Geneva
Geneva, Switzerland lies at the southern tip of the expansive Lac Léman. Surrounded by the Alps and Jura mountains, the city has views of dramatic Mont Blanc. Headquarters of Europe’s United Nations and the Red Cross, it’s a global hub for diplomacy and banking. French influence is widespread, from the language to gastronomy and bohemian districts like Carouge. Here is our travel guide to Geneva.
STAY
LA RÉSERVE Conceived as a splendid and timeless lodge, set on ten lush acres on the shores of Lake Léman, La Réserve Genève is an urban resort with sweeping views of the lake. The property includes five restaurants, a pool, and a spa with a fitness room, a sauna, a steam bath, and more. Rte de Lausanne 301; lareserve-geneve.com
BEAU-RIVAGE Entering a new chapter in its 145-year history, the Beau-Rivage recently unveiled a renovation. All suites have private balconies overlooking the lake, Old Town, or Geneva harbor. Chef Dominique Gauthier helms the one-Michelin-star restaurant, Le Chat Botté, which serves modern French cuisine. Quai du Mont-Blanc 13; beau-rivage.ch
HÔTEL DE LA CIGOGNE This Relais & Châteaux property has been family owned for three generations. It is located in the heart of the city and has a charming restaurant. Pl. de Longemalle 15-17; relaischateaux.com
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL DES BERGUES The oldest hotel in the city, overlooking the lake. On arrival, the doorman will take your bags and hand you a cold bottle of mineral water along with an Evian atomizer for your skin. Visit the rooftop pool for a swim, make a reservation at Izumi Japanese restaurant, and enjoy a day at the spa. Quai des Bergues 33; fourseasons.com
MANDARIN ORIENTAL The Mandarin Oriental is set up for mixing business and pleasure— suites come with an attached office. Take one of the electric bicycles on a spin around the lake. Quai Turrettini 1; mandarinoriental.com
RITZ-CARLTON HOTEL DE LA PAIX A recent addition to debut on the Quai du Mont-Blanc, directly on the banks of Lake Geneva. Following a renovation of the original 1865 Hotel de la Paix, the new Ritz-Carlton—the brand's first in Switzerland—includes a sprawling suite named after Grace Kelly who was president of the Monaco chapter of the Red Cross. Pay a visit to the cozy Living Room Bar & Kitchen restaurant or Fiskebar, a Nordic-inspired eatery serving traditional Northern European bites. Quai du Mont-Blanc 11; ritzcarlton.com
DINE | DRINK
LE FLACON Chef Yoann Caloué's casual, Michelin-starred bistro serving flavorful dishes such as miso black cod and umami-rich mushroom gnocchi. Rue Vautier 45; leflacon.ch
LA HALLE DE RIVE A covered marketplace and culinary wonderland where you'll find everything from melt-in-your-mouth mozzarella to fresh fruit and vegetables. Halle de Rive, Bd Helvétique 29; halle-de-rive.ch
LA MAISON DU MOULIN A vineyard and tasting room in Coinsins (30 minutes outside of Geneva) where vintner and oenologist Yannick Passas and his team produce all-natural organic wines. Try the Chasselas, a neutral white that's well known to the Swiss. Chemin du Grand-Pré 4, 1267 Coinsins
ALMA A Peruvian restaurant with a ceviche bar. Rue Henri-Blanvalet 6; alma-geneve.com
LE BAROCCO A cozy restaurant hidden inside the Musee d'art et de Historie, serving excellent regional food and wine. Rue Charles-Galland 2
CAFÉ DES NÉGOCIANTS An elegant, understated bistro offering a menu of French-inspired dishes, plus coffee and wine in the bohemian Carouge district. Rue de la Filature 29, 1227 Carouge; negociants.ch
LA BELOTTE A simple restaurant on edge of the lake. Order fresh fish and local wine, and enjoy the sunset. Chem. des Pêcheurs 11; labelotte-geneve.ch
LE TSÉ FUNG The only Michelin-starred Chinese establishment in Switzerland, offering a fresh and subtle take on the classics alongside the finest Cantonese cuisine. Located within La Réserve Hotel.
