Hi...

I'll be visiting Geneva for a biz trip end Jan, and is pondering whether to visit Austria or Italy prior to that, for a week... Any suggestions?

> Any suggestions? <

France and Switzerland are right at hand - beautiful Alpine scenery close to Geneva...

Cross the MOnt Blanc you have Aoasta a charming place to visit, with the old town and scnery all around, and from there you can drive may be into Piamonte for deliciious food and more.....like Torino.

I recommend that you get some tour/ travel books from your library. DK Eyewitness books have lots of pictures.

Considering that it will be January, you need to decide if this is a snow/ski vacation or not.

If you HAVE to fly out of Geneva then include a return to Geneva in your schedule.

You have enough days to go to two locations (if you want).

Thanks everyone...
It's my 1st trip in Europe. So now torn between spending a week in Switzerland or tour 2 countries within a week... Any suggestions?

Stay in CH and see the Berner Oberland---the best of the Alps.

Another vote for Italy.

Last November, we were in Geneva for business and drove to Piedmont for a week of wine tasting. If you like wine, it's easy drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel. We stayed at a lovely hotel and spa that arranged all the wine tastings for us.

Swiss mountain sites at the end of january are covered in snow. Which means you could ski or learn to ski if you would like that. A stay in the mountains in this time of the year needs some special clothing and/or equipment.
However, Switzerland is more than mountains... You could visit Geneva, Vevey or Montreux, Fribourg, Bern, Lucerne,...
You could also take the train to Venice, or the TGV to Paris, if you would like that.
It would be fine to tell us a bit of your interests...

Thanks folks for the great advice...
I'm keen to venture around museums, or places that are rich in culture. Not so keen on skiing though, because I'm a klutz at that.
I've seen some pictures online of Berner Oberland, and these really look great. I'll probably spend a few days there.
Having a 5-day break before the business trip, and another 2-day break after that. Are 5 days too long to spend in Berner Oberland? Anyone knows of any great local tours? And is 2-day good to travel to either Venice or Paris?

If you prefer strolling in museums, why not 5 days Paris or Venice and 2 days Berner Oberland...

Decided to visit Vienna for 4 nights... Any suggestion on a value-for-money pension?
What's the difference in costs between flying to vienna from geneva, and taking a train?
Or is it practical to take a train to vienna and fly back to geneva?

If you're not heavy into skiing then I think 2 days in the Berner Oberland is enough in the winter. Save the 5 days for you major interests. You could easily do Venice, Florence or even Paris - and see quite a bit in 5 days.

Also - don;t forget Geneve - which has a charing old town, several nice museums - and isn;t far from Montreaux and Castle Chillon.