mailbox:C02110 labour-saving devices the world has ever seen
Route de Meyrin 385 ---------------------------------------------
Case Postale Phone: +41-22-767-4994
CH-1211 Geneve 23 CERN Fax: +41-22-767-9585
Switzerland E-Mail: [email protected]

 

[Roberto Divia]

Roberto Divia wrote:
> Tony Raven wrote:
>> You also have to have similar stickers on all Swiss skis but I doubt
>> anyone would say that skiers have to have number plates.
>
> You mean the BPA? Those are not AFAIK mandatory. They only prove that the
> skis have been serviced...
>
> I'll look for more info.

The only info I could find is here:

http://www.bpa.ch/medias/info_medias/infomedia_2004/2004_11_09.htm

and other copies, all saying basically the same thing. It is a
non-mandatory, zero-legal-value proof that your skis have been
serviced in respect of a given procedure.

There is a mandatory sticker for cross-country skiers, but that is to
buy the rights to use a certain resort. Like a ski-pass...

Ciao,
--
Roberto Divia` Love at first sight is one of the greatest
DepH Bat:53 Mailbox:C02110 labour-saving devices the world has ever seen
Route de Meyrin 385 ---------------------------------------------
Case Postale Phone: +41-22-767-4994
CH-1211 Geneve 23 CERN Fax: +41-22-767-9585
Switzerland E-Mail: [email protected]