Geneva, Switzerland

March 06, 2019

Geneva, Switzerland

Bonjour!

This weekend I took a quick trip to Geneva, Switzerland with my friend Amelia! We enjoyed the city's beautiful views, delicious chocolate, and rich fondue.

We took an early morning flight on Friday morning so that we could have plenty of time for sightseeing once we got into Geneva. The views outside were incredible since we flew over the Alps to get in! Once we arrived though, we realized that there was a bit of a language barrier... everyone speaks French! As we attempted to navigate the machines, we decided it would be a better idea to just talk to someone who worked there. The phrase "Parlez-vous anglais?" came in very handy, and we made it to our hostel without too many issues.

We stayed at Geneva Hostel. It was very centrally-located and had some beautiful views of the lake. I really appreciated the breakfast buffet and the fact that public transportation was included in what we paid for the hostel! I'd highly recommend the location to anyone who's considering visiting Geneva.

Once we got settled in, we went to the Palais des Nations (UN complex in Geneva). We started with the Broken Chair, a famous monument that remembers the victims of landmines and encourages states to do something about them. Next, we went over to the Musée Ariana which showcases Swiss ceramics and glass through the ages. (This museum is also free to enter!) We finished the first part of our day by taking a guided tour of the UN. It was interesting to see the different assembly halls and learn a little bit about its missions and goals!

We then went over to a different part of town for lunch at Chez Ma Cousine. It was a good option for a cheaper but good meal close to important Geneva sights. After this, we headed to the St. Pierre Cathedral with the beautiful Capilla de Macabeos, which was also free to enter. We stayed in there for a while admiring the details and colors before walking to the Parc des Bastions with its chess and checkers boards and the Reformation Wall honoring the heroes of the Protestant Reformation.

After this, we took a tram over to the Jardin Anglais, famous for its large flower clock that changes with the seasons. It has the largest second hand in the world! We also got some beautiful views of Lake Geneva and the Jet d'Eau along the way. We were pretty tired after the sightseeing, so we went back to the hostel and grabbed dinner at a nice Italian restaurant.

On Saturday morning, we headed out for more sightseeing with a new friend we made at the hostel named Dana. She spoke really good French and was visiting for a conference! We started with the Red Cross Museum, which happened to be free because we were there the first Saturday of the month. The museum walked us through the history of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, along with its three missions: restoring family links, reducing natural risks, and defending human dignity. Each part of the museum had a "Chamber of Witnesses" that allowed you to listen to people who have been directly impacted by the Red Cross. The temporary exhibit called "Prison" was also very thought-provoking.

We then headed over to Les Bains des Pâquis for lunch (it was too cold to swim) - on a nice day, the views here would be amazing. The fondue and warm vegetable soup were delicious!

From there, we went to find the watches and chocolate that Geneva is known for. The Rue du Rhône has lots of boutiques and famous shops with watches. I particularly enjoyed the Patek Phillipe store along this street because I got to look at some of the newest and most innovative features that watches can have (like a world clock)! The Manor department store also had really great deals on chocolate and tons of places to shop.