Top Ten Things to Do in Geneva, Switzerland

With our trip to Geneva being so last minute, I was somewhat underprepared for finding things to do, but with my trusty Pinterest and Instagram research, I soon located a few hot spots!

Geneva is a relatively small city and we found it very easy to walk around and for anywhere a little further out it was easy to get an uber!

1. The Flower Clock in the Jardin Anglais

Geneva is well known the long running watch-making tradition and the Geneva Flower clock oe L’horloge fleurie was created in 1955 to honour this. 
The clock can be found the Jardin Anglais, which is a super pretty and chilled place to take a wonder in.

2. Check out Jet d’Eau

The Jet d’Eau is a large fountain in Lake Geneva and one of the tallest fountains in the world. It was originally built in 1886 to control the pressure of a hydraulic plant at La Coulouvrenière but as it became a symbol of the city it was relocated to the centre of the lake.

3. Stay in a Luxury Hotel 

We really loved our stay Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues, Geneva and I would highly recommend this city hotel. It’s known to be like a mini version of the iconic Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, and the public rooms and bedrooms are just gorgeous. We were super impressed with the attention to detail which you can read about in my review and with three restaurants, this gorgeous hotel covers all bases.
The hotel also boasts a top notch spot right on the lake and we found everything we needed in very easy walking distance. There’s no shortage of luxury hotels in Geneva, with Ritz-Carlton de la Paix, Hotel d’Angleterre, Le Richmond and Mandarin Oriental Geneva all being along the same strip. We had a nose in all of these and came to the conclusion that the Four Seasons was still our favourite.

4. Go Shopping!

Once again, there’s no shortage of luxury when it comes to shopping in Geneva and you’ll find plenty of designer shops and all the luxury watch brands.
Again because Geneva is rather small in size, we found everything that we needed located very close together and easily accessible.

5. Eat in a Michelin-starred Restaurant

We some how managed to fit three Michelin-starred restaurants into a short last minute break! My favourite was Italian restaurant Il Lago at our hotel but we also loved Windows at Hotel Angleterre and enjoyed Tsé Fung. You can read this post for more detail on the restaurants. 
Also recommended but we didn’t make it to were Domaine de Châteauvieux (just outside the city), Auberge du Lion d’Or (by the lake) and Bayview by Michael Roth.

6. Eat Chocolate 

Switzerland is a pioneering country when it comes to chocolate for example it was Swiss chocolate manufacturer Rodolphe Lindt who invented conching, the process that makes chocolate so melt in the mouth. The country is also home to Nestlé, Toblerone and Cailler, Switzerland’s oldest chocolate company! It was accidentally on purpose that we happened to be in Geneva over Easter!
Being there over Easter did mean that many of the chocolate shops were shut but we did get to try the very fine patisserie at the Four Seasons including a gorgeous Easter egg left in our room and ‘the best hot chocolate in Geneva’ in the bar. Other recommended chocolate shops (which we sadly didn’t make it to) are Auer Choclatier, Stettler, Du Rhône Chocolatier and Farvager.

Ice cream is a must too and I’m sure there are lots of great artisan Ice cream parlours in the Geneva but I must confess we were a bit basic due to our lack of planning and just went to a lakeside parlour of Swiss ice cream brand, Mövenpick which was good too!

7. Brunswick Park 

Check out the first ever Mausoleum built in Geneva, in neo-Gothic style built on the death of the Duke of Brunswick, Charles d’Este-Guelph who left his fortune to the city of Geneva on the proviso that he get a beautiful funeral and a monument dedicated to him.

8. Geneva Old Town 

Geneva’s Old Town is charming maze of cobbled street and cafes with plenty of historical landmarks to take in. It’s definitely worth a visit during your time there.
The Bourg-de-Four was once a Roman marketplace and is the oldest square in Geneva. Here you’ll find St. Peter’s Cathedral,  Maison Tavel (museum of history) and the Old Arsenal.

9. Lunch By the Lake

Another great way to spend the day is a lunch by the lake! We couldn’t get a reservation at Michelin-starred Auberge du Lion d’Or but we did enjoy casual dining and local perch at La Belotte, located about ten minutes out of town in Cologny. I would recommend with a caveat to mind all the flies!

10. Get out of Town

When I asked for recommendations in Geneva, many of the suggestions were a day trip out of town. If I’m honest, short notice, Bank holidays and pregnancy made us too lazy to do this but I did love some of the ideas which include a trip to the gorgeous city of Annecy in France, the Gruyeres cheese factory and Chillon Castle.

One place I can personally recommend is Lausanne, a city on Lake Geneva around a fifty minute drive away. I visited this beautiful place around three years and loved wine tasting in Lavaux, strolling through Ouchy and a trip to the Olympic Musuem. 
Mr S and I really enjoyed our time in Geneva, I found it to be a very beautiful and peaceful place that was very easy to walk around in. I actually think the city is quite underrated and worth a visit rather than just a stop over!

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