We are flying into Geneva solely so that my brother-in-law (15) can catch a flight that will connect in London with his flight home to the States.

We arrive in Geneva on Friday at 11:55 AM, and his flight leaves Saturday at 7:00 AM.

Is one afternoon and evening satisfactory for Geneva? I feel the primary draw for a visit to Switzerland is the outdoors and that Geneva will be yet another metropolitan locale that we could, in all likelihood, skip altogether (barring the flight, of course).

Is this an oversight? Please set me straight before I start booking accomodation. Overall, we will be spending a week and a couple of days in Switzerland. During that time, we will be visiting friends and doing some hiking, etc. Would prefer to put more time into those two activities than using them in Geneva unless it would be a huge mistake.

Thanks for your input! --MP

After being there for 3 cold days in November I would say its long enough,but at this time of year you could easily spend 2 days wandering around. You will be able to see all the main attractions though.

f you already spend a week and a couple of days in Switzerland, how do you fly into geneva? I mean there are surely a few internal flights but from almost any place in Switzerland it is easier and faster to reach Geneva airport by train than by plane.
Otherwise - Geneva is a nice enough place but I can't say it is beautiful. There are a few places to visit and the lake is spectacular in itself, but it is my least favourable city in Switzerland. That said, there are many many places around which are far less nice. If you have some access to the lake before then 1/2 day in Geneva will give you a good impression without having missed something unmissable.

MacPrague,

I've spent many vacations at Lake Geneva and truly love it there. There are lots of outdoor activities to do along the lake -- though not necessarily in Geneva itself.

There are many sweet towns along the lake that will give you good access to the airport by direct train or maybe with a single change, so you may want to consider staying outside of the city (particularly as you don't seem to really want to stay in a city). Some towns to consider are: Morges (40 minutes to the airport), Nyon (25 minutes to the airport), Montreux (1h15), or Vevey (1h04).

I'm posting links to some of my favorite activities around the lake -- may help you find stuff to do. None, sorry, for the city itself --

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

Have fun!

s

Sorry for any confusion--we are flying from southern Spain to Geneva at the beginning of a week in Switzerland.

I am getting the impression that, if we see the lake and some of the surrounding area before proceeding north toward Zurich, we won't be doing Geneva a disservice by only spending part of one day there.

Thanks for your help! --MP