Gruyere is a very tiny town. It's adorable and has a charming Castle (as well as a cheesery? you can tour - but IMHO that's not much). We didn't stay there but did have a wonderful lunch. I cannot remember the name of the hotel - but they served on a large terrace overlooking the valley, on the right side of the town as you look up towards the castle.

While this would be a nice stop I would focus more on getting up into the mountains - as long as you have decent weather (no point if it's all cloudy and you can;t see anything). I think by the time you arrive the various cable cars etc should be ready for service (November is when they are usually repaired/reconditioned and many hotels and restaurants are closed.)

You should definitely not miss the Chateau de Chillon near Montreaux, and Thun is also a very charming small town - with a very vertical castle.

With a couple of days I would get out of Geneva entirely and stay elsewhere perhaps along Lac Leman. Are you absolutely convinced that a rental car is the best mode of transport? It would give max flexibility but be aware that the Swiss rail system is excellent also (and runs directly to and from the airport (for your return); you can check schedules at www.sbb.ch/en

Thanks! I will look into Montreaux and Thun.

The Geneva days are dictated by my work schedule, so those are not really negotiable. While we might have two nights somewhere else, we'll really only have one full day with maybe another half day thrown in, so I'd prefer we not try to do much (especially since I'm currently five months pregnant!)

Gruyere is a charming little place to visit but I can't imagine spending much time there. A castle tour, stroll of the cobblestone street and a cheese factory tour take up maybe half a day but there's not much else to see beyond that.

Depending on your interests, consider driving to Vallorbe caves or Lac Souterrain caves around 100k distance. If cave tours aren't your thing then consider a train to Zermatt for an overnight visit of the Matterhorn. This would be my choice as a first time visitor!

Or if you want more creature comforts try a visit to Gstaad which has world class skiing, hiking or viewing and is just another hour or so beyond Gruyere. Again, it depends on what you like to do/see.

With a couple days to spend out of Geneva you would do well to set your sights a little higher.

Another suggestion... rent a car when leaving Geneva, stop for a couple of hours in Yvoire, then onto Chateau de Chillon before staying overnight in Montreux.

Next day, drive to Gruyere for a tour of the castle and a fondue lunch and then onto Broc for a tour of the chocolate factory.

Vevey, Chillon, montreux, Lausanne will make for a great getaway from Geneva. I had a similar trip the summer of 2011, it worked out very well. I also happened to like Geneva because I was there for a conference and had access to really bright intelligent people who work there. I wasn't just a tourist.

This was a great restaurant in Geneva for fondue! I think it was the best fondue I had in Switzerland.

www.cafedusoleil.ch

It's a few minutes walk from the Intercontinental hotel although I don't know where you are staying.