Geneva (French) Geneva, sax. Geneva) [1] is a city In Switzerland.
Understand
Geneva is the largest city in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and the second largest in the country. The city has a population of about 186,000.
Come
By plane
- 1 Geneva Cointri International Airport.DATE: GVA There is a direct rail connection from the airport to the city’s main train station Gare Cornavin.
Finnair[2] download directly From Helsinki Geneva.
By road
Geneva is located along the motorways so the city is well accessible from both Switzerland and France. Parking spaces can be very difficult to find in the city center.
By bus
Geneva can be reached by bus from neighboring cities on the French side.
By train
- 2 . Central Station.
There are train connections to Geneva from other Swiss cities (e.g. Zurichista and Bernista) and the French side.
Move
When staying at the hotel, the hotel offers guests a public transport card Geneva Transport Card, which allows you to travel for free in the Geneva area by tram, bus and train. It also runs on yellow water buses. Public transport is generally of good quality and fairly punctual, the intervals are quite short, and buses and trams are a good way to get around Geneva.
Public transport tickets can be purchased from vending machines that do not refund change.
By bus
Most Geneva buses are at least single-jointed so-called accordion buses, some have two joints. Some of the buses are electrically operated, the so-called trolls. On buses, the stops are announced in French and most also have a stop screen on the front of the bus. The next four stops are also shown in the section. Buses stop at all stops, regardless of whether passengers are getting on or off the bus, exceptions are mentioned on the sign signs with the text "Arret sur demande" (stopping if necessary). For this reason, bus travel can be slow compared to trams, but certain buses can still run exceptionally short routes.
By tram
In Geneva, tram travel is smooth. Trams run in many ways along the city. If you get lost in the city, you can take the tram to Gare Cornavin station, which acts as the city’s public transport hub, and continue in the desired direction. As in Finland, trams can be congested, especially at larger stops during peak hours. Each stop is announced in French.
By water bus
Works in Geneva Water bus company Mouettes Genevoises Navigation. It has four water bus lines that are part of the city's common tariff, meaning they can be used with a "bus pass" shared by the hotel. Without a passport, a one-way trip costs CHF 2 and an hourly ticket costs CHF 3. Lines M1 and M2 take you from the Paquis / Port des mouettes pier to the south bank to Molard and Quai Gustave Ador / Eaux-Vives. In practice, they are mainly an alternative to crossing the Mont Blanc bridge.
Line M3 takes you from the Paquis / Port des mouettes pier to Port Noir / Geneva Plage, from where the water bus continues back north as line M4 to Perle du Lac. Port Noir is a wealthy residential area with a private yacht club. There are plenty of small and larger boats in the area, but there are no services unless you happen to get to know the members of the yacht club.
Going directly from Port Noir to Perle du Lac, you will reach the other end of the northern beach esplanade. This is a good option if you don’t want to walk back and forth on the esplanade. In addition, a water bus ride offers the opportunity to observe the city from Lake Geneva.
Walking
Geneva is largely safe and easy to walk. However, the Geneva-style driving style can cause confusion and fear among foreign pedestrians. Many motorists will slow down when crossing the guardrail if they get over, but once you cross the guardrail halfway, the car may suddenly accelerate towards you, even if it is not meant to drive over you. Protective roads are not everywhere, but many road corners are built to cross the road. Traffic lights are a very confusing part of Geneva, as they often show a red light to everyone. For this reason, few Geneva people follow the protective road lights.
By taxi
Taxis are at least as expensive in Geneva as in Finland, but cars are on average shorter and older. Walking and public transport are usually a better option in a small town.
By road
Driving in Geneva is safe, but one-way streets and tunnels can be misleading if the route is not planned in advance. The city center is hardly worth coming by car, and especially the streets of the old town are narrow and often one-way. Motorists are really polite and there is room for a left turn and lane change. There are a lot of motorcycles and scooters and you have to be a little careful, you are allowed to ride between the car lines and wedge to the top of the line standing at the traffic lights.
Parking is free on the streets, but parking disc is required in the areas marked in blue from 8 am to 6 pm. The maximum allowed parking time is 1.5 hours without moving the car to another location. It is also worth checking the parking instructions and restrictions along the street, as improperly parked cars will be towed away and redemption will cost around 300 francs (2007). Free parking is available 24 hours a day in the areas marked in white.
See
- 1 Geneva Botanical Gardens (Jardin Botanique de Genève), Chemin de l'Impératrice. The botanical garden is worth seeing both outdoors and indoors. In addition to plants, the garden includes parrots, peacocks and Swiss domestic animals. There is an open-air restaurant in the area and a fairly charming carousel for children. Free entry.
- 2 Promenade du Lac. Pedestrian street on the edge of Lake Geneva.
