6 weeks in Geneva and need advice on side trips please!
May 7th, 2006, 04:42 PM
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6 weeks in Geneva and need advice on side trips please!
Hi! I will be in Geneva for 6 weeks in JUne/July to complete a clinical rotation at the children's hospital. I would like your opinions on what places in the city I should absolutely not miss. I will have my weekends free as well so I was also wondering what side trips I can take to try and see as much of Switzerland as possible while I'm there. Would a rail pass be a good idea? Thanks for the help and advice!
May 7th, 2006, 05:57 PM
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From Geneva you can do just about all of CH and half of F and a chunk of D with overnight stays on weekends. Way too much to begin listing places - a great chunk of Europe is your oyster. Guidebooks and Fodors and Fromers and such and your local library will be your friends.
Some weekends you'll want to drive, others use trains - figure out where you want to go, then add up some fares, then look at www.eurail.com and www.railsaver.com and www.ricksteves.com (the railpass section) to get a better handle. It's too early to get all rail pricing online - input dummy dates within the next 60 days when looking at
www.rail.ch and www.voyages-sncf.fr and www.bahn.de etc.
For road trips, www.mappy.com.
WK
Some weekends you'll want to drive, others use trains - figure out where you want to go, then add up some fares, then look at www.eurail.com and www.railsaver.com and www.ricksteves.com (the railpass section) to get a better handle. It's too early to get all rail pricing online - input dummy dates within the next 60 days when looking at
www.rail.ch and www.voyages-sncf.fr and www.bahn.de etc.
For road trips, www.mappy.com.
WK
May 7th, 2006, 06:00 PM
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And furthermore - with budget airlines like easyjet out of Geneva, another whole dimension opens up - use www.skyscanner.net and you'll find pretty much all of Europe is your oyster. Wow, that's some oyster!
WK
WK
May 7th, 2006, 11:00 PM
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I am sure you will get lots of reccos here and from people that you work with. You are going to be in probably the most beautiful part of Switzerland and within easy access of other lovely parts, so your choices will be almost limitless. The French Alps and countryside is only a few miles away and Italy is within easy reach. I think you will have a harder time eliminating places than finding places to go.
Are your interests in countryside or city? Art and architecture or outdoor activities? Have you been to Europe before? These would be important when deciding where to go. You could spend time in mountain towns or in historic cities like Basel or the Italian lake area of Tocino or Lake Como. You can train to Milan in 4 hours if you want art, architecture and fashion. I would suggest you get some guidebooks and figure out what appeals to you.
Rather than a rail pass, I think you should consider getting a "half fare" card, esp if you will be taking a train, tram or bus to work every day (as is most likely unless you are walking to work). This will give you 50% off the cost of all public transpiration in Switzerland including all trains, trams, buses, ferries and most cable cars and mountain trains. It costs about CHF150 to purchase. A Swiss Rail pass won't give you these discounts, and public transport is not cheap in Switzerland (nothing is cheap, wait until you go to the drycleaner). Most trams cost about CHF 3.20 for a single journey of just a few miles, and ferries are pretty pricey as well. As you will be there so long, a half-fare card probably will save you more than a Swiss Rail pass for your travel. You can look into your various option at rail.ch.
With a half-fare card, on an inter-European trip which is partly within Switzerland, you will get a discount for the Swiss portion, so there is some savings there, i.e. going from Geneva to Milan with the half-fare card you will only pay full-fare for the Italian portion of the trip.
Are your interests in countryside or city? Art and architecture or outdoor activities? Have you been to Europe before? These would be important when deciding where to go. You could spend time in mountain towns or in historic cities like Basel or the Italian lake area of Tocino or Lake Como. You can train to Milan in 4 hours if you want art, architecture and fashion. I would suggest you get some guidebooks and figure out what appeals to you.
