Arriving into Geneva in the early morning.
I am lucky enough to be married to an airline pilot, so sometimes we “live on the edge” and fly to Europe for the weekend to explore a city, but you don’t have to have those perks to explore a new city for the day! Maybe you have one day before or after a cruise? Or maybe it’s a layover city on your way somewhere else. Either way, this can be a great opportunity to explore a city and hit the highlights in one day.
Recently I had the opportunity to go to Geneva, Switzerland. While I’ve been before, it’s been about 9 years and over Christmas. This time I was going to experience it in the spring with much warmer temperatures.
OK, I hear you…what can you really do in a day? You might be surprised!
We landed in Geneva around 10:30 am, which is later than I’d like. Sometimes we go to the hotel and have a quick nap, but because it was already 11:30 am when we reached the hotel, we opted to take a quick shower and hit the streets!
First stop…walk a few blocks down to Lake Geneva and the views of the Jet d’Eau. This is essentially a giant water fountain in the middle of the lake that shoots up a single spray of water 150 meters in the air. (That’s nearly 500 feet for us Americans!) Should you feel inclined to do so, you can cross over to the other side of the lake and walk out on the mobile footbridge for a close up view! We stopped in a small park, the Jardin des Alpes, and viewed the Brunswick Monument, walked along the pathway on the Quai du Mont-Blanc, enjoyed the sun, and purchased tickets for a one-hour boat tour. With about 90 minutes to kill, we found a lovely local café and ordered cappuccino (him), sparking water (me), and donuts. We enjoyed our view and the sun for a bit before walking around a little more before our tour.
Upon boarding our tour boat, we headed up to the open upper deck for unimpeded views as we cruised. (If you do this in the spring, be forewarned about the mayflies. These are like large gnats, and they swarm. Luckily they don’t bite, but by the end of the one-hour cruise, I had had my fill of these tiny bugs!) This is such a lovely way to see the city. You get an up close view of the Jet D’Eau and then circle the lake around the greater Geneva area. On a clear day, you can see peaks of the Alps (some still sporting their snow) including Saleve Mountain which is actually located across the border in France as well as Mont Blanc which straddles the border between Switzerland, France, and Italy. The Swiss are quite fond on Mont Blanc, and its name is found on many streets, bridges, and businesses in Geneva including the iconic Montblanc company known for exquisite writing pens and watches.
After our boat tour, we crossed the Pont du Mont Blanc (Mont Blanc Bridge!) the old town side of Geneva. On this side, we walked through the Jardin Anglais (the English Garden) and viewed the Flower Clock—an actual working clock surrounded by flowers. The flowers are changed out each season or to celebrate something, so it frequently changes. This part of Geneva is considered the old town and here you can do some shopping if that’s your thing. It’s not mine, so we wandered around the streets peeking into the high-end shops. A line had formed of people waiting for admission into Rolex! We did go into one stunning chocolatier but refrained from making purchases!
We were starting to feel a bet peckish, so we headed back across the Pont du Mont Blanc stopping at a few more chocolatiers and Laduree for macarons on the way toward our early dinner reservation at Auberge de Saviese and— Yum… maybe the dish Switzerland is most known for—cheese fondue! We ordered one cheese fondue with mushrooms and a Zurich style veal to share. Listen, that fondue is amazing! No offense, but this is NOT The Melting Pot! This is the real thing… delicious local Gruyère cheese and local white wine. We had a local Swiss beer and a Chasselas wine, a grape variety that traces its history back hundreds of years here in Switzerland! We finished our dinner with an apple torte and ice cream—local apples and the local Movenpick ice cream.
By then, the jet lag caught up with us and we had to head to bed! After a lovely local breakfast the next morning, we headed back to the Geneva airport where we finally bought chocolates!
We had previously visited the Cathedrale Saint-Pierre Geneve, but this would had also made a lovely stop in the city. With a little more time, there are ancient castles to explore a quick drive or train away and The Olympic Museum in Lausanne.
Fun Facts About Geneva: The United Nations is headquartered here, and it’s quite impressive to drive by. Nearby is the headquarters of the Red Cross along with a superb museum.
Besides the UN, Geneva, and Switzerland in general, is known for watches, chocolate, and cheese! (Well, and banking!) Nearly all the major Swiss watchmakers are represented in Geneva—Rolex, Tag Heuer, Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe, Breitling, Hublot, and more. New not in your budget? Some of the large stores also have used watches for sale. Don’t be fooled though—they’re still quite expensive!
Geneva is a lovely city to wander through. Stop at a patisserie or a chocolatier. Grab a cappuccino at sidewalk café. Do some shopping. Visit a museum or two. Enjoy some fondue.
It’s definitely a city worth a visit.
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