- 3 Jet d'Eau (Lake Geneva). A fountain whose water rises to a height of 140 meters
- Les Pâquis. A neighborhood with lots of ethnic restaurants and a red light district.
- 4 Cathdrale St-Pierre.
- 5 Palais de Nations. UN European Headquarters.
- 6 CERN. European Institute for Particle Physics. Partly on the French side.
- 7 Palexpo. Exhibition center near Geneva Airport. Among other things, the Geneva Motor Show is held there every year in early March.
- 8 Île Rousseau. A small island between Lake Geneva and the Rhône with a statue of Rousseau.
Museums
- 9 Geneva Museum of Natural History (Muséum d'histoire naturelle), Route de Malagnou 1. Free entry.
- 10 Museum of the History of Science (Museum of Historical Sciences), Parc de La Perle du Lac. Physical measuring devices on display. Free entry.
- 11 Red Cross Museum (International Museum of the Croix-Rouge and the Croissant-Rouge), Avenue de la Paix 17.
Tea
Compagnie Générale de Navigation offers cruises on steam-powered ferries on Lake Geneva. Going on nearly a hundred-year-old ships is atmospheric, and in addition to Geneva, you can also see the surrounding areas. There are short hour tours, a slightly longer lunch cruise (meals are expensive but not mandatory) and scheduled transport to nearby towns.
Buy
The price level in Geneva is very high. Cheap goods can be found mainly at discount sales, street vendors or the "black market". However, the selection of many places is very wide and high quality.
- 1 Confederation Center (South of Rhone). A small malls. The first layer is mainly for women's clothing, the second layer for men.
- 2 Metro Shopping (Gare below Cornavin). Commercial center. There aren’t a huge number of shops, but you can find stuff from side to side. The cheapest goods can be found in the aisles of the mall from individual merchants.
- 3 Globe (In the Balexert district). Versatile department store.
- 4 Globe (Along Rue du Rhone). Versatile department store. Comparable to Helsinki Stockmann.
- 5 La Praille, Route des Jeunes 10.
Eat
There are numerous restaurants in Geneva, including among them. There are many ethnic restaurants in the city - kebabs, Italian, Asian - but the food in them is mediocre at best. In the downtown area, the cheapest end is Asian restaurants, which also offer Take Away food. A few notable restaurants with good value for money:
- 1 Café du Soleil, Place du Petit-Saconnex, ☎ 41 ( 0 ) 22 733 34 17. Geneva's oldest restaurant, and operated for over 400 years. The restaurant is known for its excellent fondue. The restaurant is located just outside the city center, but can be easily reached on line 3.
Cheap
- 2 Coop Restaurant, Route des Jeunes 10 (La Praille shopping center). Chain restaurant. Prices lower than in the center.
- 3 Restaurant Migros, Avenue Louis-Casai 27 (Balexert Shopping Center).
Juo
According to the saying, Swiss wines are not known anywhere else in the world because they are so good that the Swiss drink them themselves. The saying is true, and in Geneva it is worth tasting local wines that are not only reasonably priced, usually also quite tasty. Locals drink little beer and virtually no cider is known. The beer brands available are mainly French 1664, as well as usually "import-priced" Heineken and San Miguel.
There are pubs and nightclubs popular with tourists and diplomats in the city center, while there are plenty of places popular with locals and students near Plaine du Plainpalais. Along the street Rue de la Coulouvrenière is again the "mesta" of the youth, where a lot of people move at night.
Cafes
- 1 Le Paradis, Quai Turretini. An outdoor terrace along the River Rhône for drinks and ice cream. Known for its excellent, lemon juice made on site.
Bars & pubs
Nightclubs
Sleep
- 1 Ibis Geneve Center Gare, Rue Voltaire 10 (Next to Cornavin train station).
- 2 Geneva Hostel, Rue Rothschild 28-30, ☎ 41227326260. Double room: CHF 100 per night.
Talk
Most of the people of Geneva speak French. In the downtown area, as well as in services for tourists and diplomats in general, you can survive in English, but outside the city center and in the services used by the locals, French is good.
Stay safe
Geneva is one of the safest cities in the world. However, pickpockets move occasionally, but mainly in and around Gare Cornavin and the airport. During the summer, pickpocketing increases in the center and at night the area of the Paquis's "red lanterns" can be restless, but if you don't look for inconveniences, you can move safely at all times.
If you ride a bicycle, take care of the bike in a safe place, as there are plenty of broken bikes around the city, even when locked.
Stay healthy
Geneva’s drinking water is clean, so you can drink water from your taps.
Take contact
Continue your journey
- Alps - the mountains a few hours drive or train ride from Geneva
- France - The center of Geneva is not a long way to the French border.
- Annemasse - A French city right next to Geneva.
| this is useful article. It could be used, but it doesn’t compare to a travel guide. Dive in and help make it recommended! |