Rather than a rail pass, I think you should consider getting a "half fare" card, esp if you will be taking a train, tram or bus to work every day (as is most likely unless you are walking to work). This will give you 50% off the cost of all public transpiration in Switzerland including all trains, trams, buses, ferries and most cable cars and mountain trains. It costs about CHF150 to purchase. A Swiss Rail pass won't give you these discounts, and public transport is not cheap in Switzerland (nothing is cheap, wait until you go to the drycleaner). Most trams cost about CHF 3.20 for a single journey of just a few miles, and ferries are pretty pricey as well. As you will be there so long, a half-fare card probably will save you more than a Swiss Rail pass for your travel. You can look into your various option at rail.ch.
With a half-fare card, on an inter-European trip which is partly within Switzerland, you will get a discount for the Swiss portion, so there is some savings there, i.e. going from Geneva to Milan with the half-fare card you will only pay full-fare for the Italian portion of the trip.
May 8th, 2006, 12:16 AM
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Sorry, I just saw the other part of your post asking about things to do in Geneva. I am quite sure you will get better reccos from colleague once you get there, but here are some suggestions:
1. A walking tour of the old town is of course one of the first things you should do, including a visit to the cathedral. Take a look at the "Destinations" guide above, also look at Frommers.com or get a guidebook.
2. You can rent bikes for about US$15 a day (they used to be free!) from any train station in Switzerland. (Sometimes they are still free, check with each station, Zurich often ran free bike promotions in the summers, Geneva may do the same). For an additional fee, you can usually return then to a different train station, so you don't have to ride all the way back, you can leave the bike and hop a train back. You can take bikes on almost all trains as well, there is usually a special car on most trains, there is no charge for this. Riding in Geneva itself is not that much fun (tram tracks and trams) but you could ride a bicycle down the length of most of Lake Geneva if you wanted. There are bicycle lanes on virtually every major road.
3. A day trip to places down the lake is a definite must-do. First, towns further down the lake have a better aspect on the beautiful Alps which rise more to the south and east of the lake and are not as clearly seen from Geneva. Secondly, the towns here are more charming and interesting than Geneva, IMO. For example, Lausanne has a more interesting old town IMO, and Vevey has a farmers and wine market on Saturdays. You can get to all these towns quickly and easily by train or more slowly and very scenically by ferry. You could train down and ferry back or vice versa. Towns to consider are Cully, Vevey, Lausanne, Montreux
4. Chillon Castle just past Montruex is a great half day trip, can be combined with trips to other towns along the lake. From Geneva the trip by train would take 1.5 hours (stop is Veytaux-Chillon); you could also train to Montreux and walk that would take 45 minutes or so, you could also take a ferry to Villeneuve and walk from there (a ferry from Geneva to Villenueve would take 3-4 chorus at least).
5. You could also just get on a ferry in Geneva and spend a half day or more on the ferry enjoying the beautiful lake and alp views and looking at the little towns without actually getting off the ferry. You can have lunch on board. In any case, on a weekend in June/July, do yourself a favour and buy a first class ticket. It will be less crowded. Sit upstairs outside, get a beer and enjoy the ride.
6. From Vevey and Cully, you could get to the wonderful vineyard areas easily for walks, bilking and winetastings. Go to http://www.lavaux.ch/ for info on this area, called the Lavaux (the website is in French and German only but if you go to http://www.lavaux.ch/fr/default.htm there is a map you can understand), or to www.lake-geneva-region.ch for info on the region generally. There are some excellent walks in the vineyard areas.
One of the best restaurants in the region is in Cully, the Auberge du Raisin, which would be a great spot for lunch or dinner as the days are so long in June/July and you could still get back to Geneva in dusk. Go to (http://www.relaischateaux.com/raisin) for info on the restaurant which is in a hotel. Cully is about an hour by train from Geneva. If weather permits, you can actually walk along the lake from Lausanne to Cully, it's part of the Lavaux vineyard walks.
7. On Saturdays in Geneva, there is a flea market in the Plainpalais area up the hill from the old town. It is quite large and there is a large variety of stuff on sale.
