KAREN & THE CONSTABLES

Geneva is known to be one of the most expensive cities in Europe, but it doesn’t have to be an expensive trip. Here’s how we saved money when we booked a last minute break to Geneva.

Allan tasked me to find a cheap break away, so I excitedly accepted the challenge. This would be our first trip overseas since the COVID pandemic put a stop to our plans and I was keen to get away.

Flights

First of all I headed to Skyscanner to search for the cheapest flights for our available dates, and we managed to find Easyjet return flights from Edinburgh to Geneva for £63 return each.

The more flexible you can be, the better. We were limited to set dates so couldn’t get flights for any less.

Accommodation

Before I booked the flights, I checked out the prices for hotels, hostels and apartments. I looked at hotels in central Geneva but these were more expensive, so I did a map search on booking.com and found a hotel near the airport which was much cheaper but with great transport links. Our hotel was the Ibis Budget Hotel where we stayed for 2 nights at £72 per night.

Use search tools first, then check prices on the accommodation’s own site as they can be, but aren’t always, cheaper.

Research Your Trip

In Geneva you pay a city tax which is currently 3.75CHF per day, but this includes a transport pass, giving you free travel on buses, trams, trains and the local taxi boats, Mouettes for the duration of your stay. This mainly applies to hotels, so you won’t necessarily get one if you’re staying in rented apartments. There’s no need to show your pass unless asked, just hop on and off as you please.

Check for ways to save money locally, such as city passes for discounted or free entry to local attractions, transport and restaurants.

Airport Parking

Before we left we also saved money on airport parking. I used Tesco Clubcard vouchers which we had earned to get us free parking with SecureAirparks in Ingliston via APH.

Book as early as possible to make the biggest saving and check sites like Holiday Extras to compare onsite and offsite options.

Thanks to these money saving methods our parking, flight, hotel and transport during our stay cost us £135 each for a 3 day trip. What’s the best way you’ve found to save money while travelling?

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