Will be flying into Geneva this July. Staying one night, then taking the train out to Nice the next day. Am looking for an inexpensive hotel/B & B recommendation that would be convenient to both airport and train station. Can you take the train directly from the airport?

Are you aware that you could get right off one plane and on to another - - traveling to Nice on any of three flights a day with easyJet for only 39.95 CHF? That's less than half the cost of the train fare, and you save yourself the cost of the transfers into and out of one of Europe's most expensive cities.

See the link to easyjet.com on www.whichbudget.com

Best wishes,

Rex

Yes, the Geneva airport and train station are connected buildings. Then you would most likely want to take the train one stop to the downtown Geneva station, I'm guessing. Assuming the train for Nice leaves from that one rather than the termini/airport.

I stayed at a Best Western right across the street from the dt train station - we liked it, it had breakfast included and was less than $100 a night. I would recommend there.

If you can get Best Western for $100 a night, then go for it. If not, I will tell you about the place I stayed for 90 CHF per night, but be advised it's in the Red Light district. I felt safe there in the daytime, but not at night. I don't know your gender, but if you are female, this s/b taken into consideration. As a female traveling alone, I was afraid to walk from the hotel to the train station in the dark, but would have no fear of this in the daytime. If you're male, it's probably OK in the day or night.

I stayed at Tryp de Berne. You can book it at www.solmelia.com. The hotel itself is pretty nice for the price and it's only 3 blocks from the train station. Ask for a room facing away from the street, as there's a lot of street noise at night.

No matter where you are going by train from Geneva you will HAVE to go to the downtown station (Cornavin) which is a five minute ride or so from the airport station. The airport station is an endpoint..trains do not go any farther from there..only to downtown and beyond.

I actually think Rex has the right idea. I just moved back from Geneva, and while it's a lovely town if you have time to see it, there's virtually nothing inexpensive in the city. Even if you get a decent rate at a hotel, you'll be blown away by how much you drop on dinner, even for something casual. If you plan on some time to see Geneva, it's a different story, but if it's really just a stopover before a train ride to Nice, I'd hop that easyjet in a heartbeat. Very good airline, by the way. We used to fly the Geneva-Nice route all the time, and I was always blown away that they could do it for so cheap. And if it's daylight, the flight among the Alps and right past Mont Blanc is pretty spectacular.

Actually, we are travelling from Madrid to Nice. I discovered that you could hop on Easy Jet to Geneva for cheaper than the train, and cut down on the time factor considerably, too. I didn't realize they also fly on to Nice. They don't show connections on their website. There is only 30 minutes between flights in Geneva, is that enough time to transfer to the flight to Nice?

No, that's not enough time. Easyjet doesn't do connections. You have to collect your luggage, and check in again. Check in closes 40 minutes before a flight, and if you are 5 seconds late, you can't travel.

Actually, check-in closes 30 minutes prior but you will not have enough time.