8. There are several museums, including the Red Cross Museum (I have to confess to not having to been it), take a look at a guidebook or the "Destinations" site above for info. Two museums in or near Geneva you might want to consider are the Foundation Bodmer (rare texts like a Guttenberg Bible, Mozart compositions and just a huge collection of other interesting items) and the Kunsthaus which is the modern art museum, websites are below.
http://www.fondationbodmer.org/
www.centre.ch
9. I am not a big shopper, but do like wandering the shops around the Rue des Eaux-Vives area which has some antique shops and boutiques. If you have any interest in all in vintage travel posters and other posters, many from Switzerland but also from Europe as well as other parts of the world, then stop at Gallerie Un Deux Trois
which has a huge selection and very good quality.
Gallerie Un Deux Trois
4 Rue des Eaux-Vives
http://www.gal-123.com/en/home.html
Note that shops are closed on Sundays in Switzerland other than in train stations and airports.
10. There may be symphony, opera and ballet on offer, take a look at the following websites for information on performances and tickets. The Grand Theatre is a beautiful venue to see any performance in. There are often free classical concerts in churches, check with your hotel, or the website for the Office du Tourisme de Genève at http://www.geneve-tourisme.ch (click on the middle right of the page for English)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
http://www.osr.ch/en/english.htm (They often perform in Lausanne as well)
Grand Théâtre
http://www.geneveopera.ch/_v2/index.php (French only)
1. A walking tour of the old town is of course one of the first things you should do, including a visit to the cathedral. Take a look at the "Destinations" guide above, also look at Frommers.com or get a guidebook.
2. You can rent bikes for about US$15 a day (they used to be free!) from any train station in Switzerland. (Sometimes they are still free, check with each station, Zurich often ran free bike promotions in the summers, Geneva may do the same). For an additional fee, you can usually return then to a different train station, so you don't have to ride all the way back, you can leave the bike and hop a train back. You can take bikes on almost all trains as well, there is usually a special car on most trains, there is no charge for this. Riding in Geneva itself is not that much fun (tram tracks and trams) but you could ride a bicycle down the length of most of Lake Geneva if you wanted. There are bicycle lanes on virtually every major road.
3. A day trip to places down the lake is a definite must-do. First, towns further down the lake have a better aspect on the beautiful Alps which rise more to the south and east of the lake and are not as clearly seen from Geneva. Secondly, the towns here are more charming and interesting than Geneva, IMO. For example, Lausanne has a more interesting old town IMO, and Vevey has a farmers and wine market on Saturdays. You can get to all these towns quickly and easily by train or more slowly and very scenically by ferry. You could train down and ferry back or vice versa. Towns to consider are Cully, Vevey, Lausanne, Montreux
4. Chillon Castle just past Montruex is a great half day trip, can be combined with trips to other towns along the lake. From Geneva the trip by train would take 1.5 hours (stop is Veytaux-Chillon); you could also train to Montreux and walk that would take 45 minutes or so, you could also take a ferry to Villeneuve and walk from there (a ferry from Geneva to Villenueve would take 3-4 chorus at least).
5. You could also just get on a ferry in Geneva and spend a half day or more on the ferry enjoying the beautiful lake and alp views and looking at the little towns without actually getting off the ferry. You can have lunch on board. In any case, on a weekend in June/July, do yourself a favour and buy a first class ticket. It will be less crowded. Sit upstairs outside, get a beer and enjoy the ride.
6. From Vevey and Cully, you could get to the wonderful vineyard areas easily for walks, bilking and winetastings. Go to http://www.lavaux.ch/ for info on this area, called the Lavaux (the website is in French and German only but if you go to http://www.lavaux.ch/fr/default.htm there is a map you can understand), or to www.lake-geneva-region.ch for info on the region generally. There are some excellent walks in the vineyard areas.
One of the best restaurants in the region is in Cully, the Auberge du Raisin, which would be a great spot for lunch or dinner as the days are so long in June/July and you could still get back to Geneva in dusk. Go to (http://www.relaischateaux.com/raisin) for info on the restaurant which is in a hotel. Cully is about an hour by train from Geneva. If weather permits, you can actually walk along the lake from Lausanne to Cully, it's part of the Lavaux vineyard walks.
