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Geneva Tourism - Travel to Geneva

        

Geneva, Switzerland is probably best known as one of the world's major centers of international diplomacy, having served as the site of the initial headquarters of the League of Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross before that. Although the United Nations is now headquartered in New York, the organization still retains a large presence in Geneva at the Palais des Nations and many of its sister/child organizations such as the World Health Organization and UNICEF have their world headquarters here.

Geneva is officially a French-speaking city, although with the large international presence English takes a close second. Spanish, Russian, and Arabic speakers abound, and of course you will also occasionally hear Swiss German, and Italian.

Travel to Geneva - Geneva Tourism

Table of contents

Understand Geneva Tourism

Geneva was an independent republic from at least the 16th century until it became a Swiss Canton on 31 December, 1813. This is a point of some pride to the Genevois, who still refer to their Canton as the République et Canton de Genève. A favorite festival is the yearly celebration of the Escalade, which commemorates a failed attempt in 1602 by the forces of the Dukes of Savoy to invade the city by climbing and otherwise breaching the city walls. Having turned aside this invasion attempt at the cost of only 16 lives, Geneva had secured its liberty, since the House of Savoy was never again strong enough on this side of the Alps to attempt such an invasion.

Geneva is still a very proud city. Some find it downright stuffy although there is quite a bit more life to be found if you look under the surface, especially if you speak some French.

Get into Geneva

Due as much to its location as its international status, Geneva serves as a transportation hub for most of French speaking Switzerland, and for access to the Swiss Alps from points west.

Travel to Geneva By Plane

Geneva airport is served by almost all European carriers, and by two daily trans-atlantic flights, one from New York, JFK on Swiss and one from Newark on Continental, otherwise when flying from the U.S. you will have to change planes at your airline's hub airport.

Within the last few years Geneva itself has become a hub for the low-cost carrier Easy Jet serving a number of destinations in Europe and Great Britain.

The airport itself has a UBS bank with ATMs and exchange machines in the arrival area. There is an American Express office just besides passport control in the departure lounge. There are several cafes and duty free shopping as well, open 8am-11pm. There are three free web terminals at the "Meeting Point" in the arrival area, but there is often a long wait.

To get into town from the airport, taxis cost approx. 30 CHF; the number 10 bus leaves every 15 minutes from 6am-11pm, get off at the 22-Cantons stop for train station; all trains leaving Geneva airport train station stop at the main train/bus station. Train/bus tickets are around 2CHF and can be purchased at machines at the bus stop and in the station. There is a change machine next to the UBS ATM and at the bus stop.

Travel to Geneva By Train

The Swiss Federal Railway serves Geneva's Gare du Cornavin with trains to most destinations in Switzerland at least once per hour, as well as to Paris via the SNCF's TGV or "High Speed Train," or Milan by the Swiss-Italian Cisalpino (CHEEZ-al-PEEN-o). The French SNCF also has a station in Eaux Vives which can be reached from Cornavin via the number 16 tram. This station serves points south such as Annemasse, and Chamonix - Mt. Blanc.

Travel to Geneva By car

The motorway network brings you right into Geneva : only 40 km from Annecy and 80 km from Chamonix with customs at Bardonnex - Saint-Julien; you need the compulsory motorway sticker (single annual 40 frs fee) to come through this customs office. Purchase of the motorway tax sticker at one of the customs is obligatory in order to drive on Swiss motorways.

Travel to Geneva By Bus

Geneva is served by a number of regular international bus routes (Bus station : tel. +41(0)22 732 02 30). Additionally, the TPG (Geneva Public Transport) provide regular services from the neighboring French towns of Saint-Julien, Archamps, Thoiry, Ferney-Voltaire, Moillesulaz (tel. +41(0)22 308 34 34).

Travel to Geneva By Boat

Regular boat service is provided, mainly in turn of the last century steamboats from ports all around Lake Geneva by CGN - Compagnie générale de navigation. All boats arrive at the Paquis port after docking briefly at Parc des Eaux Vives, and the Jardin Anglais.

Get around in Geneva

Geneva, like most cities in Switzerland is a marvel of public transportation efficiency. Transports Public de Genève provides frequent bus service to within a block or two of most locations in the city and canton. There is also an expanding network of super frequent trams. Many lines have their hub at the Cornavin train station, a few others at Place Bel Aire on the old-town side of the river.

Geneva is also a great town to get around in by bicycle. Except for the old-town the city is fairly flat, and though there are some streets that are dangerous to ride there is almost always a safe, fast route to your destination. If you want to know the best routes you should get a copy of the beautifully designed VELO-LOVE plan de ville which is available at all bike shops in Geneva, or by writing to: velo@ville-ge.ch or calling (+41) 22 418 42 00.

An orginazation called Genève Roule maintains a fleet of bicycles for rent at nominal cost (though you really should make a modest donation, too). Their kiosks can be found along the lake throughout the city.

It probably isn't a good idea to try to do much driving in Geneva at least on your first visit, since it is quite easy to get lost at automotive speeds, and with the numerous one-way streets. If you do find yourself in Geneva with a car you can find public parking in Place de Cornavin, at the south end of the Mnt. Blanc bridge, and under Plain de Plainpalais. It's much easier to get a space at one of these large underground lots than on the street, and they are all convenient to most of the attractions listed on this page.

See Geneva

Do Geneva

Events

Parks

It's worth taking at least a day to explore the green places of Geneva, of which there are quite a few, not the least because some of the more interesting parts of town are between those green places. There are a number of suggested promenades for which there are maps available at the tourist office on the Ile de la Machine.

Learn

Language

French language lessons are available as well, both through formal courses and informal arrangements, but both cases can be more expensive than other French-speaking countries.

Higher Education

There are several English language universities in Geneva, mostly focusing on international business and relations.

