The Ultimate Guide to Geneva
When I first went to Geneva 2 years ago, I noticed that the blog posts didn't list much more than walking around the lake, looking at the jet d'eau, and doing a watchmaking tour. Having lived in central Geneva for two months this sumer, I can tell you that there's much more to do than that!
To give a brief summary of the city culture: Geneva is an awesome city that's clean, efficient, and charming. The locals speak French, although, given how international the city is, everyone also speaks pretty impeccable English.
What to do:
Mont Salève:
Mont Salève is a mountain behind Geneva that provides great views both over the city and of Mont Blanc. If you go, make sure to check out the online webcam a few minutes before to make sure the view is good. You can hike or take the cable car (which is less than 15 euros round trip). I would recommend taking a picnic and going at sunset!
Botanical gardens:
Geneva’s botanical gardens are both free and massive! They’re also a great destination for a rainy day because there are lots of indoor spaces and Geneva’s rain is pretty spotty so you can walk outside when it’s not raining!
Bains des Pâquis:
In the summer, the bains des pâquis, a boardwalk extending into the lake is packed with sunbathers and swimmers because it’s the place to be. it costs 2 euros to get in, and you can swim in the lake, eat at the cafe (which is reasonably priced), or do some more adventurous activities (tightrope, climbing wall, high diving board). In the winter months (Oct-April), the bains des pâquis hosts a steam room, sauna, and turkish bath. I believe it costs 19 euros for entry.
United Nations:
You can either enjoy the UN from the outside or the inside. If you want to have a tour of the building from the inside, you need to book it in advance and arrive around 45 minutes before your tour. If you just want to see the flags and the famous chair monument representing children who were injured from landmines, then you can just show up at the building anytime!
Walk under the Jet D’eau:
Those travel blogs that tell you to “go see the jet d’eau” as something to do in Geneva drive me w i l d. You can see the jet d’eau from almost anywhere in the city (as is the nature of a 200 foot tall jet). Rather than just see it, it’s so much cooler to feel it! If you’re on the Southern side of Geneva, you can walk along the boardwalk and actually stand in the mist from the jet.
Parc de la Grange:
Parc de la Grange is 100% my favorite park in Geneva, and I’m sad that I only discovered it a week before I left! It’s massive and used to be the estate of an old Genevan family, before it was left to the city for the enjoyment of the people. The best part of the park is the large rose garden along the lake.
Promenade de la Treille:
Promenade de la Treille hosts the longest bench in the world and great views over the city!
Parc des Bastions:
Parc des Bastions is right below Promenade de la Treille and has a lot of green space and flowers and giant chess sets! The most notable thing about the parc is the Reformation wall which has portraits of the people involved in the Protestant Reformation.
Cathedral St. Pierre:
Cathedral St. Pierre dates back to the 10th century. Walking around the inside of the church is free, but you can pay 5 francs to take the stairs up the bell tower for a beautiful view of the city. Make sure to go into the side chapel (on the right when you walk in the front doors).
Carouge:
Carouge is Geneva’s bohemian district and is home to Geneva’s famous umbrella street! There’s lots of boutique stores selling things from clothes to olive oil to local pastries.
Jonction:
La pointe de la junction is where the Arve and the Rhone rivers meet. There is a bridge overlooking the junction that allows for great views of the rivers merging and even a little bit of the jet d’eau! Depending on what side of the bridge you decide to come up/down, there is also a park with animals!
Jardin Anglais:
Jardin Anglais is a park alongside the lake which sometimes hosts festivals and food trucks. In the summer there's the Village Suisse which has toblerone churros, raclette, and a ferris wheel.
Pont du Mont Blanc:
Pont du Mont Blanc always has three types of flags: the Swiss flag, the Geneva flag, and a third flag that changes based on things that are happening in the world or in Geneva (pride month, the 100th anniversary of the ILO, etc). It's also usually where people get their tourist shot with the jet d'eau.
Flower Clock:
The attraction is in the name: it's a clock composed of flowers. You'll find it right at the end of the Pont du Mont Blanc on the Eaux Vives side of the lake.
