Geneva insider information
Jun 11th, 2003, 07:26 PM
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Geneva insider information
My wife and I are going to Geneva in July. This is our first trip to Europe. We will be staying in Geneva for almost our entire stay as we will be attending a convention there. I am looking to find some great local sites and restaurants other than the ones you see in all the travel books. If anyone could give me any information I would appreciate it as well as any tips about travel in Europe. Thank you.
Jun 11th, 2003, 08:32 PM
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Excerpted from a previous post - - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34372130 - - one of the numerous places I have cited this place:
Author: Rex
Date: 10/10/2002, 04:11 pm
Message: Domaine de Chateauvieux - - to eat or to stay - - about 15-20 minutes away in Satigny. See www.karenbrown.com/switzerland/satigny.html or http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/17/travel/17TAB.html (which also lists other good places in and around Geneva). As always, requires registration to read this, but it's free.
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Best wishes,
Rex
Author: Rex
Date: 10/10/2002, 04:11 pm
Message: Domaine de Chateauvieux - - to eat or to stay - - about 15-20 minutes away in Satigny. See www.karenbrown.com/switzerland/satigny.html or http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/17/travel/17TAB.html (which also lists other good places in and around Geneva). As always, requires registration to read this, but it's free.
==============
Best wishes,
Rex
Jun 12th, 2003, 02:33 AM
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Hello yoohoo4me!
I love visiting Montreux on Lake Geneva, and I have a list of things to do there. I hope some of this will be useful for you:
Spend a morning walking along the 11km flowered lakeside promenade from Clarens to Villeneuve, passing the Chateau Chillon between Territet and Villeneuve; there are plenty of cafes to stop and have a coffee & snack along the way to replenish your strength. There are also plenty of benches to sit and read, watch other walkers, or simply stare at the majesty of the lake and the mountains in the distance.
My favorite café is the Terraces du Pavillon in Territet, across from the little dock there, just about 1/4 mile before the Chateau de Chillon. A great restaurant if you're in the mood for a full meal is the Taverne de Chateau de Chillon about a block before the Chateau.
If you make it all the way to Villeneueve, top off your long walk with a wonderful pizza & beer lunch at a lakeside café in Villeneuve, then take the ferry back to Montreux (I think the ferry stops in late Sep/Oct).
Spend a morning walking up to Montreux's old city and the old church for fantastic panoramic views from the church's terrace. Have lunch at the Hotel/Restaurant du Pont at 12 rue du Pont (I had a ravioli in cream sauce with shaved truffles that was out of this world!). Montreux's website is at www.montreux.ch
Spend the morning in Vevey hunting down the antiques shops in the old town. Then have lunch at the Hostellerie de Geneve on the Pl. Marche. Vevey's website is at www.vevey.ch
Take the train (the "wine train"
from Vevey to Chexbres, then spend a morning walking the vineyards down to the lake, hitting Rivaz & St. Saphorin. For lunch, find the Auberge du Rivaz (in Rivaz . . . ) with a terrace lake view or see if any of the cellars are having a cheese/wine tasting. Website: www.lavaux.ch/sentier2.htm
The lakeside village of Cully, just east of Lausanne, is a picturesque stop and has two recommended restaurants, the Auberge du Raisin and the Au Major Davel.
The lakeside village of Lutry, just two miles east of Lausanne, has a well-posted tour of medieval buildings as well as some good wine caves for tasting. Website: www. lutry.ch
Spend a day in the mountains, taking the train to the resort of Gstaad. On the way back, stop at Chateau d'Oex or at Glion for lunch at the Hotel Victoria with its panoramic views of the lake. You can walk from Glion to Montreux on a stair-step path through the forest (or take the train or the funicular to Territet).
Spend an afternoon in the medieval village of Gruyeres, making sure to sample the berries in creme-double. Website: www.gruyeres.ch
Spend an afternoon in Nyon at the Roman museum and the Caesar's columns nearby. The Fodors guide recommends a meal at the Auberge du Chateau just steps from the Roman museum. It was closed when I was there, but it looked charming. Website: www.nyon.ch
Go to the small, charming village of Celigny. Not much to see here but a picturesque place (it was actor Richard Burton's home during the last years of his life). Have lunch at the Auberge du Soleil -- great prix fixe feast!
