The A40, known as the Autoroute Blanche, is the motorway that carries traffic from Geneva up the Arve valley towards Mont Blanc, and it is the main road from Geneva Airport to Chamonix, about 90 km and 1 h 15 away. Along the way, its exits serve the Portes du Soleil, the Grand Massif, Megève and Saint-Gervais. AirportsTransfers.ch chauffeurs use it daily, in every season.
- Route: Geneva, Annemasse, Bonneville, Cluses, Sallanches, Passy, Chamonix
- Chamonix from GVA: about 90 km and 1 h 15
- Megève from GVA: about 75 km and 1 h 10
- Ski area exits: Portes du Soleil and Grand Massif via Cluses, Megève via Sallanches
- Border crossing: the route crosses the border into France just outside Geneva
Leaving Geneva
From the airport, the drive skirts Geneva and crosses into France on the eastern side of the city, joining the A40 near Annemasse. The first stretch runs through the busy suburbs and commuter towns that have grown up around Geneva, with the Salève, the long limestone ridge overlooking the city, rising to the right. Traffic here can be dense at rush hour, especially in the evening when cross-border workers head home, so timing matters even before you reach the mountains. Beyond Annemasse, the motorway follows the broad lower Arve valley, with the first Alpine summits appearing ahead.
Through Bonneville and Cluses
The valley narrows past Bonneville, and the motorway reaches Cluses, a town long known for watchmaking and precision engineering. The exit here is the key one for two major ski areas. Heading north-east, roads climb through Taninges towards Les Gets and Morzine in the Portes du Soleil, a huge area of linked resorts straddling the French–Swiss border. Heading east, the road to Flaine and Les Carroz rises steeply above the valley, while Samoëns and Morillon lie in the Giffre valley beyond; together they form the Grand Massif. On a clear day the jagged peaks above Cluses give a first taste of high mountains.
Magland, Sallanches and the Mont Blanc view
After Cluses, the motorway threads the narrow Magland gorge, where the Arpenaz waterfall drops down the cliff beside the road in a single long fall. Then the valley opens dramatically at Sallanches, and if the weather is fine, the whole Mont Blanc massif suddenly fills the horizon ahead, its snowfields often bright even in summer. It is a view that regularly silences first-time visitors, and on the return journey the mountain fills the rear window instead. The Sallanches exit leads up to Combloux and Megève, and Passy and Le Fayet, a little further on, give access to Saint-Gervais and Les Contamines, as well as to the Mont Blanc Tramway.
Viaducts and the climb to Chamonix
Near Passy, the motorway becomes a fast mountain road that climbs towards Chamonix on a series of viaducts and tunnels, hugging the slopes above the Arve. The Egratz viaduct, curving high above the valley, is the most striking of these and a memorable moment of the drive. Beyond Les Houches, the road enters the Chamonix valley proper, and a branch leads off to the Mont Blanc Tunnel towards Italy. Snow and ice can affect this upper section in winter, and the French mountain law applies, so vehicles must carry the right equipment from November to March.
Tolls, traffic and timing
The A40 is a toll motorway, with barriers along its length, and the mountain road beyond Passy is toll-free. On winter Saturdays, traffic towards the ski resorts can slow considerably around Cluses, Sallanches and the resort roads, and summer weekends bring their own holiday flows towards Chamonix and Italy. Early starts or evening travel usually make for a smoother trip. On the way back to the airport, cross-border commuter traffic around Annemasse in the late afternoon is worth factoring in, especially before an evening flight. In fog or low cloud, which can sit in the lower Arve valley in winter, the drive is often grey until Sallanches, after which you may emerge into bright sunshine. Rest areas along the motorway offer fuel and food, and at the end of the journey, Chamonix and Megève both have plenty of choice for a well-earned coffee.
Driving the Autoroute Blanche with AirportsTransfers.ch
For Chamonix, Megève, Saint-Gervais, Morzine, Flaine or Samoëns, book your transfer from Geneva Airport online with AirportsTransfers.ch. The fixed price per vehicle, including tolls, is shown before you pay by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Your chauffeur meets you with a name sign in arrivals, tracks your flight and waits if you land late. Choose a Mercedes E-Class or S-Class, a V-Class for up to seven passengers with skis, or a Sprinter minibus for groups, ask for child seats if needed, and declare skis when booking. The team is reachable 24/7 on +41 78 346 56 77 by phone or WhatsApp.
