Travel Guide for Geneva, Switzerland
If you come into Geneva by train, the station is just 300 meters from the Cornavin terminal, where you can catch a bus to the downtown and tram networks. Geneva by tram is a fun and inexpensive experience, you can get on or off anywhere and walk, getting back on at the nearest stop when you feel tired of walking. Don’t take a taxi unless you have to, they cost between 30-50 CHF, and you can walk or bus anywhere for much less. If you choose to rent a car, also expensive and impractical for short pleasure or day trips, the city center itself is only a 15 minute drive, and signs will show you clearly how to get there. Although French is spoken almost everywhere in Switzerland and names of streets will be in French, the Swiss are much more practical than their neighbors, and have managed to avoid the national aversion to clearly labeling anything that makes finding places and things a nightmare for the first-time traveler in France.
An important note before continuing, for the moment Switzerland is not part of the EU and Swiss shopowners may get very French and annoyed on you if you imply that they are, particularly by the common mistake of bringing Euros and expecting to use them everywhere. Some venues will accept Euros in Switzerland, especially in Geneva, since it is so close to the border, but Switzerland, along with a robust economy of which the Swiss are justly proud, does have its own currency – Swiss Francs – and you should change your money at the border if possible, particularly if you plan to go any further into Switzerland. Your best option is to use an ATM, there are plenty available at the border train station and the exchange rate is the best.
Where to eat: Cheapest eats are at ethnic kebabs or cafes like the Teranga, at 38bis Rue de Zurich, where Senegalese dishes are served for about CHF 25 per meal. The food is good and plentiful, so unless dining is why you travel there’s really no need to seek out a more expensive eatery, except perhaps for the experience or view.
Slightly more expensive is the L-Esquisse, at 7 Rue du Lac, where delicious French food can be found at still affordable prices, no more than 30 Euros on average. Their best dishes are the foie gras and filet mignon de veau.
At the upper end of the scale are the L’Ange du Dix Vins (Angel of Ten Wines), at 31 Rue Jacques Dalphin, Carouge – almost worth going to just for the name – -and the Domaine de Chateauxvieux, 16 Rue Chateauxvieux, Peney-Dessus, Satigny. The former, in spite of its pricey dinners, is a bohemian favorite of the locals, not at all snobby or exclusive in atmosphere, while the latter boasts surroundings of venerable oak, open fires and royalty-worthy food and service.
For music and fun, visit Le Chat Noir at 13 rue Vautier, where live jazz floats out into the street to enchant passers-by. Be warned, though, the staff can be a bit stuck-up, so you’ll be going for the music, not the service. If you prefer people-watching or just relaxing in the shade of magnificent old-world buildings, visit La Clemence, at 20 Place du Bourg-de-Four, in the center of the Old Town. After hours, drift into Club 58, where the young crowd gathers after dark. DJ’s there play the latest hits from all over Europe, but in spite of the “dans le vent” atmosphere, this is the place for slightly fancier dress, though still not hugely formal.
Geneva is the place to buy watches, of course, but the streets are also lined with uber-fashionable boutiques selling just about every designer out there. Some of the best shopping streets are the Rue de Rhone, Rue de la Confederation, Rue du Marche, and Rue de la Croix-d’Or. Everything in Europe goes on sale at the same time, so it’s an all-day activity if you are there during one of the seasonal sales. Shop without guilt till the sun goes down.
For walking, the Parc des Bastions offers a cool stroll among shade trees and devoted chess players busy at what they do best. Join one of these if you are feeling smart and strategic, otherwise just notice the Wall of the Reformation as you go by and check out the cafe at the entrance for a quick drink or snack if necessary.
Techies and science buffs take note: Geneva is home to the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, where the world’s largest particle accelerator fascinates thousands every year.
You can’t really miss the Jet d’Eau, Geneva’s landmark feature, but a walk through the lakeside gardens is beautiful and relaxing and will put you right at the base of this imposing fountain. Although at first glance a head-scratcher, as it is not obviously decorative yet serves no practical purpose, this 140 meter plume of water feathering down over the lake will be the image that sticks in your mind. Its very simplicity is striking and modern and contrasts with the old-world architecture in the same puzzling and exciting way that much of Geneva interacts with its past.
If you have time for a daytrip, a 13 minute train ride from the main rail station takes you to the old Roman town of Nyon, on the side of the lake. Nyon is full of shops and cafes and has a fine beach with showers and a kids’ swimming area, making it a great family outing.
For the flea market/yard sale enthusiast such as myself, the Saturday and Wednesday market at the Plaine de Plainpalais is a not-to-miss. From 7am to 5 pm you can buy everything from 2 CHF sand roses to triple-digit and higher priced antiques.
The Bains des Paquis is a pier on Lake Geneva that has been redesigned as a beach resort. You can lounge, have lunch in the sun, providing of course you haven’t arrived during the first stages of the Second Global Flood, as happened to me. Of course, listening to the Free Israeli Chorale sing and trying to clap along while raindrops the size of grapes are bouncing three feet off the ground on all sides is in its own category, an experience just as memorable if not more so than the obligatory sun and beachsitting. Speaking of chorales, if you are there during one of the music festivals as I was, you can hear ethnic music of all styles and origins at every street corner, from folk chorales to modern Native American bands with electric guitars and drums.
The church of St Francis is an imposing structure with pale turquoise spires that rise above the surrounding buildings so that if you just point yourself toward it and walk, you can find it without a map, although hitting it from the right angle to get in is a bit tricky and you may have to circle it once or twice. Usually you can just follow the crowd, though. Another church, smaller but no less beautiful is the Russian church, with gold and white onion-shaped steeples. This you will need a map to find, as it is quite little and a bit drowned by its surroundings. On a Sunday you won’t be able to actually go inside the church, but the outside is what you see on the postcards and you can get a good photo just the same.
History buffs will want to at least pass by and photograph the United Nations Office at the Palais des Nations, where the League of Nations met before it became the UN.
Geneva is a one-of-a-kind combination of ancient architecture and entirely modern structures and sentiment. Don’t miss it if you are near enough to visit, it will turn out to be one of those places that stays longest in your thoughts.
