Since we had a bank holiday in Belgium on the 1st of November, I had four days free to fill up. What else to do then go abroad? One of my dear friends Charlotte is currently living in Geneva to protect Gay and Lesbian rights (did I mention she is crazy smart?) so I decided to pay her a visit. I loved my time there and especially the almost constant view of the mountains. While I was there, the first snow was falling on the mountain tops so I saw my first white mountain of the winter.
Geneva is not one of the most interesting cities I have been to (when you compare it to a Copenhagen, Paris or Budapest) but it does has its charme. It’s a mysterious city in which it is more difficult to figure out where to go. It is also quite an expensive city due to the fact that it is the banking capital worldwide (and also one of the human rights capitals) so be happy when you find a place that sells you a wine for less than 5 CHF. To sum it up, your best guide to the city would be a local but finding one might be difficult so I made it a little easier for you with this list:
1. Have a coffee in the old part of the city
A good way to start out in a city is always to visit the old part, it is where everything started and it’s never a bad idea to also start your trip here. Walk around on the cobble paths and go inside somewhere to enjoy a coffee.
2. Visit one of the many second hand book shops
One thing I noticed about Geneva is that it has quite a lot of second hand book shops. Mainly in the Plainpalais area but also in the other places. They don’t only sell books in french, I for example bought a beautiful copy op Emma by Jane Austin for just 2 euros.
3. Have lunch at Ou Bien
Ou Bien3 Rue Bergalonne
A small art gallery / great lunch spot in the midst of Plainpalais. We had a butternut squash quiche with goats cheese, a great start to my trip. This is literally one of the first pictures I took with my new camera toy (read more about her below) so I didn’t take much pictures here. But for a full review of this wonderful spot, visit 70 Percent Pure‘s post about our lunch here.
4. Eat Cheese Fondue
Café Du Soleil6 Place du Petit-Saconnex
Well, you’re in Switzerland, what are we even talking about? We had ours at Café Du Soleil, supposedly the best cheese fondue in town. Can’t disagree with that.
5. Visit Lake Geneva at sundown
6. Go to a party at L’usine
L’Usine
Place des Volontaires 4
I already told you I partied to Netsky two weeks in a row. The party we had in L’Usine was to put it lightly quite legendary. Great club and I can only highly recommend it!
7. Go to the PlainPalais Foodmarket on Sunday
Foodmarket Plainpalais
Sunday 9 am – 7 pm
I absolutely love food markets. It didn’t take me long to find out where there was one in Geneva. This market consist out of a clothes and general clutter market on the one and a gorgeous food market on the other end. We a walked around for ages and I couldn’t stop snapping pictures. Too bad that you can’t bring liquids with you when you travel with just a carry on or I would have brought home more than 1 delicious thing.
8. Submerge yourself in the international atmosphere and eat at The Melting Pot
The Melting Pot
Rue De La Navigation 8
Geneva definitely is one of the most international cities I have been to. We met some canadian people on the street, the bouncer at L’usine was from Chili and I think that only a slight amount of her colleagues is actually from Switzerland. Just before we headed out for our night on the town, we had an amazing Ethiopian dinner. The Melting Pot is owned by Helena with which we had a wonderful talk. The food is traditional and consists out of a big pancake or crepe with different little dishes on top. The idea is that you eat it with your hands which creates a very cosy atmosphere. I absolutely loved the decor as well, completely over the top but just right for the place!
9. Go to MAMCO
Musée d’art moderne et contemporain
Rue des vieux grenadiers 10
One of the last places I visited was the museum of modern arts in the centre of Plainpalais. The museum is free to enter on every first Sunday of the month, which came out great for us. Even though we didn’t have much time to spend there, I really enjoyed the museum. It reminded me a lot of Tate Modern (although much smaller) and apparently is also the place where the young creative crowd from Gevena hangs out.
10. Get Lost
Finally in between all of the above tips and before and after, try to get lost in every city you visit. It is my absolutely favorite way to discover cool places. So put away your map and just start walking around.
I’ve already decided that I’m going back at the end of Januari when the ski lifts have openend up. There are definitely a lot of things that I haven’t seen yet and are still on my to do list. Like going to the area Carouge to shop and snif the atmosphere, having a drink at Yvette De Marseille and many more.
By the way this was my first ever trip with my new camera (I know, we both treated ourselves to a little camera gift). After careful consideration I bought myself a CANON 650D and I have to say that I’m in love with this camera. It catches the light beautifully, displays great colors and is just as light as it should be. Needless to say, all pictures in this post were taken by this camera.
