Elaine

Just discovered we've got enough Airmiles to get us to Geneva or Lyon, but having just returned from 3 weeks in Greece, can't afford to spend a fortune when we're there. Any suggestions for cheap lodgings/eateries and opinions on either destination please?

Marsha

We were recently in Switzerland and my suggestion would be to fly to Geneva--take a cruise on Lake Geneva--viewing Montreaux and Chillon Castle-- and then catch a train to Lucerne-what a charming city! The old town area of Berne was delightful as well. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Europe in Lucerne by the lake and at the Allegro Resort in Berne. <BR>Zermatt is a very small pedestrian only town by the Matterhorn--exciting! We stayed at the small Pollux Hotel in Zermatt.<BR>Look at Fodor's online for lodging information in Switzerland.<BR>We were in Lyon several years ago and the cuisine was outstanding but other than that I was not too excited.

Florence

Bonjour Elaine,<BR><BR>If you decide on Geneva, remember that Switzerland is expensive. Consider staying in nearby France and visiting Switzerland from there (Ferney Voltaire - 5 min from the airport, then 6 min to the center by train, or on the other side of the lake, for example Yvoire or a nearby village http://www.presquile-leman.com/). <BR><BR>

s

Hello Elaine,<BR><BR>Well I've never been to Lyon and I love Lac Leman, so my suggestion would be Geneva. But get away from the expensive city and maybe stay in a bnb or a small hotel in the vineyards of the Lavaux region between Lausanne & Vevey. A regular poster here has stayed at the Augerge du Rivaz in Rivaz and raves about the place. Do a text search on "Lavaux" or "Rivaz" or "Vevey" to get some first-hand reviews.<BR><BR>On the other hand, another frequent poster returned recently from a trip that included Lyon & the Lavaux, and the descriptions of Lyon were fabulous. Try to find the thread titled "A Grasshopper in Switzerland" I think. Maybe do a search on "Grasshopper" or "Lyon."<BR><BR>Anyway, all good choices. Best of luck!<BR><BR>s <BR>

Grasshopper

You could easily do both. Lyon probably has the less expensive accommodations and can keep you busy for several days. Vieux Lyon is wonderful. But Geneva is an inexpensive and rather short (2 hr.) train ride. As S says, keep going when you are looking for accommodations. Geneva is expensive and a city. A short hour from Geneva is the Vaud and Vevey and some of the charming small towns around there are less crowded and less expensive.

Elaine

Thanks for all the input so far. Please keep them coming! As I've never been to Switzerland, I quite fancied Geneva. But given our tight budget and the fact that we'll only have 3 or 4 days and so don't want to travel around too much, I think Lyon will probably win.

Jack

Although Geneva is a beautiful city, Lyon is probably a better choice for those on a budget. I recently spent 5 nights in the city and was very impressed. For Accommodation, have a look at CityVox.com. Although you can't book on-line it provides valuable in formation on small hotels that otherwise can not be found on the internet. I stayed at Hotel du Dauphin near to La Place Bellcour, and thought that for the price (about 40 euros for a double room)it was wonderful. The various arrondissements that make up Lyon are a joy to discover, but try not to stay in the financial district (Part Dieu- where the train station is located)- it lacks the grace of the remainder of the city. In terms of food, I would suggest both Rue des Maronniers and Rue Merciere (both in Presqu'ile) for concentration of restaurants.

Graziella

Budget or not budget Lyon is for me a hundred times more interesting, more beautiful and with much better food , any time, that Geneva.<BR>Besides it is less expensive, also should you stay Friday, Saturday orSunday most hotels offer two nigts for the price of one. Great deal. <BR>Sorry Guys I cannot imagine that anyone prefers Geneva to LYON....

Bob Brown

I always thought that "Geneva" and "budget" were polar opposites.<BR>Cheap hotel there is an oxymoron.

Elaine

So, looks like it's Lyon then. Anybody got any recommendations for places to stay that aren't too grungy at 50 euros a night or less?

Elaine

Hotel Recommendations anybody????

Chris

Graziella, I had the same reaction. <BR><BR>Elaine, try looking up the Lyon tourist office on-line -- as Graziella said, there are hotels that offer 2 weekend nights for 1. There are many hotels in the city, but having lived there I really can't offer any hotel advice except that the Hilton is far if you want to save money on cabs (it's a 20 or so minute BRISK walk to the center of Lyon). The Mercure (in the 6th or 3rd arron, it changes around there) is a nice hotel, under $100 US, I believe. If you rent a car, you can stay in Perouges, under $100 US also. <BR><BR>As for cheap eats, well how cheap? And what type -- i.e, just cheap food or cheap food but typical Lyonnaise fare?<BR><BR>BTW, there are 2 train stations in Lyon -- Perrache and Part Dieu. Part Dieu is across the street from the commercial center (shopping mall), Perrache is in a rather dicey area in the presq'ile (although I've heard that there's a rather ok hotel down by that train station).<BR><BR>I'd also suggest you take the Satobus from the airport to Lyon -- much cheaper than a cab. Just don't have too much luggage. There are several stops throughout Lyon for the bus -- there is a website accessable through the airport website. <BR><BR>If you're going to be in Lyon on the 3rd Thursday in Nov, Lyon has a tent set up for Beaujolais Nouveau tastings.

