A plan for Geneva

In 1536, a young man named John Calvin, fleeing the persecution of Protestants in France, spent a night in Geneva. As it turned out, he was to do a lot more there than sleeping. After being expelled from Geneva for nearly three years, Calvin returned triumphantly in 1541 to help elevate the city to the rank of a Protestant Rome. The intellectual influence of the Reformation extended to all realms of Genevan life: politics, economy, and administration.

Geneva was an independent republic from at least the 16th century until it became a Swiss Canton on 31 Dec 1813. This is a point of some pride to the Genevois, who still refer to their Canton as the République et Canton de Genève. A favorite festival is the yearly celebration of the Escalade, which commemorates a failed attempt in 1602 by the forces of the Dukes of Savoy to invade the city by climbing and otherwise breaching the city walls. Having turned aside this invasion attempt at the cost of only 16 lives, Geneva had secured its liberty, since the House of Savoy was never again strong enough on this side of the Alps to attempt such an invasion.

Geneva is still a very proud city. Some find it downright stuffy, although there is quite a bit more life to be found if you look under the surface, especially if you speak some French.

Geneva is officially a French-speaking city, and the vast majority of the population speak French (81% in 2014). All advertisements, information, and signs are in French. With the large international presence and a strong diaspora, English and Portuguese (both about 10%) take a close second. Spanish (7%), Italian (6%), and German (5%) speakers abound. You may also occasionally hear Serbian/Croatian, Albanian and Turkish as well as Arabic surprisingly often.

1 Jet d'Eau, the Rade (visible from most of the Lac Léman waterfront). daily 10:00-23:00 (shut off in November for maintenance and during strong winds.). One of the crowning symbols of Geneva is the monumental Jet d'Eau, a fountain of water pumped 140m into the air. The spectacular plume was once an occasional pressure release for hydro-power generation on the Rhône River, but people liked it so much that in 1891 the city created a permanent pumped fountain. It's beautifully lit at night. Best viewed from a distance — the surrounding half kilometer is soaked with water. However, the more adventurous might want to try the pathway leading right up to the Jet d'eau -- prepare to get enjoyably wet! Free.

2 Cathédrale St-Pierre and Calvin's auditorium, Place St. Pierre (At the highest point in the Old Town). Jun-Sep: Mon-Sat 09:00-21:00, Sun 11:00-19:00; Oct-May: Mon-Sat 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-12:30 and 13:30-17:00. The new Espace Saint Pierre pass includes entrance to all three sites of Cour Saint-Pierre, a worthy space of unique spiritual and cultural importance. The Cathedral and its towers, originally Catholic, both embody the high point of the Reformed tradition and explore the origins of Christianity with an extensive archaeological site and they are now complemented by the International Museum of the Reformation on the ground floor of the Maison Mallet. An underground passage, reopened when the Museum was created, connects the two buildings. The archeological tour beneath the cathedral is excellent for archeology fans it explains the origins not only of the cathedral but the reason for Geneva's location back to pre-Roman times. Those willing to climb the steps of the Cathedral's towers will be rewarded with magnificent views of Geneva and the lake.

1 Salève cable car (Téléphérique du Salève), Veyrier, France (Number 8 Bus to either Veyrier Douane or Veyrier Tournettes. Or line 41 to Veyrier-École). Just over the French border, this high alpine ridge has a stunning view of Mt. Blanc and the Lake Geneva area and miles of walking trails. A cute little corner shop in Pas de l'Échelle Village (France) sells about 100 varieties of French cheeses and is open on Sundays. Don't forget your passport.

Association Genevoise des Amis du Salève (AGAS), ☏ +41 22 796 41 33. Organizes free hikes around Geneva every Sunday. Start at 10:00 (sharp) at terminus (End station) of bus number 8 at Veyrier-Douane.

2 Genève Plage (buses 2 and 6). May-September. There are many smaller places where to swim in either the rivers or the lake, but the largest one is Genève Plage (literally "Geneva Beach") at the eastern bank of the lake. It's a nice place to swim, enjoy the sun, play, barbecue, or just hang out.

