Need the cheapest possible way to get from Geneva to Cologne and back

[rodney]

Hey,

Maybe someone can help me out with this. I'm going to be in Switzerland for a 3 month exchange (leaving beginning of march) and I really want to go to cologne to visit some family for 2 or 3 weeks, most likely at the beginning of April. I need to get there and back from Geneva for as little $$ as possible. Any suggestions re. trains, planes, etc.?

Many thanks in advance,
Rod

[cil254]

266 Euros all taxes included, direct round trip flight with European Air Express.
I doubt you'd find much cheaper if you decide to fly (1h45 flight)

[rodney]

Thanks!

I found a return flight with germanwings.com for 171.50 swiss franks (virtually on par with the dollar), but it flies to/from zurich... is there a cheap/easy way to get from geneva to zurich (airport) and back... preferably under $100 CAD?

[cil254]

Very good deal. The problem is going to be to get to Zurich.
There's the train, but according to http://www.raileurope.com, it looks like it costs about C$80 each way.

[enlighten_me]

Get an ISIC card to qualify for the student rates.

[rodney]

are student rates 1/2 the price of regular rates... or are they cheaper yet?

[enlighten_me]

ISIC is around 30-40% off, I believe. When I was in Hungary last year, it was definitely 30%... also might require you to be under 26.

If you plan to travel a bit (even 5 journeys total), then getting a railpass here in Canada will save you a LOT of money. Go to TravelCuts and inquire on their rates.

The Railpass is only not worth it if you head to Central/Eastern Europe.