The world-famous European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN) is in Meyrin, just outside of Geneva. Currently under construction is the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which, at 27 kilometers in circumference, already holds the title of "world's largest machine," when finished, will hopefully answer many fundamental questions in particle physics, and open a host of new ones. CERN has a famous summer student program that accepts something like 150 European students, 20 American students, and a handful from other countries. If you are interested in this program, you might want to read the Camp CERN Manifesto. CERN also features an exhibition open to the public, and tours can be arranged in advance.

Work

Most non-Swiss professionals working in Geneva are employed by one of the United Nations agencies or international banks. UN employees do not need a visa to live and work in Switzerland, but the jobs can be hard to find unless you are already in Geneva.

For more information on working for the UN: UN-Employment: How to find a job with the UN.

It is also possible to find work as an au pair, a housekeeper, or at one of the many bars. You really do need to be in town to set this sort of thing up. If you want to do household work you will probably want to advertise on the bulletin boards which can be found at the entrances of most grocery stores, and at the English and American churches, and at the American Women's Club. For a bar tending job you do what you would do to get a similar job anywhere else, go talk to the manager (you should know enough French to serve drinks, obviously).

Buy

Chocolate can be bought at any number of specialty stores, but the stuff at the grocery is just as good for a fraction of the price (1-3 CHF a bar). Meanwhile, if you have a place to prepare meals the grocery stores in Switzerland offer the best possible dining deal for you money. For many fresh foods you'll pay a lot more than you are accustomed to paying in the U.S. or Britain.

Wine and spirits cost much less than in Anglophone countries, and the local stuff is particularly cheap, and not just drinkable but quite good. Some say that the only reason Swiss wines are not well known internationally is that the Swiss drink all of it.

Shopping for clothing and accessories can be disappointing in Geneva. Most offerings are usually expensive and uninteresting, unless you're really after that floor-length purple fur coat with the rhinestone trim.

If you are interested in taking or sending home some outwardly swiss souvenirs you can certainly find them in Geneva, mainly along the main streets leading down to the lake from Gare Cornavin. There are also a couple of good spots on the other side of the lake near the end of the Mont Blanc bridge. You should be able to easily find at reasonable prices:

Eat - Travel to Geneva

Geneva has a huge number of restaurants for a city its size, and the international community means there's more variety than you'll find in most Swiss cities. On the downside, Geneva is possibly the most expensive city in an expensive country.

In addition to the listings below you might try Resto-ranG or RestauGuide. For info for Vegetarians check out RegVeg Geneva.

Budget

There are many budget spots located around the train station and in the nearby Paquis district, or near rue Ecole des Médecins off of Plain de Plainpalais.

Mid-range

Splurges

Drink

Plaine de Plainpalais

Around a dozen of the best bars in town are located around this diamond shaped parade and circus ground in the area southwest of the old town. This shouldn't be surprising since the many buildings of the Université de Genève are arraigned around it as well.

Dance

Sleep - Geneva Tourism

There are lots of Hotels in Geneva, but very few of them are actually in anything like the budget range. Hundreds, many right around the central Cornavin train station offer a pretty standard rate of 135 Chf per night for a single. If you arrive late and are willing to spend that it makes sense to look at the automated hotel board in the train station to find the nearest vacancy.

It's hardest to find lodging during large international conferences, and trade shows. The latter, of which the prime example is the Salon d'Auto are usually held at Palexpo. It's worthwhile to do a bit of research to see if your arrival is likely to coincide with one of these events.

For lower hotel prices, try the outlying French cities of Annemasse or Gaillard which are conveniently accessible via public transit from Gare Cornavin.

Budget

Mid-range

There are hundreds of quality mid-range hotels in Geneva. Here are a couple of representative examples.

Splurge

It's almost as hard to pick from the huge selection of luxury hotels in Geneva as it is with the mid-range.. that said there are a couple that stand out for their historical importance or excellent locations.

Contact

Phone

Local cellphone service is mainly provided by Swisscom, Orange, and Sunrise. Don't be surprised if you find your phone using a cell in neighboring France however. If you buy one in Switzerland you will have to either just accept the occasional roaming fee, or be prepared to set the phone manually.

If you are staying for a while you should consider getting a sim card/and or a phone since it's much cheaper and easier than dealing with payphones. The best deal is with Sunrise sim cards. These days you do have to register your name and an address to get a sim card, as Swiss anonymous phone cards have been found on apprehended terror suspects who have never even been to Switzerland!

Payphones are still fairly common here, but very few of them accept coins, so be prepared to buy a prepaid card or to use a credit card (no surcharge).

Swisscom has borrowed on neat idea from the French which you might find very useful: the minitel. Every phonebooth is equipped with one of these electronic directory devices. You just need to know the name (in French) of the type of business you are looking for to get a list, with the closest examples highlighted. A fee is charged for using this system.

Internet Cafés

Internet cafés have just begun to really take off in Geneva, and there are now several that stay open fairly late.

Wireless Hotspots

Stay safe - Geneva Tourism

Geneva is by and large a very safe place. Violent crime is almost unheard of, although it's important to keep an eye on your belongings in public, as petty theft is a fairly common occurrence. Do report any such activity to the police, you will probably find them much more interested and helpful than police in many other western cities, especially if you speak a little French.

Get out

Most of what you need to know about traveling from Geneva is covered above under Get In. Swiss destinations are almost all served by the CFF from the central train station (Gare Cornavin) while ski resorts in the French alps and the Jura can be reached by bus from the central bus station off of Rue de Mont Blanc or from SNCF's Gare des Eaux Vives. The price of the bus ticket often covers ski lift tickets as well, be sure to ask.

Here are just a few places which make a good day trip from Geneva:

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