Let’s start with air travel, as it is usually the most expensive way of getting from point A to point B (and back).
Prices of air fares have been going up in the past years, partly to compensate for more expensive, ‘cleaner’ fuel that is required by Switzerland’s climate protection laws.
This means that you will likely have to shell out more for plane tickets now than previously — unless, of course, you know where to look for lower fares.
These are some Swiss websites (or Swiss subsidiaries of European sites) that can hook you up with cheapest fares, especially if you book your trip well in advance — though ‘last-minute’ deals are not excluded.
As its name suggests, this site lists lowest available prices from Switzerland to various destinations.
It also has a ‘Last Minute’ section, as well as one (appropriately called ‘Early Bird’), for those who want to book their flights well in advance for the best possible deal.
True to its name, this site compiles the best deals from and to Switzerland.
By putting in your departure and arrivals airport and the date of travel, Skyscanner will sift through all the top airlines and travel providers across the net and show you the cheapest options available.
The Swiss subsidiary of this online travel platform lists not only the cheapest flights, but also the least expensive hotels and rental cars at your destination.
And you can also book a package including travel, accommodations, and a set of wheels.
All of the above websites list all the prices in francs, rather than euros or another currency, so you will not lose anything in bank conversion fees.
Airline websites
While some people will tell you to never book your flights directly on the airlines’ sites, because prices are more expensive there, this may not be necessarily true.
Take SWISS for instance.
Though decidedly not the world’s cheapest airline, it sometimes runs promotional offers from Zurich and Geneva to various destinations.
If you are not too particular about direct flights versus one with connections, then you may just find a good deal.
The same is also true of SWISS’s affiliate, Edelweiss.
It often lists various money-saving promotions on its website.
Train tickets
If you have any kind of subscription for public transport in Switzerland, such as GA or half-fare travel card, then you likely purchase your tickets via the app from the Swiss national rail company, SBB.
But whether you use the app or the SBB website, head directly under the ‘Supersaver’ heading, and see what discounted tickets are available to your destination at the time / date of your travel.
Keep in mind though that these reduced-price tickets are only valid within Switzerland; if you are travelling abroad, the supersavers can’t be used once you cross the border.
Rental cars
One of the best websites for rental cars, whether within Switzerland or abroad, is Touring Club Schweiz (TCS)
There, you can rent any type of vehicle almost anywhere in the world.
Rental prices, including insurance coverage for the vehicle, passengers, as well as third parties, are generally comparably lower than those listed on other sites.
It pays (literally and figuratively) to be a member of TCS, as you will get a reduction of between 4 and 5 percent on the total price of a rental.
Are there any other sites you would add? Share them with our readers in the comments section below.
Why do you never mention the cashback websites ? There’s one popular one in Switzerland, RabattCorner, where you can book car hire and hotel through (for example) Expedia or hotels.com, pay the same as everyone else, but later receive 10% of pure hard cash of what you paid.
And there’s two English ones, with higher rates of cashback, TopCashback and QuidCo.
They are awesome.
Thank you for your comments.
This article focused specifically on Swiss websites.
Regarding RabattCorner, which is Swiss, it is a good source for all kinds of discounts. Two travel-related sites included therein, SWISS airline and Ebookers.ch, are mentioned in the article.
Google Flights (flights.google.com) is easily the best site for plane tickets. It is easy to use and add filters, and it will redirect you either to the airline site or the e-dreams type sites to buy the tickets depending on who has the best price.