Switzerland might have much more a reputation as a tax haven than as a bargain basement paradise, but here is a little-known option of finding the cheapest flights to Switzerland, and enjoying the scenery along the way. It is well-known that cheap flights to Geneva are available from a huge range of different airports throughout the UK, and that you can also get cheap flights to Basel, whose airport is technically in neighbouring France, from Stansted and Dublin courtesy of Ryanair, and Liverpool courtesy of Easyjet.
So what’s my little secret? Cheap flights to Zürich — that bastion of palatial airport facilities? Surely not? Well, with Aer Lingus and Easyjet now fighting it out amongst each other to offer cheap flights from London Gatwick to Zürich, Easyjet also offering Zürich flights from Luton, so you might well be able to bag a bargain, but if you’re prepared to travel with only hand luggage and if you have got yourself one of those otherwise pointless Visa Electron cards then you should probably know that the very cheapest fares on flights to Europe are still offered by Ryanair. We looked at cheap flights to Switzerland for April 2009, and Ryanair’s prices on flights to Basel were very compatible with what Easyjet and Aer Lingus had to offer on flights to Zürich. The real bargain was on flights to Friedrichshafen in neighbouring Germany, which are available for £20 return “all-in”
All very well you might say, but you asked the cheap flights to Switzerland, not cheap flights to Germany. Well, as it happens, Friedrichshafen is a mere 45 minutes away from Romanshorn in Switzerland, on the other side of Lake Constance by ferry (hourly service). From here, there are regular trains throughout Switzerland via Zürich. Trains connect from Friedrichshafen airport (Flughafen) to downtown (Stadt) Friedrichshafen in just six minutes, and there are at least four services each hour. And the cost of this ferry transfer is a mere €7. So next time you are thinking of cheap flights to Switzerland, why not give this route a try?
I guess one side benefit of actually flying to Switzerland is access to real duty free at the airports if you are partial to booze and cigs (and Swiss chocolate)
Comment by Rob — April 18, 2009 @ 4:23 am
You could always fly out to Friedrichshafen and back from Zürich proper, getting the best of both worlds.
Comment by ja — April 19, 2009 @ 8:29 am
I’ve done a trip from Zurich to Stanstead, flying via Friedrichshafen. It’s certainly cheap - my flight with Ryanair was 5 EUR one way, 15 EUR the other (plus taxes of course). However, it was a long journey. I tried to do it all by train, but couldn’t make it quite work - the last flight back on a Sunday night to Friedrichshafen doesn’t allow you time to get the last train back to Zurich (I was leaving Saturday morning from Zurich, returning Sunday night).
For a 1 or 2 night stayover, it’s a lot of train time. Check out http://www.sbb.ch/en to try your routes out.
Comment by skean — May 20, 2009 @ 3:44 am
Quite right, the very cheapest flights often aren’t the easiest to take advantage of, that’s why they are cheap!
I think this route is more worth doing if you are going to visit the Zeppelin field in Friedrichshafen, and then proceed towards Zurich.
Comment by ja — May 20, 2009 @ 5:56 pm