7. On Saturdays in Geneva, there is a flea market in the Plainpalais area up the hill from the old town. It is quite large and there is a large variety of stuff on sale.
8. There are several museums, including the Red Cross Museum (I have to confess to not having to been it), take a look at a guidebook or the "Destinations" site above for info. Two museums in or near Geneva you might want to consider are the Foundation Bodmer (rare texts like a Guttenberg Bible, Mozart compositions and just a huge collection of other interesting items) and the Kunsthaus which is the modern art museum, websites are below.
http://www.fondationbodmer.org/
www.centre.ch
9. I am not a big shopper, but do like wandering the shops around the Rue des Eaux-Vives area which has some antique shops and boutiques. If you have any interest in all in vintage travel posters and other posters, many from Switzerland but also from Europe as well as other parts of the world, then stop at Gallerie Un Deux Trois
which has a huge selection and very good quality.
Gallerie Un Deux Trois
4 Rue des Eaux-Vives
http://www.gal-123.com/en/home.html
Note that shops are closed on Sundays in Switzerland other than in train stations and airports.
10. There may be symphony, opera and ballet on offer, take a look at the following websites for information on performances and tickets. The Grand Theatre is a beautiful venue to see any performance in. There are often free classical concerts in churches, check with your hotel, or the website for the Office du Tourisme de Genève at http://www.geneve-tourisme.ch (click on the middle right of the page for English)
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
http://www.osr.ch/en/english.htm (They often perform in Lausanne as well)
Grand Théâtre
http://www.geneveopera.ch/_v2/index.php (French only)
May 8th, 2006, 03:21 AM
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Hi Jujube111,
Lucky you!! I hope you have a spectacular six weeks (can you see me GREEN with envy???).
Anyway, here are the things I most enjoy doing around the lake -- I don't think I repeated anything from earlier posts, which I just scaned. The links:
Montreux old town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html
Lavaux
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html
Promenade Fleuri
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html
Morges
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...rges_Vaud.html
Gruyeres
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Fribourg.html
Saanen
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html
Gstaad
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html
Note that, as Cicerone noted, you can rent bicycles at the train stations, and that includes the stations at Vevey, Montreux, Bulle, Gstaad, & Chateau d'Oex. So you can do the Montreux promenade on bike as well as the vineyard in Lavaux. The ride between Gstaad & Chateau d'Oex is spectacular, and I want to ride between Chateau d'Oex and Gruyeres some day soon.
Have fun!
s
Lucky you!! I hope you have a spectacular six weeks (can you see me GREEN with envy???).
Anyway, here are the things I most enjoy doing around the lake -- I don't think I repeated anything from earlier posts, which I just scaned. The links:
Montreux old town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html
Lavaux
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html
Promenade Fleuri
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html
Morges
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...rges_Vaud.html
Gruyeres
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Fribourg.html
Saanen
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html
Gstaad
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html
Note that, as Cicerone noted, you can rent bicycles at the train stations, and that includes the stations at Vevey, Montreux, Bulle, Gstaad, & Chateau d'Oex. So you can do the Montreux promenade on bike as well as the vineyard in Lavaux. The ride between Gstaad & Chateau d'Oex is spectacular, and I want to ride between Chateau d'Oex and Gruyeres some day soon.
Have fun!
s
May 8th, 2006, 04:31 AM
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Bonjour Jujube,
You're received plenty of excellent suggestions, let me add:
For a panoramic view of Geneva and the Mont-Blanc, go to the top of the Saleve mount, by car or by ropeway.
Still panoramic, but less so, the hospital restaurant on the 10th floor of the main building has two terrasses with a good view over the old town. The food is not too horrible either ;-)
Drive to nearby France:
- Annecy for the old town,
- Chamonix at the foot of Mont-Blanc, or one of my favorite,
- Val d'Abondance (go to Thonon on the south side of the lake, then follow Morzine and Abondance). Have local cheeses there.