ROBERTO A family-run Italian restaurant serving traditional, artisanal dishes paired with wines in an elegant vintage-style restaurant. Rue Pierre-Fatio 10; restaurantroberto.ch
LE CAFÉ RESTAURANT DU PARC DES BASTIONS The restaurant’s greenhouse-like building hosted concerts in the 19th century and was later transformed into a cinema. Today, it’s a romantic spot for a meal, with an elegant atmosphere and a sophisticated menu that includes beef tartare, housemade foie gras, and perch from Lake Geneva. Prom. des Bastions 1; bastions.ch
VERT BOUTEILLE A natural wine bar in Carouge. Rue Vautier 7; vert-bouteille.thefork.rest
LE CHAT NOIR A bar in Carouge with live music. Rue Vautier 13; chatnoir.ch
L’EPI DORÉ A busy, Portuguese-owned cafe that serves homemade pastries. Order a café renversé (the Genevois term for a coffee with milk to go with your pastel de nata. Av. Henri-Dunant 3
CHEZ MA COUSINE Order the restaurant’s signature dish: half a roast chicken, served alongside a pile of chunky, well-seasoned roasted potatoes and a heap of perfectly dressed salad. chezmacousine.ch
NAGOMI A no-frills Japanese restaurant serving sushi, ramen, and tempura. Rue de Zurich 47; restaurant-nagomi.ch
CAFÉ DU SOLEIL Café du Soleil makes its fondue with Gruyère, hand-selected from the village of La Roche. When you are finished, make sure to scrape the last bits of cheese from the bottom, known as the “la religieuse.” Leave room for dessert— chocolate mousse and the meringue with Gruyère cream. Pl. du Petit-Saconnex 6; cafedusoleil.ch
L'APOTHECAIRE COCKTAIL CLUB A warm bar with low lighting and stone walls, offering both classic and inventive cocktails. Bd Georges-Favon 16; apothicairecocktail.ch
VALMANDIN A special artisan coffee roaster in Carouge. Rue Ancienne 46; valmandin.ch
ARTS | CULTURE | ACTIVITIES
PATEK PHILIPPE MUSEUM A museum telling the story of Patek Phillippe and Swiss watchmaking from the 16th century to now. Spread over four floors in a historic building with countless precious specimens, you’ll see how Geneva became a watch-making center and exported this unique art and science to other countries. The museum displays some of the most complicated watches in the world, not to mention some of the most unusual — like a Garden of Eden watch that has a snake second hand that circles every minute. Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers 7; patek.com
MUSÉE D'ETHNOGRAPHIE DE GENÈVE An architectural marvel that houses 80,000 objects from civilizations around the world. Bd Carl-Vogt 65; ville-ge.ch
GENEVA BOATS To fully take in the vastness of Lake Geneva, climb aboard a privately chartered yacht for a sunset Champagne cruise, passing by the city's iconic Jet d'Eau and countless private mansions that dot its shores, glowing golden from within. genevaboats.com
BAIN DES PAQUIS A public “beach” in the middle of the city, which also includes a restaurant and a women’s private bathing section with massages and a Hamman. During summer, drinks are served at cocktail hour, and in the winter, they have outdoor fires and fondue. Quai du Mont-Blanc 30; bains-des-paquis.ch
MUSÉE D'ART ET D'HISTOIRE The museum brings together archaeological, applied art, and a fine art collection. Rue Charles-Galland 2; institutions.ville-geneve.ch
MAISON TAVEL A small museum in Geneva’s Old Town that tells the story of the city through the centuries. A recurring theme here is the Duke of Savoy’s surprise attack on the city during a December night in 1602. The Genevois pushed back the invading army, thanks in part — or so legend has it — to a local woman who poured a caldron of hot soup on the Duke of Savoy’s soldiers as they tried to scale the city’s walls. Locals still celebrate this victory every year on a weekend in December, when Old Town’s cobblestone streets reverberate with cannon booms and fill with people parading around in 17th-century dress. Rue du Puits-Saint-Pierre 6; institutions.ville-geneve.ch
INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT MUSEUM You could argue that Geneva arrived on the global stage in 1863, when the Genevois Henry Dunant and four other Swiss men set up what we know today as the Red Cross, an organization whose emblem — the inverse of the Swiss flag — has become a universal symbol for medical aid. Explore this history, and the Red Cross’s role in assisting soldiers, prisoners, and endangered people around the world, in the small but engrossing museum. Av. de la Paix 17; redcrossmuseum.ch