The website for the tourist office of the region is: www.lake-geneva-region.ch
My personal travel journal (w/photos) of Montreux: http://www.igougo.com/planning/journ...JournalID=7825
Have a great time!
s
I love visiting Montreux on Lake Geneva, and I have a list of things to do there. I hope some of this will be useful for you:
Spend a morning walking along the 11km flowered lakeside promenade from Clarens to Villeneuve, passing the Chateau Chillon between Territet and Villeneuve; there are plenty of cafes to stop and have a coffee & snack along the way to replenish your strength. There are also plenty of benches to sit and read, watch other walkers, or simply stare at the majesty of the lake and the mountains in the distance.
My favorite café is the Terraces du Pavillon in Territet, across from the little dock there, just about 1/4 mile before the Chateau de Chillon. A great restaurant if you're in the mood for a full meal is the Taverne de Chateau de Chillon about a block before the Chateau.
If you make it all the way to Villeneueve, top off your long walk with a wonderful pizza & beer lunch at a lakeside café in Villeneuve, then take the ferry back to Montreux (I think the ferry stops in late Sep/Oct).
Spend a morning walking up to Montreux's old city and the old church for fantastic panoramic views from the church's terrace. Have lunch at the Hotel/Restaurant du Pont at 12 rue du Pont (I had a ravioli in cream sauce with shaved truffles that was out of this world!). Montreux's website is at www.montreux.ch
Spend the morning in Vevey hunting down the antiques shops in the old town. Then have lunch at the Hostellerie de Geneve on the Pl. Marche. Vevey's website is at www.vevey.ch
Take the train (the "wine train"
from Vevey to Chexbres, then spend a morning walking the vineyards down to the lake, hitting Rivaz & St. Saphorin. For lunch, find the Auberge du Rivaz (in Rivaz . . . ) with a terrace lake view or see if any of the cellars are having a cheese/wine tasting. Website: www.lavaux.ch/sentier2.htm The lakeside village of Cully, just east of Lausanne, is a picturesque stop and has two recommended restaurants, the Auberge du Raisin and the Au Major Davel.
The lakeside village of Lutry, just two miles east of Lausanne, has a well-posted tour of medieval buildings as well as some good wine caves for tasting. Website: www. lutry.ch
Spend a day in the mountains, taking the train to the resort of Gstaad. On the way back, stop at Chateau d'Oex or at Glion for lunch at the Hotel Victoria with its panoramic views of the lake. You can walk from Glion to Montreux on a stair-step path through the forest (or take the train or the funicular to Territet).
Spend an afternoon in the medieval village of Gruyeres, making sure to sample the berries in creme-double. Website: www.gruyeres.ch
Spend an afternoon in Nyon at the Roman museum and the Caesar's columns nearby. The Fodors guide recommends a meal at the Auberge du Chateau just steps from the Roman museum. It was closed when I was there, but it looked charming. Website: www.nyon.ch
Go to the small, charming village of Celigny. Not much to see here but a picturesque place (it was actor Richard Burton's home during the last years of his life). Have lunch at the Auberge du Soleil -- great prix fixe feast!
The website for the tourist office of the region is: www.lake-geneva-region.ch
My personal travel journal (w/photos) of Montreux: http://www.igougo.com/planning/journ...JournalID=7825
Have a great time!
s
Jun 12th, 2003, 05:48 AM
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Hi, I can only add to S' suggestions the little lake town of Yvoire and Annecy, too, if you're interested in moving a bit more afield. When Ursula sees your thread, she might be able to direct you to special galleries or museums. J. p.s. Don't forget graceful Lausanne.
Jun 12th, 2003, 05:58 AM
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Wow Swandav, it seems you have quite a bit of knowledge about the region. As part of our convention package we will be visiting Gruyeres, Zermatt, Thun, and Interlachen. Outside of that I will be in Geneva in convention all day every day, there by limiting any chance of a day trip. So I really need to know about things to do in Geneva, in the evening. Thank you for the tips any more you have would be great.
Jun 12th, 2003, 06:04 AM
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jmw,
To really have insider information, you need to be a resident.
Things and hip places change just too often, especially in cities like Geneva and Zurich, but also smaller ones.
Maybe, Florence, who lives in Geneva, will pop in soon.