Along the south side of the Leman lake, visit Yvoire, a medieval city. Have "filets de perches" or "féra", both local fishes. Many restaurants in this area * are owned by fishermen, you can trust the freshness of the fish.
* Yvoire, Excenevex, Sciez, Séchex-Port, Margencel, then Thonon.
The Children Hospital is close -10 minutes by tramway 20 on foot - to Carouge, an old part of Geneva worth visiting for its houses, plazas, and art and craft galleries (and a few good restaurants, and about 15-20 minutes on foot to the center of Geneva / lakeside.
A monthly bus pass costs Sfr 70.-, good value since it covers all busses, train to the airport and the local countryside and commuters boat on the lake.
Welcome to Geneva
You're received plenty of excellent suggestions, let me add:
For a panoramic view of Geneva and the Mont-Blanc, go to the top of the Saleve mount, by car or by ropeway.
Still panoramic, but less so, the hospital restaurant on the 10th floor of the main building has two terrasses with a good view over the old town. The food is not too horrible either ;-)
Drive to nearby France:
- Annecy for the old town,
- Chamonix at the foot of Mont-Blanc, or one of my favorite,
- Val d'Abondance (go to Thonon on the south side of the lake, then follow Morzine and Abondance). Have local cheeses there.
Along the south side of the Leman lake, visit Yvoire, a medieval city. Have "filets de perches" or "féra", both local fishes. Many restaurants in this area * are owned by fishermen, you can trust the freshness of the fish.
* Yvoire, Excenevex, Sciez, Séchex-Port, Margencel, then Thonon.
The Children Hospital is close -10 minutes by tramway 20 on foot - to Carouge, an old part of Geneva worth visiting for its houses, plazas, and art and craft galleries (and a few good restaurants, and about 15-20 minutes on foot to the center of Geneva / lakeside.
A monthly bus pass costs Sfr 70.-, good value since it covers all busses, train to the airport and the local countryside and commuters boat on the lake.
Welcome to Geneva
May 8th, 2006, 04:34 AM
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I forgot:
you'll be here during the soccer world cup, there'll be lots of outdoors events like retransmissions of matches on big screens, free concerts, etc. in parks downtown and on the lakeside, most restaurants, pubs and cafés will show matches too, which makes for a friendlier than usual city.
In addition there'll be the music festival around June 21st, always a good time around the center of town.
you'll be here during the soccer world cup, there'll be lots of outdoors events like retransmissions of matches on big screens, free concerts, etc. in parks downtown and on the lakeside, most restaurants, pubs and cafés will show matches too, which makes for a friendlier than usual city.
In addition there'll be the music festival around June 21st, always a good time around the center of town.
May 8th, 2006, 02:27 PM
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Thank you all so much for the wonderful advice!! As if I wasn't excited enough about going before now I don't know how I'm going to get through the next month! 
For all of the train passes and such can I purchase them right in Geneva or is it like the Rail pass that can only be purchased from the US/Canada? And another quick question if anyone knows: is the train ride from Geneva to Venice very scenic or should I do a night train? That is going to be my first stop after I finish work. Thanks again!
For all of the train passes and such can I purchase them right in Geneva or is it like the Rail pass that can only be purchased from the US/Canada? And another quick question if anyone knows: is the train ride from Geneva to Venice very scenic or should I do a night train? That is going to be my first stop after I finish work. Thanks again!
May 8th, 2006, 02:39 PM
#14
Check out the local farmers open air markets. In Vevey on Tues and Sat mornings, and a smaller version in Montreux on Fri morning. I'm sure other towns have their days too.
I prefer the night train to Venice. Having done it both ways. The day train was an awful long ride (I transfered Sion and returned to Vevey) and not particularly scenic (you pass thru the backside of many towns, lots of forests, nothing too spectacular I'm afraid).
