A Quick Geneva City Guide | Switzerland

Geneva {Genève} is a French speaking city situated under the Alps along Lake Geneva and one of the most gorgeous cities in Switzerland. The city of Geneva is home to some of the most famous chocolate boutiques as well as Fondues. It is criminal to visit the city without sampling some of the best fondues and chocolates that it has to offer. Recently, I made a two-day visit to this fine city and now excited to share my quick Geneva city guide highlighting all the wonderful things there is to do in the city.

Ever since my visit to Basel and Lucerne a few years ago, I had wanted to return to Switzerland and explore a few more cities. Geneva has always been high on my list but as one knows, Switzerland is not only gorgeous but an expensive city too. This Geneva city guide will contain a few tips on how you can save money as you travel across Geneva and Switzerland in general. There are several ways one can keep costs down during your travels and one of the major ways is staying in a hostel as opposed to a hotel.

Geneva City Guide: Things to know before you go

• Free public transport throughout the duration of your stay if you stay in a hostel, hotel or campsite. If you fly into Geneva, near baggage collection there is a ticket machine where you can get your free 80-minute ticket and can use any bus transportation. When you arrive at your accommodation, you should ask the staff for your free public transport card.
• Best time to visit is June thru to August for summer fun and December to April for winter activities
• Switzerland is home to cheese fondue and chocolate, try both even as a non-cheese lover I quite liked it.
• Though Geneva is a French-speaking city, English is widely spoken
• Currency is swiss francs but credit cards are widely accepted

Where to stay

There is a wide range of accommodation types in Geneva but as Switzerland is an expensive country overall I opted to stay in a hostel – Geneva Hostel. Its located a few minutes walk from Lake Geneva, a short train (7 minutes) from the airport to the city centre. Another place I would recommend to stay is Hotel President Wilson which was a short walk from my hostel and it just screamed luxury.

Geneva City Guide: What to do

Like most people, before I visit a city, I sit down and research some of the most popular tourist destinations. Because I was limited on time, I made a conscious decision to visit popular places but leave room to wander off and explore aimlessly. My time in Geneva became even more limited when it rained the entire day meaning I couldn’t explore as many place as I wanted because I did not pack the right clothes for the changed weather.

Even though the bad weather took an entire day away from me, I still made use of the one full day I had to explore the city. I re-adjusted my plans and still had an amazing time exploring all the popular destinations and spent time walking the length of Lake Geneva. There are so many wonderful sights in the city of Geneva and though they are concentrated near the old town and Lake Geneva, further afield there are some gorgeous sights.

If you’re short on time but want to explore as much of Geneva as you possibly can, then I recommend the following city attractions.

Lake Geneva – such a gorgeous area of the city with the view of the alps and has an artificial peninsula {Bains des Pâquis} with a beach. Though the weather wasn’t totally warm, I was able to sit down and relax whilst watch others paddle boat across the lake.

Water Fountain {Jet d’Eau} – worlds tallest water fountain located on Lake Geneva and is one of the most fun attractions in the city. You can see the fountain from many places in the city and if you get close, be ready to get wet.

Flower Clock – one of the most photographed sights in the city, it is easy to see why, it is gorgeous and changes every season. The clock is made from flowers and every season different flowers bloom so it looks slight different every time.

Brunswick Monument – the monument was built in 1879 to commemorate the life of Charles II, Duke of Brunswick who gave his fortune to the city in exchange for building a monument after him.

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Old Town – the cobbled streets of the old town make this one of the most gorgeous areas in the city. And the fact that you get a glimpse of the past, it just brings the city to life, there are over 30 museums in this area that are worth a visit.

St. Pierre Cathedral – It is difficult to visit the old town and not enter St. Pierre Cathedral. It is free to enter but charges 5 Swiss francs to climb 150 steps to the rooftop for a 360 view of the city. If you’re someone who is claustrophobic and can’t stand confined spaces then I would skip climbing the stairs as its super small.

Broken Chair – situated outside the Palace of Nations, the broken chair is wooden monumental structure by Swiss artist Daniel Berset. It is such an iconic piece and it symbolises the victims of the land mines. The sculpture was initially meant to stay for 3 months in its current location but has been there for almost 20 years now.

United Nations Building and Red Cross Museum – though I did not get a chance to explore the museum, I did get a sneak peak at the UN building and the Red Cross both of which are located next to each other.

Bastions Park and Reformation Wall – Geneva have some of the most beautiful parks, I loved Bastions Park because of the large chess pieces and a cafe where once can enjoy a nice ice cream or hot drinks. The reformation wall at one end of the park allows the visitor to pay their respects to the fallen.

I had an amazing time exploring the city of Geneva and hope this Geneva City Guide will be useful when you visit the city. For those looking to visit the city but worried about the costs, below are a few tips that I used to save money.

Tips To Keep Costs Down When in Geneva

• Stay in a hotel or an Airbnb – I opted for hostel has it offered free breakfast, this saves you money.
• Travel with a water bottle – I always filled up at the hostel and across the city instead of buying bottled water
• Public transport is free, use it instead of tour buses
• Buy lunch from supermarkets and only eat out at dinner or vice versa