Geneve for 2 weeks
 

I'm heading to Geneva for a ILO convention in
Dec 2003, for 2 weeks. Would like to know the city and surrounding areas. Need advice on budget accomodations (urgent & less US$120), food (chocolate), things to do by night....

Any info will be greatly appreciated to keep my budget in place.

I'm sure you will get some help on the hotel topic but you may want to read a few guidebooks to get ideas about the chocolate, things to do at night, etc.

GMBC,

Check
www.geneve-tourisme.ch
for an overview of all the hotels in town.

A friend stayed at the Hotel Luserna several times for a UN convention and said it was simple but pleasant & clean. However, the location is not that convenient if you want to enjoy some nightlife - on the other hand it should be reasonably convenient to your conference locale (exactly where will it take place?).

This place suffers from the same location drawback but looks a lot more upscale:
http://www.hotel-les-nations.com
It has internet rates which should just fit within your budget constraints.

Perhaps these places are a better bet due tho their central location (request a quiet room at both of them):
http://www.destourelles.ch
http://www.hotel-leshautsderive.ch/

Finally, you may want to check if this hotel will give you a special rate for a 2 week stay:
www.hotelhermitage.ch

Re: chocolate shops, the 2 best ones are:
- Chocolaterie du Rhone
- Auer
Both are on the main shopping drag: rue du Marché / rue de la Confédération.

As for nightlife, the main action is in the old town (check out Le Demi-Lune & La Clemence among others) as well as down the hill on the Place de la Fusterie, where there's a bar Le Baroque and a nightclub, the B Club, as well as a lounge/bar called Arthur's Rive Gauche on the rue du Rhone.

If you click on my name, you should find at least one thread with restaurant recs in Geneva.

Enjoy your stay!

Andre

Here's the thread I was referring to:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34431181

Hope this helps,
Andre

Dear André: I appreciate very much your advise, clear, helpful & with valuable details. Thanks, hope I can help you in your future visit to Peru.
I'm going to check the web pages and make a decision regarding hotel issue, but prior to that maybe you can give me additional avise. Meeting will take place in ILO's venue (International Labour Office / www.ilo.org: 4, rue des Morillons CH-1211 GENEVE 22). Is Hotel Lucema in my way?.
Please let me ask you additional questions: Are those chocolate shops you suggested expensive? What about swiss watches and clothes? What malls do you suggest? I'm arriving on sunday Dec 7 and departing Dec 19. My working days will be 8 to 12 and 15 to 17. Is it reazonable to travel the weekend Dec 13 & 14 to find relatives in Italy (Mandrogne, little town in Alessandria)?
Best regards and thank you again.
Guido

You're very welcome, Pedro!

If your conference is taking place at the ILO itself, the best location in my opinion would be the Hotel des Tourelles - you are right near a bus stop for the nr. 5 bus, which will take you straight to the ILO. On the other hand, staying at the Luserna would require a change of buses - not very convenient. Plus the H. des Tourelles is very centrally located - great for exploring town.

Bus schedules and info are at:
http://www.tpg.ch/Internet+TPG/Angla...ge/Accueil.htm

Click on "schedules", then on line 5. You would get on at "Bel Air" (click on the stop to get schedules) and get off at "Crêts-de-Morillons".

Yes, the chocolate stores I mentioned are expensive. For cheaper but still good chocolate, just go to any Migros supermarket. I find their house brand, Frey, much better than the more famous mass-produced chocolate brands such as Lindt, Cailler, Suchard, Toblerone etc. and it's cheaper!

There aren't any malls in the center of Geneva - thankfully! But shops are concentrated along the rue de Rive / rue du Marché / rue de la Confédération axis, with more expensive stores on the rue du Rhône. There are also many watch and souvenir stores on the rue du Mont-Blanc, just below the train station. All of this is within easy walking distance of the Hotel des Tourelles.

Regarding your sidetrip to Milano, it is absolutely reasonable to do it - just take a train to Milano (about 4 hrs) on Friday evening. From there it's less than 100 km to Mandrogne - I assume your relatives can pick you up by car. Otherwise, you can continue by train all the way to Alessandria and then bus to Mandrogne, but that part takes forever. Train schedules at:
www.rail.ch
Bus schedules from Alessandria to Mandrogne:
http://www.comune.alessandria.it/Cit...3/linea_13.pdf

Hope you enjoy your time in Geneva, and perhaps I might come to Peru someday, quien sabe?

We recently stayed at the Citadines in Gaillard, just across the border into France, and it was a lot cheaper than anything in Geneva. The hotel is about two blocks from the France/Swiss border, where you can pick up the streetcar to take you into town. It's an extended stay hotel, so you get a kitchenette, bedroom and small living room. You can save money by buying groceries down the street and doing some of your own cooking. Avoid the hotel breakfast--it's 7.5 euros.

Since Gaillard is on the opposite side of Geneva from the ILO building, I wouldn't recommend the Citadines there in this particular case. Travel time to and from the conference venue would be close to an hour.

The french town of Ferney-Voltaire is considerably closer but public transportation to Geneva is not that frequent so all in all I think GMBC is better off staying in the center of town.

