Where to go from Geneva?
 

We're flying to Geneva, but do not care to spend time there. Would rather explore smaller towns, villages. Since it is near France and Italy, does anyone have any suggestions as to some interesting towns to explore? We'll be driving.

We enjoy people watching, good local food, exploring the culture of an area, architecture, etc. We just basically want to have a nice, quiet, but interesting short vacation of six days.

Thank you for any advice you give.

Hi lucky03,

If you're not opposed to finding smaller towns, villages, good food, and architecture in Switzerland, I can recommend you stay in Vevey or Montreux and spend your days exploring the vineyards of the Corniche Lavaux (St Saphorin, Rivaz, Chexbres, Lutry, Cully), Morges, the Chillon castle, the lakeside promenade, Gstaad, and Gruyeres. You can easily fill six days with quiet joy!

By the way, what time of year are you going?

Let me know if I can help further.

s

Absolutely. Everything S' writes. You could also have a taste of France in the same neighborhood (down to Annecy, which is a lovely town, and then a tiny stop in Yvoire, a lakeside village on Lac Leman)before reaching the villages of French-speaking Switzerland. J.

You could drive west into Burgundy and then the Loire Valley. Just good food and wine everywhere you go, and reasonable prices.

Actually my suggestions would be Switzerland too. Like Swandav, I am a big fan of the towns along Lac Leman- Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux, etc. I just returned from a 10 day trip spent only in this area, and it was heavenly. Since you have a car a day trip out to Gruyeres might be nice too. There's siteseeing trams to go up the mountainside, boats and ferries to tour on the lake, the castle at Chillon, vineyards and wineries on the hillsides. The food, the scenery, architecture, and the local people, all just lovely.