I fell in love with Geneva on my first trip and immediately upon return booked a return trip back a year later, so if you’re headed there, you’ll love it! Geneva is a beautiful vibrant city, with a calm sophistication and while Switzerland is definitely on the more expensive end of trips to Europe, this city is definitely worth a visit! So for all my tips and advice for traveling in Switzerland, here is the best of Geneva and how to have an amazing trip there.
Arrival into Geneva
You can arrive into Geneva by train, by car, or by plane – each with its perks and draw backs and we’ve done all three. By train is pretty easy as you’ll arrive right into the city center and it’s a quick walk to get to the main part of Geneva. We stayed in the Dorciere neighborhood right on Lake Geneva and it was a quick 5 minute walk to the Hotel Bristol from the central Gare Cornavin. By car, you can drive fairly easily into Geneva and we did it with a rental car on our first trip to Geneva. The roads are wide and easy to navigate – the hardest part of driving into Geneva is the parking situation so be sure you know where you’re headed and what the parking will be when you arrive. By plane, the airport is a very fast 7 minute train into the city, so once you land, follow the signs to the train, buy a ticket and head into the city – from there you can follow the same advice as above since you’ll be arriving into the city center by train.
Walk the City
I’ve previously shared all the see and do if you just have 1 day in Geneva but if you’re looking to spend more time there, you’ll want to wander the city on foot to see it best. From the Old Town to the Rue Basses, there are beautiful neighborhoods throughout the city. As the city mainly is centered around the Lake, you can’t really ever get lost so find an area each day to wander and you can see all of the city on foot.
Boden Jacket (similar) | Lululemon Cargos (similar) | Converse Platforms | Zara Crossbody Purse (similar) | Sunglasses
Where to Eat
Food is always the best part of travel in my opinion and Geneva has a wealth of amazing places. For where to eat, here are some of my favorites:
White Rabbit Brunch & Co. – This spot is amazing for breakfast and honestly if we had had more days in town in the morning, we would have gone again. It has gluten and dairy free options and everything was delicious!
Molino Ristorante and Pizzeria – For Italian, this is one of my favorites in Geneva. Conveniently located in the main square near the shopping area, grab a table outside here in nice weather, enjoy a glass of wine and some pasta or pizza and you won’t be disappointed.
Globus Food Hall – This is a great food hall in the Globus Shopping Center and it has a ton of options to choose from!
Cafe de Centre – This bistro style spot in the main square near the shopping center has lots of outdoor seating in the warm months and delicious food and wine. It’s also open on Sundays when many of the other restaurants are not!
Where to Stay
We’ve stayed at the Hotel Bristol twice now and both stays were excellent. The location can’t be beat and the staff are lovely, plus the rooms are large by European standards!
Tips for Geneva
This tip goes for Switzerland in general, but expect everything to be expensive. We found the smaller items like bottles of water and souvenirs to be the most expensive, while meals were slightly more than we are used to. Your time in Switzerland will cost more than neighboring countries like Italy and France so just be prepared!
Headed to Switzerland?