CONSERVATOIRE ET JARDIN BOTANIQUE Dahlias, asters and autumn daffodils come into bloom as summer draws to a close. At the bottom of the garden, look for the small underground walkway that takes you below the traffic on Rue de Lausanne and straight to the edge of Lake Geneva (or Lac Léman, as it’s called in French). Keeping the lake on your left, walk past the lawn of the World Trade Organization, continue through the landscaped Parc Mon Repos, and finally stroll along the Quai Wilson, where you can take in a view of Geneva’s 460-foot-tall fountain, the Jet d’Eau, across the lake. Chem. de l'Impératrice 1; ville-ge.ch
TÉLÉPHÉRIQUE DU SALÈVE Enjoy the expansive views of the city, its lake and the Jura mountains from 3,600 feet. Dine at L’Observatoire, a cozy restaurant that’s about a 25-minute walk from the top of the cable car. Rte du Téléphérique; telepherique-du-saleve.com
M.A.D. GALLERY Mechanical Art Devices gallery specializes in and sells artistic pieces of exquisite engineering — many inspired by Swiss watches — from a global base of artists whose works are linked with mechanisms and machinery. Rue Verdaine 11; madgallery.net
CHÂTEAU DE CHILLON The formidable walls of the 9th-century Château de Chillon rise directly from the waters of Lake Geneva. Its literary fame as the basis for Byron's The Prisoner of Chillon arises from a true story, and you can still see the ring in the wall where François de Bonivard was held. The Counts and Dukes of Savoy gave the castle its present form in the 13th century, but you can still explore the original foundations and cavernous underground vaults with massive pillars carved out of bedrock. Avenue de Chillon 21, Veytaux; chillon.ch
SPA
SPA MONT BLANC The Spa Mont Blanc at the Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues includes massages by osteopathic masseuses who use a combination of Reiki and Shiatsu techniques. Post-treatment, guests are led to the grey marble Hammam and handed a glass of fresh watermelon juice. Quai des Bergues 33, fourseasons.com
SPA NESCENS Spa Nescens within La Réserve includes signature body massages, facial cosmeceutical treatments, medical and osteopathy consultations, a Rossano Ferretti salon, and a café. Rte de Lausanne 301; lareserve-geneve.com
BAIN BLEU A Turkish-style bathhouse with sleek facilities with steam rooms, massage services, and many pools. Don’t miss the rooftop bath overlooking Lake Geneva. Quai de Cologny 5; bain-bleu.ch
SHOP
PHILIPPE PASCOËT A charming chocolate shop with a flagship atelier on Rue Saint-Joseph. Among the dozens of surprising but successful infusions offered are Earl Grey tea, coriander, saffron, and absinthe. pascoet.ch
L'ADRESSE This unique setting is home to both a contemporary bistro and a fashionable boutique selling Mih dresses, Isabel Marant trousers, beautiful silk scarves, and kimonos, with an outdoor bar and restaurant. Rue du 31 Décembre 32; ladress.ch
GRAIN DE SEL An interior design, antique, and tableware store. Bd du Pont-d'Arve 11; graindesel-geneve.com
MARCHÉ AUX PUCES DE PLAINPALAIS The city’s biggest outdoor farmers’ market where you can find everything from meats to soaps. A few standouts are Leonhard Bretzel for poppy bread, Au Poulet Doré for rotisserie chicken with potatoes and vegetables, the canelé stand, and the Lebanese Guys for Middle Eastern food. Av. du Mail 27; geneve.ch
POISSON ROUGE A chic children’s clothing and toy store. Rue Leschot 6; poissonrouge.ch
SWEETZERLAND CHOCOLATIER An elegant chocolate shop selling organic, pure cocoa butter with no palm oil or preserving agents. Try the truffles that come in exotic flavors like forest honey, bergamot tea, ginger and whiskey. Rue du Mont-Blanc 5; sweetzerland.net
DAY & WEEKEND TRIPS
LAKE LUCERNE Lake Lucerne is a lake in central Switzerland and the fourth largest in the country. The lake has a complicated shape, with several sharp bends and four arms. Fun fact: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata derives its name from an 1832 description of the first movement by poet and music critic Ludwig Rellstab, who compared it to moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne.