iron

A poster above(Jack) mentioned Hotel Dauphin which is I think on the pedestrian zone, Rue Victor-Hugo between<BR>La Gare Perrache and Place Bellecour. I have stayed at another hotel on the same street.It is called Residence *** and the double room was around 60 Euro. It was last May.Simple but nice and clean + free internet access at the reception. However I stayed last two times at Comfort Inn/Sainte Antoine at Rue de Port-du-Temple for Euro 48.- reserving at Lodging.com. The reception area was nice but the room was plainer and smaller than Residence. However the location is better than Dauphin or Residence.Only a few steps away to Saone river side so easier to get to the old town. You can visit Sunday market there (veges,fruits, and artisan)Unfortunately the price is higher now of about Euro 55.- . I paid 48.- only 3 weeks ago(!). Still for the location I still might take it.Over 60.-, I might return to Residence.<BR>Info for Rresidence:<BR>http://www.resitel.com/francais/prestations.htm<BR>

Elaine

Great posts - thanks! <BR>Jack, thanks for the Cityvox link, looks like lots of good info all in one place.<BR>Chris, we'll be looking for typical Lyonnaise food, but not at hotel prices - say up to 20 euros a head inc wine??? Unfortunately, we're planning to go in October, so will just miss the Beaujolais Nouveau.<BR>Iron - like the sound of the Comfort Hotel for it's location, but lodging.com's not working properly at the moment, so I'll have a look again later.

iron

Dinning for 20.- euro per head is possible.What I did one month ago : in the old town area, touristy restaurants, true but many of them still look nice. I like the atmosphere of the area anyway.The traditional lyonnais barasserie I chose called Bouchon de Liege had a kind of inexpensive prix-fixe 3 course-menu for 12.- euro with 5 local dishes to choose for each course. You can pay extra 2.50 euro to include a glass of aperitif & a quarter litter of house wine. The food was copious and good enough and the waiters were pleasant. I could not have asked for more for that price. Only if you want a better-than-average wine, you can forget the house wine and pay a bottle. Still it could well be within your budget. Does this help you ?

Elaine

Thanks Iron - that's just the sort of recommendation I'm looking for.

kate

May I interrupt this discussion to ask a related question of the Swiss/French experts on this thread? Any suggestions for a weekend trip (accessible by train from Grenoble) near Lac Leman? I'll want to get to Geneva (at least for an afternoon) to visit friends for lunch. I know that I can get a train from Grenoble to Geneva and back, but is there a more scenic route - for example - travelling to the French (south) shore of the Lake, staying there overnight and crossing the lake by boat (or taking the train around the lake) - or perhaps venturing further into Switzerland for some mountain views and coming back via Geneva to Grenoble?

Libbie

We stayed at the Ibis hotel in Lyon recently, and found it to be a good value (as Ibis always seems to be). Check out the town of Beaune, near Lyon, which is delightful. And we enjoyed Dijon very much, more than Lyon.

iron

Careful. There seems to be more than 1 IBIS in Lyon and some or all them are situated in Part-Dieu side,far from Presqu'ile and the old town. And the prices seems about the same as above mentioned hotels. Better check about these points.<BR><BR>Kate, are you taking the train in Grenobel leaving at 09.26 ? This seems the quickest to reach Geneva(I live in GVA), with a change at Aix-Les-Bains to arrive in GVA at 11.35 which would be perfect for your lunch date. Others would require more than 1 change and takes much longer time. I don't know about any more scenic train routes in between. <BR><BR>Consider first arrive in Geneva and take a big boat at Quai-du-Mt.Blanc/GVA after lunch, into the direction of Lausanne-Montreux. You will see beautiful vineyards regions such as Laveau from the boat after Lausanne. Or this boat ride is long. maybe you can first take a quick train GVA-Lausanne and take a boat from Lausanne-Ouchy. If you can stay overnight it would be easier to do this. Check www.cgn.ch for boats on Lake L&eacute;man.

kate

Iron:<BR><BR>Thanks for your suggestions. I will have a weekend available (eg possibly leaving Grenoble on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning, returning late on Sunday evening - with the only requirement being a lunch or dinner stop with my friends in Geneva. So additional suggestions for two day itineraries would be appreciated. Thanks.