Otherwise, you'll find good information in local papers and at your hotel. However, tourist brochures are hardly mentioning real insider places.
For that, newspapers and magazines are far better.
To really have insider information, you need to be a resident.
Things and hip places change just too often, especially in cities like Geneva and Zurich, but also smaller ones.
Maybe, Florence, who lives in Geneva, will pop in soon.
Otherwise, you'll find good information in local papers and at your hotel. However, tourist brochures are hardly mentioning real insider places.
For that, newspapers and magazines are far better.
Jun 12th, 2003, 07:25 AM
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Bonjour Yoohoo,
As Ursula said, I live near and work in Geneva. What kind of nightlife are you looking for, and what kind of food ? Summer is the time for good dinners on the lakeside, on the lake itself (night cruises and even dancing cruises), or in parks. Chateauvieux is an excellent suggestion but you have to make reservation in advance.
You'll discover Geneva is a rather compact town, and that you can cover quite a lot of it on foot or with public transportation. It is however expensive if you want top end or "exotic" food and entertainment. With a car, you can enjoy great food in nearby France, at a much better price.
As Ursula said, I live near and work in Geneva. What kind of nightlife are you looking for, and what kind of food ? Summer is the time for good dinners on the lakeside, on the lake itself (night cruises and even dancing cruises), or in parks. Chateauvieux is an excellent suggestion but you have to make reservation in advance.
You'll discover Geneva is a rather compact town, and that you can cover quite a lot of it on foot or with public transportation. It is however expensive if you want top end or "exotic" food and entertainment. With a car, you can enjoy great food in nearby France, at a much better price.
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Jun 12th, 2003, 11:50 AM
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Thank You so much Florence,
Your ideas were great. I would love to take my wife on a cruise, any websites or cruise companies you would recomend?
We are looking for primarily Suisse and French cuisine. As far as night life goes the only type of dance we do is 'swing dance'. Do you know of any type of club that plays this type of music? Thank you for all the help and for writing in English. By the way we won't have a car but I was curious, is there any good place to eat in France we can get to by way of Transports publics genevois?
Thank You again.
Your ideas were great. I would love to take my wife on a cruise, any websites or cruise companies you would recomend?
We are looking for primarily Suisse and French cuisine. As far as night life goes the only type of dance we do is 'swing dance'. Do you know of any type of club that plays this type of music? Thank you for all the help and for writing in English. By the way we won't have a car but I was curious, is there any good place to eat in France we can get to by way of Transports publics genevois?
Thank You again.
Jun 12th, 2003, 12:43 PM
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Bonsoir Yoohoo,
What is "swing dance" ? If it's related to jazz, there is the "Chat Noir" dancing in Carouge (tramway 12 and 13).
The "cruises" I was refering to are 2-5 hours on the lake, you can book them on the quay or through the tourism office.
Except for Ferney-Voltaire (close to the airport - couple OK restaurants in the center), there is hardly any convenient public transportation to France, except for Yvoire (boat), actually not a very good place to eat. This is why I suggested you might like to rent a car on occasion. I'll gladly suggest good places if you're interested.
I forgot to mention that there are free, or very cheap, evening concerts in some of the parks and some churches during the summer, covering all genres. Tourist office has the list.
You can contact me directly at [email protected] for more details.
What is "swing dance" ? If it's related to jazz, there is the "Chat Noir" dancing in Carouge (tramway 12 and 13).
The "cruises" I was refering to are 2-5 hours on the lake, you can book them on the quay or through the tourism office.
Except for Ferney-Voltaire (close to the airport - couple OK restaurants in the center), there is hardly any convenient public transportation to France, except for Yvoire (boat), actually not a very good place to eat. This is why I suggested you might like to rent a car on occasion. I'll gladly suggest good places if you're interested.
I forgot to mention that there are free, or very cheap, evening concerts in some of the parks and some churches during the summer, covering all genres. Tourist office has the list.
You can contact me directly at [email protected] for more details.
Jun 12th, 2003, 09:55 PM
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www.swing.ch
Swiss Swing Dance Society. You can try this site if you are interested.
www.cgn.ch
This is the boat company for the pleasure boats on lake Leman. They have English pages.
Swiss Swing Dance Society. You can try this site if you are interested.
www.cgn.ch
This is the boat company for the pleasure boats on lake Leman. They have English pages.