ZURICH The city of Zurich, a global center for banking and finance, lies at the north end of Lake Zurich in northern Switzerland. The picturesque lanes of the central Altstadt (Old Town), on either side of the Limmat River, reflect its pre-medieval history. Waterfront promenades like the Limmatquai follow the river toward the 17th-century Rathaus (town hall).
ZERMATT Zermatt, in southern Switzerland’s Valais canton, is a mountain resort renowned for skiing, climbing and hiking. The town lies below the iconic, pyramid-shaped Matterhorn peak. Its main street, Bahnhofstrasse is lined with boutique shops, hotels and restaurants, and also has a lively après-ski scene. Fun fact: Disneyland based its popular Matterhorn ride on the Swiss mountain peak.
INTERLACHEN Interlaken is a traditional resort town in the mountainous Bernese Oberland region of central Switzerland. Built on a narrow stretch of valley, between the emerald-colored waters of Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, it has old timber houses and parkland on either side of the Aare River. Its surrounding mountains, with dense forests, alpine meadows and glaciers, has numerous hiking and skiing trails.
VERBIER Verbier is an Alpine village in Switzerland’s Valais Canton. It's the gateway to the 4 Vallées ski area. Trails on Mont Fort Glacier have views of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc. Mont Gelé is known for its off-piste ski slopes. South, in secluded Haut Val de Bagnes nature reserve, waterfalls cascade into Mauvoisin Lake, site of the arched Mauvoisin Dam. Alpine-inspired art dots the 3D Foundation's Sculpture Park.
GSTAAD Gstaad is an upscale resort town in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps. Its soaring mountains and prestigious international boarding schools have long made it a holiday destination for royalty and celebrities. Cable cars connect surrounding ski areas such as Wispile and Rinderberg, with hundreds of kilometers of all-level pistes and cross-country trails. Glacier 3000 offers nearly year-round skiing.
LAUSANNE On the north shore of Lake Geneva, Lausanne’s trolley and cobblestone streets lead up to its cathedral. This important medieval landmark has a 13th-century Apostles Doorway of painted stone sculptures and a glorious 13th-century stained glass rose window. Descend via the picturesque Escaliers du Marche, a long covered flight of steps, to Place de la Palud, where you'll find Lausanne's oldest fountain and an animated clock that reenacts scenes from local history every hour. Along the lakeshore, a garden-edged promenade lined by grand Belle Epoch hotels connects the steamer landing and 12th-century castle of Château d'Ouchy with the Olympic Museum.
MONTREUX A lakeside city of Montreux that rings with Belle Epoch grandeur, with its grand hotels, flower-studded terraces, and promenades along the water. Each summer in June and July Montreux hosts the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival. For a sense of the opulence of late 19th-century travel, step inside the grandest of the Swiss Riviera's grand hotels, the Montreux Palace. For views of the lake from on high, as well as panoramic Alpine vistas, take the train to Glion, in the hills above town, and board the Glion-Rochers-de-Naye Railway for the scenic ride up to the mountain top of the Rochers de Naye. At the summit, visit the marmot house, the small nature museum, and vertiginous La Rambertia Alpine gardens. In the winter, this becomes a center for Alpine skiing.
ANNENCY A charming city set beside a mountain-backed lake about an hour's drive from Geneva. The Counts of Geneva made Annecy their home and headquarters in the early 1200s, and you can learn more about the town's history at the museum inside the Château d'Annecy, a restored castle that dominates the Vieille Ville (old town). Surrounded by canals is the Palais de l'Isle, a 12th-century fortress that was once a prison. Today, it vies with the graceful Lovers' Bridge as Annecy's favorite photo op.
CHAMONIX The small mountain village of Chamonix, over the border in France, is a 90-minute drive through the spectacular Arve Valley, with the snow-capped French Alps rising ahead. Chamonix sits at the foot of Mont Blanc, Western Europe's tallest peak at 4,800 meters altitude. For even better Alpine views, ride the cable car to the peak of Aiguille du Midi for a panorama that includes Mont Blanc and the French, Swiss, and Italian Alps. Although the main allure of Chamonix is its access to the Alps and skiing, the town itself is attractive, its streets lined with chalets, shops, and cafés, where you can sip hot chocolate and admire the scenery.
Text: Veronica H. Speck Photo: Slim Aarons © Getty Images