NativeNewYorker

What would you recommend?

Dianedancer

Please try to be more specific. What are your likes/dislikes? I know nothing about Geneva. I'm just telling you what others will want to know in order to help you.

nytraveler

For what?

Hotels?

Restaurants?

Sights?

Nightlife?

Who/how many are you and what are your interests.

Sorry - but we aren't mind readers.

neckervd

Geneva corresponds in no way to the cliché of German speaking Heidiland Switzerland with a chalet for the cheese maker, a chalet for the watchmaker, a chalet for the chocolate maker, a chalet for the banker, surrounded by cows ruminating Edelweiss and Rhododendron (Alprose) in front of overseas tourist's trinity Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau.

Geneva with the Red Cross and Human Dignity Museum, the European UNO seat, the CERN, a lot of NGO's and Governmental Organisations, pharmaceutical, electronic an other precision industries, an old university and many famous scientific institutes is an integral part of Switzerland. It would be impossible to imagine Switzerland without Geneva. Poeple often forget that Switzerland is not a country with only ONE language and ONE culture (how boring!), but a Confederation of 26 cantons with their own governments, administration, laws, taxes, police...., a country with 4 languages and 4 cultures of equal value each one.

But Geneva is not a touristic must see place, unless you are interested in the stuff mentioned above or in the elegant historic paddle wheel steamers plying Lake Geneva.

May be therefore, some people don't realize that a journey from Geneva to Aiguille du Midi (12600 ft) in the middle of the glaciers of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain of Western Europe, takes less time (and costs much less) than a train ride from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch (11333 ft).

The whole Lake Geneva (Lac Leman in French) area has a very good tourist infrastructure (including luxury hotels and top restaurants with gourmet meals for 200-300 USD/pax) since the end of the 19th century. It's one of the sunniest places of Switzerland (together with the Cantons of Valais and Ticino). The most scenic part is between Lausanne - Vevey - Montreux - Villeneuve). The whole area is never really crowded, despite many day trippers from all over Switzerland.

Geneva has only 200.000 inhabitants (500.000 with suburbs), but the amenities of a big capital. People from all over the world (among them many Arab princes) fly to Geneva for shopping (and so).

Weather changes from year to year. Usually, the warmest month is July, with maxima around 30-32 and (noon) minima around 20 degrees. June is often more rainy.

Geneva airport is small but efficient. Local people use to arrive there from town (5 min by train, 20 min by bus) less than an hour prior to the plane's departure. Direct flights to almost all important places in Western Europe. Easyjet offers actually July flights to many European capitals for less than 50 USD (with 1 piece of checked in luggage).

Mont Blanc, the highest mountain of Western Europe can be seen from many places in town, from the Lake and from Mont Saleve, the "house" mountain, which can be reached by city bus and cableway.
Buses and trains from Geneva to Chamonix (2 hrs trip), from where you can go up to 3800 m by cableway (..cross the glaciers by gondola and go down at the other side to Courmayeur in Italy if you like).

Some places around Lake Geneva or not far away from it:

historic steamboats on Lake Geneva:
http://www.fahrplanfelder.ch/fileadm.../2013/3150.pdf
http://www.cgn.ch/eng/flotte

Blonay-Chamby historic railway:
http://www.blonay-chamby.ch/index-en.php

Chillon castle:
http://www.chillon.ch/en/

Gruyeres castle, cheese diary and chocolate factory:
http://www.chateau-gruyeres.ch/e/mul...spectacle.html
http://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/navpage-...FR-120085.html
http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/inde...=142&Itemid=56
http://www.lamaisondugruyere.ch/inde...=142&Itemid=56

Chatelard-Emosson (Mont Blanc area):
http://www.chatelard.net/english/pages/descr_e.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emosson
http://www.emosson.ch/PublicEN/default-en.htm

Zermatt-Gornergrat:
http://www.gornergrat.ch/home/index.php
http://www.klein-matterhorn.ch/photos/
http://www.zermatt.ch/en/index.cfm

Entirely walled city of Murten:
http://www.murtentourismus.ch/en/nav...nFR-99305.html
http://www.murtentourismus.ch/en/nav...-MurtenFR.html

NativeNewYorker

Sorry for being vague. I very much appreciate NECERVD's detailed response. Small hotels? We like QUAINT. Meals? Where to eat that's authentic and not super price-y? A pleasant walk? What are "must see's" if you're there for 2 or 3 days? Thanks much.

kja

Where to eat that's authentic and not super price-y?

I enjoyed the Bistro du Boeuf Rouge
http://www.boeufrouge.ch

swandav2000

neckervd, I absolutely loved your detailed description and information about Geneva! I know that will be very helpful to travelelrs.

But I have one question and one disagreement.

The question:
You said, "It's one of the sunniest places of Switzerland (together with the Cantons of Valais and Ticino)." I thought that the Engadin Valley claimed to be the sunniest place in Switzerland - is that not true? I'd be interested to know.

The disagreement:
You said: "The whole area is never really crowded, despite many day trippers from all over Switzerland." lol, I've walked down the lakeside path at Montreux in August, and it was elbow-to-elbow! I think that, from the Jazz Fest in July through August, Montreux is really best avoided.

Thanks again for such great info on Geneva!

s

neckervd

Sunshine in 2013:
Locarno Monti: 2137 hrs
Sion VS: 2067 hrs
Crans-Montana: 2016 hrs
Lugano: 1998 hrs
Pully VD: 1864 hrs
Samedan/Engadin:1718 hrs
Interlaken: 1546 hrs
Lucerne: 1401 hrs
http://www.hev-schweiz.ch/vermieten-...eindauer-2013/