Holiday lettings & accommodation in Geneva

Geneva is a beautiful city to visit, with its grand architecture and picturesque scenery. Deciding where to stay in a city like Geneva will depend as much on your budget as on what kind of experience you’re looking for. The historic centre of the city, especially the Old Town neighbourhood, is beautiful and packed with attractions, but it’s also one of the city’s most expensive restaurants. If you stay here, you’ll be surrounded by beautiful classical architecture and just a few steps away from some of the city’s top bars and restaurants. The Pâquis district is one of the city’s liveliest neighbourhoods, and has a trendy bohemian atmosphere with an eclectic mix of restaurants and nightlife venues. If you’re more interested in staying somewhere with a village-like feel, you should check out the Saint-Gervais and Grottes areas. Despite their quaint atmosphere, they’re still close to the heart of the city.

For a city with such a long history, dating back more than 2,000 years, it’s no surprise that Geneva has a lot of attractions for tourists to visit. To get a real flavour of what Geneva is all about, you should really spend at least an hour or two strolling around the Old Town, taking in the atmosphere of the historic buildings and the many antique shops that line its streets. Attractions within the Old Town include the Cathédrale St-Pierre, which was founded in the 4th century, the International Museum of the Reformation and numerous art galleries. Other attractions include the Palais des Nations, which was originally built to house the League of Nations, the Quartier des Grottes, a beautiful area with interesting shops and an intriguing array of residential buildings known as “les Schtroumpfs”, which were designed and built to avoid using straight lines.

With strong influences from Italian, French and German cuisine, Swiss cuisine is both varied and delicious. Traditional Swiss dishes rely heavily on simple ingredients, such as potatoes and cheese. Popular Swiss dishes include the Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, which is made of mushrooms sauteed with thin strips of veal and then served in a cream sauce with potato rösti. The most popular types of cheese dishes in Switzerland are raclette, which is melted and scraped over potatoes and served with pickles, and fondue, a hot melted blend of cheeses with wine and seasoning that you dip bread into. Typical Swiss beverages include Damassine, which is a liqueur distilled from Damassine prunes, Absinthe, which has been legal again since 2005, and Rivella, which is a carbonated beverage based on lactose and is one of the most popular drinks in the country. Ovaltine is also popular, and originated in Switzerland.

When it comes to public transport in Geneva, you should have no problems. Public transport networks are extensive, and include bus, trolleybus and a growing tram network. Ticket machines are located at every transport stop and tickets should be bought prior to boarding the bus, and a short hop of three stops or less will set you back around 2CHF. For a longer journey, you can buy a regular ticket for around 3CHF, which will entitle you to one hour of transportation, with unlimited changes on bus, tram, boat and rail networks for the duration of the ticket. Geneva Cointrin International Airport is the region’s main airport, and is connected to various cities by the Geneva airport railway station. Taxis in Geneva can sometimes be hard to find, so it’s always best to book one in advance. Recently, plans were announced to close off 200 central streets to motor traffic, to reduce pollution in the city centre.