Football: Servette FC play soccer in Super League, the Swiss top tier. Their home ground is Stade de Genève (capacity 30,000) 2 km south of city centre. In 2025 it hosted matches in the UEFA Women's Euro Finals.

Events

March

International Geneva Motor Show, in the Palexpo centre next to the airport.

May

Caves Ouvertes. Free annual event. Sample wine at Geneva's wineries while exploring the canton's rural side.

June

Bol d'Or. Yacht Race (biggest in Europe).

Fête de la Musique, ☏ +41 22 418 65 32. For three days in June, the whole City of Geneva is a stage. Actually, there are on the order of 40 of them. The musical offerings include children's choirs, punk rock, chamber orchestras, jam bands, avant-guard jazz, klezmer, and drum and bass DJs. The venues are as diverse as the music, with stages inside and out of l'Usine, Parc des Bastions, and even Cathédral St. Pierre. There is also a wide assortment of international food and drink for sale, which can be a bit pricey, but highly worth it. The easiest way to get information is to just head to one of the parks listed above and find one of the free newspaper-style festival guides. It includes time-tables and maps. Additionally, be sure to wander around, as the festival is full of many excellent unofficial performances, including drums, juggling, and dance. Free.

Geneva has a huge number of restaurants for a city its size, and the international community means there's more variety than you'll find in most Swiss cities. On the downside, Geneva is possibly the most expensive city in an expensive country. Additionally, it can be quite difficult to find food on Sunday night, so it might be worth planning ahead or just visiting the more touristy region near the train station. If you have the possibility to cook your own food, self catering is a good idea to save money. If you are staying for a longer period, it's a good idea to make shopping trips to supermarkets in France where many foods cost less than half of what they do in Geneva.

Budget

There are many budget spots located around the train station and in the nearby Paquis district, or near rue de l'Ecole de Médecine off Plaine de Plainpalais.

1 Buvette des Bains (Bains des Paquis), 30, quai du Mont-Blanc (jetée des Bains des Pâquis), ☏ +41 22 738 16 16, info@buvettedesbains.ch. Wonderful place in the middle of the lake. Beach in Summer, fondue restaurant in Winter. Good "plat du jour" all day for Fr. 12 Fr. 12-20.

2 Espresso Club, rue des Pâquis 25 (just off of Place de Navigation), ☏ +41 22 738 84 88. Mon-Fri until 02:00. A tiny bar and three tables means this little local spot is usually packed with a very international crowd of people who know where to get the best pizza, salads, and pasta dishes in town, with many vegetarian selections. Espresso club keeps the ovens going late for late working customers and it's a nice spot for a café and newspaper afternoon as well. Unfortunately the quality of its customer service does not mirror that of its pizzas. Fr. 1-20.

3 Café Art's, rue des Pâquis 17, ☏ +41 22 738 07 97. Mon-Fri 17:00-02:00, Sat Sun 11:00-02:00. Café Art's (sic) has a limited menu of salads and pasta dishes, but all around or under Fr. 15 and service is non-stop all day. Fr. 8-20.

4 Sing Fa la maison du Ravioli (Sing Fa dumpling house), Rue de la Calle 42, ☏ +41 22 321 75 38. morning-midnight (closed on Mon lunch), opened 7 days a week. Serves fairly authentic Chinese dumplings and noodles. Fr. 14-20.

1 Les Brasseurs, 20 Place de Cornavin (directly across from the train station), ☏ +41 22 731 02 06. Tue to Sat until 02:00, Sun and Mon until 00:00. One of the few brew pubs in Geneva, Les Brass serves three flavours of home brew in the usual half pints, pints, and litre glasses or you can go for one of the giant plastic tubes filled with three to five litres. A small menu of pub food and a full restaurant in the back makes it a good spot to waste an evening. Beer: Fr. 3.40-7.40.