Hope this helps,
Andre

GMBC,

Just re-checked the bus connections in Geneva and actually the line 8 bus runs much closer to the ILO (or BIT as it's called in french) than line 5 does - there's even a stop called BIT. From the Hotel des Tourelles, you'd need to walk about 10 min. to catch line 8 at the "Cornavin" main train station.

Otherwise, the Hauts-de-Rive hotel I mentioned in my original post actually has a bus stop for the 8 right in front of it (called Museum in one direction and Tranchées in the other) - the bus ride takes a bit longer (an extra 15 min. approx.) though.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Hi Andre (not André sorry) thanks a lot. Your advise is worthy of notice.
I'm goig to search for reservations in Hotel des Tourelles (considering line 8 bus as a better option), may I ask for a discount on their price based on my several days stay? Also I'll check Hauts-de-Rive hotel in a contingency plan basis.

What do you suggest to make my transportation airport-hotel-airport?

About the trip to Mandrogne, I'd never been there before and I don't know my italian relatives, so I thinking better to take a hotel. Any suggstions to make reservations?

Wich closer french city would you recommend to make a 1 day visit?

Best regards
Guido

Guido (can't believe I called you Pedro in another post - SORRY! I must be losing it 8-} ),

You can certainly <i>ask</i> for a discount - the worst that can happen is that they don't give you one!

Regarding transportation from the airport. A taxi will probably cost 30-40 swiss francs depending on traffic. You can take the train from the airport to the central station to cut costs, but from there it's still a walk considering you'll have 2 weeks worth of luggage and a cab from the station would still cost you about 10 francs (they have a ridiculously high fixed charge when they start the meter). So, I would say take a cab from the airport.

Regarding hotels in Mandrogne I don't have a clue - I think your relatives would be the best source of info for that. Otherwise, you can check the yellow pages at:
www.paginegialle.it

Have a great trip!

Andre

Dear Andre.
I appreciatte very much your help.
Hotel des Tourelles is full. I need to make a decision: Hauts-de-Rive hotel is offering me 1 room; Hotel Central smaller compact room CHF100; Bel' Esp&eacute;rance Hotel CHF115 and offers 10% discount for 10 or more consecutive nigths &amp; Hotel Hermitage CHF133.5.
Regards.
Guido

Guido,

All these hotels are well located and convenient to the 8 bus (Bel Esperance is a bit of an uphill walk but still very close).

If you can swing it financially, I would probably go for the Hermitage, as it's new and 3* vs. 2* for the others. Their normal rates are much higher - that seems to be a good deal. Don't have any firsthand knowledge of any of these properties though.

Hope this helps,
Andre

Hi. Did you receive any recommendations for a French town to visit? Annecy. J.

Hi Annecy. J.
Thank's for your interest. Still waiting for advise, taking in consideration that Andr&eacute; make a lot to help me in this trip.
Regards,
Guido

On the weekend, take the train out to Lausanne, Vevey, &amp;/or Montreux. They are absolutely gorgeous towns, easy to get to within 1 to 1-1/2 hour outside Geneva.

Guido,

I'm flattered, but there are lots of other posters on this board with great ideas!

Thought you only had 1 weekend, when you would be visiting your relatives, but otherwise, Annecy, Lausanne or Montreux are all excellent suggestions. Here's a link to a good thread with these and other options:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=34450098

Hope this helps,
Andre

Our family will be going to Geneva for a couple of days. Our friend suggested either Hotel Central or Sagitta Hotel.
Anyone know this hotels? Any suggestions?
We want to see the Patek Museum. Is it walking distance
from either Hotel Central or Sagita?
Do we need to take the bus? How about going to UN or Red Cross? What bus should we take?
What type of bus pass should be get? There several types based on zones.

MMBL,

Wow, I had totally forgotten about this thread!

I'm not familiar with the Sagitta Hotel, but after checking out their website, I must say it looks like a good deal, especially if you're coming over in the summer, since it's got a/c. The location is also quite good, not quite smack dab in the middle of things, but within walking distance to most and with easy access to public transportation.
http://www.tophotels.ch/sagitta

The Central is right on the main shopping street, but VERY simple - take a look at their web site if you haven't already.
www.hotelcentral.ch

Neither hotel is within walking distance of the Patek museum, but both are an easy tram ride away (about 15 min.). The stop you need is Plainpalais.
www.patekmuseum.com

The public transportation network is quite good, you can find more information at:
www.tpg.ch

To get to both the UN and the Red Cross museum, you take bus 8. The stop for the UN is simply called &quot;Nations&quot;, while the one for the museum is called &quot;CICR&quot;.

Unless you decide to go to truly outlying areas (such as the pretty lakeside town of Hermance), you will only be travelling in zones 11 and 12.

You can buy bus tickets from the machines at every stop. There are 1 zone cards valid 30 min. and 2 zone cards valid 60 min. Prices are slightly lower for children 15 and under. A day card makes sense if you're taking at least 4 2-zone bus rides on the same day. Do note that the machines are a pain if you pay cash in that they require exact change and you can only buy one ticket at a time! You can also buy a prepaid value card called &quot;carte a bonus&quot; at newsstands in denominations of CHF 20 (+1 CHF bonus), 30 (+2 CHF bonus) 50 (+ 5 CHF bonus), which you can use to purchase any ticket at the machines. The 48 and 72 hour tourist cards are not good value IMO.

Hope this helps,
Andre