In late June we will be ending our Switzerland trip by departing Geneva on a 12:15pm flight. Geneva hotels are looking very expensive, and perhaps there are nicer towns nearby to stay on our last night? Would Montreux or Lausanne be too far away in order to comfortably connect by rail to the Geneva airport on the morning of our departure for a 12:15 flight? Based on rail schedules, this seems possible, but I am wondering if anyone has done this? And how efficient is the arrival (by rail) and check-in at Geneva at Swiss Air? Thanks!

I'd choose Vevey or Montreux. They are both ~1 hour by train from Geneva airport. Important note: Remember as you ride in that the airport is the "terminus" NOT the first Geneva stop, which is the downtown area. Trains run frequently and the station is connected to the airport so couldn't be easier. I've done it from both Montreux and Vevey several times.

Lausanne would work too and is a teeny bit closer on the train route, but the city is much larger and somewhat less charming IMO.

There are also nice towns on the more easterly side of the lake, Nyon, Coppet, Morges. If you go to the SBB website, you can check the train time from them to the airport. I think it's something like 25 minutes. If you arrive in Nyon (which is a very nice lake town with Roman history), the afternoon before, you can take the lakeboat across to Yvoire, a charming French village with a "five senses garden" (if you like gardens) and many old buildings. J.

I agree with Suze about not staying in Geneva. It would be different if you had an early plane to catch, as I did, but trains to Geneva run frequently and are very efficient, so you have some flexibility as to where you stay. I stayed in Lausanne, and while it wasn't bad, I think Montreaux has a lot more personality. I visited Vevey and it was lovely as well.

Let me clarify something--I stayed in Lausanne a couple of days just after I arrived, before joining a hiking trip. When I departed, I had an early plane to catch so I stayed in Geneva. The hotel was not terribly expensive, but it was in a very seedy part of town, so I don't recommend it.

As jmw44 mentions, Yvoire, France is a beautiful town and the boat ride over there is very pleasant.

It would really be helpful if you were willing to share your definition of "expensive" in this case.

Thanks to all for the helpful advice!

By "expensive", I'd say anything above $300/night in Geneva is steep. With the current exchange rate to USD, even mid-range hotels are looking a bit pricey.

Search for info here on Domaine de Chateauvieux in Satigny. Medium quality accommodations for a medium price range, with an outstanding restaurant (you might need to book your table 2-7 days in advance, even as a guest staying there!)

Best wishes,

Rex

In August I had an 11:30AM flight out of Geneva and easily took the train in from Montreux.

See www.montreux.ch where there are many 2/3-star listings for >200CHF. It's a good website to get a feel for what you'll find in Montreux.

Also www.vevey.ch