2 Café de la Gare, 2 Rue de Montbrillant (directly outside of the TGV arrival area of the Gare Cornavin). Open until 23:00 daily. Of the two restaurants attached to the Hotel Montbrillant this is the pick. The beautifully decorated but unpretentious Café de la Gare captures the laid-back feel of some of the best sidewalk cafés in Paris. It's a great place for dinner as well, with excellent Swiss, French, and Italian offerings. Beer and wine: Fr. 3-4.

3 Pickwicks, 80 Rue de Lausanne (Take the number 15 Tram from Cornavin toward Nations), ☏ +41 22-731 6797, info@mr-pickwick.com. Wed-Sat until 02:00, Sun-Tue until 00:00. One of the half-dozen or so British pubs, Pickwicks claims to be the largest pub in Switzerland. Usually full of football watching expats eating fish and chips while sipping Guinness. Friday and Saturday night usually features live music. A laid-back, friendly spot. One of the best in Geneva for burgers and a dozen draft beers!

4 Alhambar, 10, rue de la Rôtisserie (Enter in back off of Parc Pélisserie), ☏ +41 22 312 1313, info@alhambar.ch. Mon 12:00-14:00, Tue-Fri 12:00-14:00 and 18:00-02:00, Sat 17:00-02:00, Sun 11:00-00:00. A swanky cocktail bar above the Alhambra Theater. Pretty people in a pretty room, usually with a DJ. A small tapas menu early in the evening and a nice brunch on weekends until 14:00. (updated Apr 2020)

Districts

Old Town (vieille ville) and St. Gervais

Paquis

Plainpalais

Hopital

Eaux-Vives

On foot

The old-town can be easily visited on foot starting anywhere around the tour boat dock on Lake Geneva, or if you come from the Cornavin station, walk down to the Bel-Air island and continue straight on uphill to the old town. Crossing the bridge (Pont du Mont Blanc), you'll get to the English Garden with the famous flower clock and a sculpted bronze water fountain. Then you can cross the street (Quai de General Guisan) and go up the hill (on Place du Port and Rue de la Fontaine) and up the long stairs passage and end up behind Saint Peter's Cathedral. After visiting the cathedral, which is Geneva's well-known landmark, you can exit the courtyard and be right in front of Geneva City Hall. From there you can easily walk down to the Bastions Park where you can find the famous Reformation Wall memorial. This park is very quiet and romantic, especially at the beginning of the fall season when the leaves start falling. See this walking route in pictures.

Geneva is fairly walkable but the fact that the name of some streets change frequently as you walk can make navigation difficult. For instance the street from Bel-Air square to Rive roundabout has five different names on a section of less than a kilometre.

By bike

Geneva is a great town to get around in by bicycle. Except for the old-town, the city is fairly flat, and though there are some streets that are dangerous to ride, there is almost always a safe, fast route to your destination. If you want to know the best routes, you should get a copy of the beautifully designed Velo-Love plan de ville, which is available at all bike shops in Geneva, or by velo@ville-ge.ch or ☏ +41 22 418-4200.

Another excellent option is to rent ebikes. Bicy is renting ebikes starting at Fr. 89 per month (approx. USD 100).

Geneva is by and large a very safe place. Violent crime was almost unheard of, although it's important to keep an eye on your belongings in public, as petty theft is a fairly common occurrence. Do report any such activity to the police, you will probably find them much more interested and helpful than police in many other Western cities, especially if you speak a little French.

Since 2013 an increase in violent crime was reported, especially during the nighttime and near party areas. Alcohol & aggressive behaviour led to fights between the multicultural mix in the city. Also burglary is increasing due to organised crime groups, keep your hotel/apartment doors always well locked and close windows etc. when you leave your place.

There is a huge amount of vandalism in the city. On every street you can see bicycles with stolen seats, wheels, everything not locked. Many bicycles are vandalised and destroyed.

A rigged street game "hiding the ball" used to be commonplace near the bridges south of the railway station. As of 2015, police have (according to local reports) systematically rounded up the con-men behind these shell games; hopefully you won't run into them any longer.