Laderach Chocolate:
Switzerland is known for its chocolate, but some of their famous brands -- Lindt and Toblerone, for example -- are already available in the US. Laderach is a premium Swiss chocolate that comes in 20+ flavors, including things like strawberry, red peppercorn, or pistachio.
Manor/Globus:
Manor and Globus are both shopping centers with a variety of brands and good food! The clothes are a little on the pricier side (especially Globus, which has designer brands), but worth checking out if you have time to kill or want a cheap meal or good local grocery items.
Museums
Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum:
A relatively interactive museum that details the importance of international humanitarian efforts by sharing stories about tragedies and the Red Cross' role in fixing them, in addition to the history of the organization.
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire:
Art and history museum which displays fine art, applied art, and archeological finds.
Patek Philippe Museum:
History of Patek Phillipe and collections of artistic watches throughout the years.
Natural History Museum:
Similar to the US' natural history museum, Geneva's hosts various animals, replicas, gems, etc.
Ariana Museum:
Over 22,000 European, Middle Eastern, and Asian ceramic pieces. Discusses the history and evolution of the art.
Modern and Contemporary Art Museum (MAMCO):
Cutting edge contemporary art.
International Museum of the Reformation:
An overview of Protestant History with a focus on the role that Geneva played in the reformation.
Bodmer Library:
Includes first editions of unique and of well known books.
Museum of Far Eastern Art:
Relatively self explanatory, but this museum has a collection of various art works from far eastern region.
CERN Museum:
CERN is the particle physics research centre in Geneva (the world's largest). The museum and tours are supposedly geared towards more scientifically minded people.
Ethnography Museum (MEG):
Collections of artifacts, textiles, and other items from all continents besides Antarctica.
Musée d'histoire des sciences de Genève
A free museum which goes into the history of Swiss exactitude and their various measuring tools (telescopes etc).
Rath Museum:
Collection of historic photographs which detail the history of Geneva.
Local Markets
Marché des Grottes
Thursdays 4:30-8:30 (wine, cheese, etc)
Marché de Rive
Saturday or Wednesday morning 6:30 to 1:15 (2:25 on Sat) (Fruits, veggies, breads, cheeses, meats, flowers, fresh pasta, etc)
Marché de Plainpalais
Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday morning (TF 6:30-2:25, Sun 8:30am-6:15) (Vegetables, fresh food, snacks, clothes)
Marché de Carouge
Saturdays (Fruits, veggies, local dairy products, flowers)
Plainpalais flea market
Wednesday and Saturday
How to get around:
Getting around Geneva is easy, although it is a little more on the expensive side (it’s Switzerland, though, so what did you expect)? One way public transit tickets within Geneva cost 3 francs a piece, but if you’re staying in a hotel or hostel you should be provided with a free public transit card that will let you ride everything without cost during your stay.
That being said, the public transit system is clean and on time, so it’s definitely worth using. The yellow boats you see going across the lake are called mouettes, and they’re also included as public transit! You can also take the tram or a bus.
What to eat:
European and Swiss Pastries
Basler Läckerli, Meringues, Chou, Berliners, and more! You can go to one of Geneva's many pastry shops or just to the grocery.
Fondue Moitié Moitié
Moitié Moitié fondue is objectively the only acceptable type of fondue. Moitié Moitié means half and half - aka half gruyère and half vacherin. 10000x better than what you get at the melting pot or even the fondue in France.
Raclette
Raclette is a Swiss winter staple, although its available year round for tourists. It's melted alpine cheese served with potatoes, pickles, and sometimes meat.
Rostis
Rostis are essentially Swiss hash browns which can be mixed with all sorts of stuff like bacon or cheese or eggs.
Chocolate
Given how famous the Swiss are for their chocolate, you sort of have to try it.
Gelato
Being right next to Italy, Switzerland has started to hop on the gelato train. Make sure to try the double crème and berries flavor at Il Manu.
Local Alpine Cheese
Speaks for itself!
Easy day trips from Geneva:
Geneva is centrally located and surrounded by a lot of cool cities in both Switzerland and France. Here are some of the best day trips you can take from Geneva:
Chamonix
Guyères
Annecy
Interlaken
Bern
Yvoire
Montreux
Nyon
If you want to read more about some of these places, check out my blog post here!