I prefer the night train to Venice. Having done it both ways. The day train was an awful long ride (I transfered Sion and returned to Vevey) and not particularly scenic (you pass thru the backside of many towns, lots of forests, nothing too spectacular I'm afraid).
May 8th, 2006, 05:41 PM
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Intrepid, I lived in Switzerland, so never had to buy any form of Rail Pass. Does it in fact give you free tranpsort on trams and buses? I was not under that impression. I thought it only gave train transport for a limited time, and perhaps some ferry and cable car discounts, but not all, and no free tram and bus transport. The Swiss Rail website does not indicate that any type of rail transport gives free local transport. If you have specific info on this, esp for Geneva, that would probably be helpful for Jufube111 in comparing prices of the Half Fare card versus a rail pass.
In general, if you are in the country for a longer period of time than most tourists, the Half Fare card (or the General Abandoment which is more expensive but gives free travel) is a better value. For 6 weeks, if Jujube111 will commute to work by tram or bus then if a Rail Pass indeed provides free tram and bus transport it would be a good value.
Jujube111 I believe you can buy all these passes when you are in Switzerland and won't pay any premium like you would from RailEurope, but I leave that to those who have bought railpasses. The Half Fare card can only be bought in Switzerland or perhpas via the rail.ch site.
In general, if you are in the country for a longer period of time than most tourists, the Half Fare card (or the General Abandoment which is more expensive but gives free travel) is a better value. For 6 weeks, if Jujube111 will commute to work by tram or bus then if a Rail Pass indeed provides free tram and bus transport it would be a good value.
Jujube111 I believe you can buy all these passes when you are in Switzerland and won't pay any premium like you would from RailEurope, but I leave that to those who have bought railpasses. The Half Fare card can only be bought in Switzerland or perhpas via the rail.ch site.
May 9th, 2006, 02:38 PM
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How crowded is Switzerland in the summer? I would like to try and maintain some leniency in my schedule but do I risk not being able to find a hotel room for various Saturday nights? Should I reserve now? Thanks!
May 9th, 2006, 04:16 PM
#18
It was perfectly safe. I sprung for a private cabin, because it was worth it to me for the comfort, rather than a couchette that is shared with others and has bunks instead of regular beds.
I don't think you can answer for an entire country your question of crowds. Definitely don't go to Montreux during the Jazz Festival without a reservation, for instance!
I don't think you can answer for an entire country your question of crowds. Definitely don't go to Montreux during the Jazz Festival without a reservation, for instance!
May 11th, 2006, 08:46 AM
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Cicerone: info that comes from the SBB with Swiss Passes says they are good on trams and buses in dozens of cities, most postal buses, most boats on lakes as well as many 'private' (non-SBB trains)
And they are currently cheaper in the US thru RailEurope as i've compared several times than at the station in Switzerland. This may not always be true in the future vis-a-vis exchange rates.
So often folks talk about paying a premium thru RailEurope when they just don't know the facts and present misleading info - in more than a few cases it's just not true if you did a comparison test such as with Swiss Passes currently from RailEurope and at the stations in Switzerland - same pass here about 10-15% less and some RE agents such as BETS don't charge a handling fee escept on rush orders.
RailEurope in many cases does charge a premium price but not routinely on everything as i've often heard people say on this forum. Indeed they are a for-profit company needing to, unlike their controlling parent, the SNCF or French Railways, turn a profit.
And they are currently cheaper in the US thru RailEurope as i've compared several times than at the station in Switzerland. This may not always be true in the future vis-a-vis exchange rates.
So often folks talk about paying a premium thru RailEurope when they just don't know the facts and present misleading info - in more than a few cases it's just not true if you did a comparison test such as with Swiss Passes currently from RailEurope and at the stations in Switzerland - same pass here about 10-15% less and some RE agents such as BETS don't charge a handling fee escept on rush orders.
RailEurope in many cases does charge a premium price but not routinely on everything as i've often heard people say on this forum. Indeed they are a for-profit company needing to, unlike their controlling parent, the SNCF or French Railways, turn a profit.
