Carmen
Travel editor at Reisedrop · 2026-09-20
In Geneva, the old reflex says: for cheap flights, go through Zurich or even Lyon. The truth is more nuanced. Cointrin has become easyJet's biggest base outside the UK, and on dozens of routes Geneva beats Zurich hands down. Here's how to search – and where the real deals depart from.
Where Geneva is unbeatable
Lisbon, Porto, London, Barcelona, the Greek islands in summer: across the easyJet network, Geneva regularly shows returns under 100 francs when you book six to eight weeks ahead. Add SWISS's direct flights and Edelweiss's holiday routes and Cointrin covers most western-Swiss travel needs. The classic trap: a Friday-evening departure at the start of the Geneva school holidays – prices double. Shift by one day and marvel at the difference.
When Zurich or Basel is worth the trip
For long-haul, Zurich remains the hub: New York, Bangkok, Singapore non-stop. Count three hours by train – but on an 800-franc ticket, a 200-franc difference easily pays for the ride. Basel-Mulhouse, two hours from Lausanne, completes the low-cost network towards eastern Europe and Portugal. Our tip: always compare all three airports in one go – our search does it if you add several departure airports.
What about Lyon?
Lyon Saint-Exupéry, under two hours from Geneva, plays in the French market: to North Africa and certain sunshine destinations, prices are sometimes clearly lower than in Switzerland. Honestly: for a standard European return it's not worth the detour. For a family trip to Marrakech, it is. Watch out for late-night returns – the last train to Geneva leaves early.
The Romandie booking rhythm
Western Swiss school holidays don't fall like the German-Swiss ones: relâches in February, Easter, then summer from early July in Geneva. Result: flights from Cointrin spike one to two weeks before Zurich prices do. Book February holidays before the end of November, summer before March – and otherwise a Tuesday or Wednesday departure remains your budget's best friend.