 Poster: A snowHead
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My experience of Geneva is strictly limited to the airport but a friend is going to be there during the first week of May '26 (Fri to Fri) and is looking for things to do/see etc. Prefers public transport but no problem if a hire car would be best. No desire to enter France! Accommodation can be booked to best suit the sight seeing with a preference to be in the same place all week.
Any suggestions?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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CERN is really interesting and pretty close to the airport, accessible by bus and tram too. Try to get a proper tour rather than just going to the visitor centre, they're free but you can only book on the day and when you're there, so get there as early as you can
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Have lunch at a lakeside restaurant with a view of the fountain. Order the Perch
Take a tour of houses of the illusive and shy wealthy tax dodgers.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Musée Olympique in Lausanne is worth a visit. Lausanne is a short train journey from Genève. It could be combined with a ferry across the lake.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Go to Lausanne, go to Montreux, go to Vevey, visit some of the Lavaux wineries, basically anywhere but GVA 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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CERN would be my top choice but really - first prize is a week in Geneva, second prize a fortnight. Maybe go up that lift you drive under on the way into the airport?
My top choice would be to rent a car and go somewhere mountainy, probably in France but possibly in the Jura, and find some spring flowers.
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@spyderjon, as others have said Geneva is not the most exciting of spots but the old town is pleasant with a few ok restaurants (ok it's Swiss cuisine). The rose garden park in Parc de la Grange is nice if you like flowers that's also where you find baby plage and the fountain. We used to go to Au Pied de Cochon and the Brasserie de l'Hotel de Ville in the old town when i lived there but that is over a decade ago so your friend should do his own research. There are also the bains de paquis.
If you take a boat Yvoire up the lake is worth a visit - medieval French port. It caused us a great deal of amusement at work when the director asked a boat company to deliver his new yatch to the Coast at Yvoire (Cote d'Ivoire) and it was on its way to be sent to Africa before he manage to get it rerouted, in-extremis.
I must admit in 5 years of working there I never found much to do beyond walking and mountain biking on the Salève
The perch tend to come from some Lativan nuclear power station cooling ponds rather than the lake. Laravel and ombre ? may be locally caught.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Tue 9-09-25 8:28; edited 3 times in total
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It caused us a great deal of amusement at work when the director asked a boat company to deliver his new yatch to the Coast at Yvoire (Cote d'Ivoire) and it was on its way to be sent to Africa before he manage to get it rerouted
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I've never been, but an eminent art historian friend of mine says that the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire has a very good collection of paintings.
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ombre may be locally caught.
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The omble chevalier, Lac Léman being one of the three (I think) lakes in which it can be found, is my favourite fish. It would be part of my last meal of choice.
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@KSH, yes thanks couldn't remember the name
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Origen, I've never heard of cooking in a wax mould. Intriguing.
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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
| Go to Lausanne, go to Montreux, go to Vevey, visit some of the Lavaux wineries, basically anywhere but GVA |
This ^. Unless they are fixed on Geneva for some reason, go and stay on the Swiss Riviera. May is a beautiful time of year and public transport gets you pretty much everywhere.
Some ideas from ChatGPT:
If you base yourself on the Swiss Riviera (Montreux / Vevey / Lavaux), the vibe is more relaxed and scenic than Geneva: vineyards, lake views, Alpine backdrops. You lose the international “city” feel but gain charm, wine, and quick access to both mountains and lakes. A week there could look like this:
⸻
Day 1 – Montreux & Vevey
• Walk the Montreux lakeside promenade with palm trees and flowers.
• Visit Château de Chillon (unmissable).
• Explore Vevey: old town, Charlie Chaplin’s World museum, food by the lake.
• Evening wine in a lakeside caveau (wine cellar).
⸻
Day 2 – Lavaux Vineyards
• UNESCO World Heritage terraces between Vevey and Lausanne.
• Walk or take the little Lavaux Express train through vineyards.
• Wine tasting in Cully, Epesses, or Dézaley.
• Dinner with a view across to the French Alps.
⸻
Day 3 – Gruyères & Chocolate
• Train/drive into the hills: medieval Gruyères village and castle.
• Cheese factory visit (La Maison du Gruyère).
• Optional stop at Maison Cailler in Broc for chocolate tasting.
• Walk in the nearby Pays d’Enhaut pastures if you want to stretch your legs.
⸻
Day 4 – Glacier 3000 / Gstaad
• Day trip into the high Alps (Col du Pillon).
• Take the cable car to Glacier 3000: suspension bridge, views of Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Eiger.
• Lunch or wander in chic Gstaad on the way back.
⸻
Day 5 – Lausanne
• Explore the vibrant city, built on three hills.
• Highlights: Olympic Museum, cathedral, lakeside Ouchy.
• If you like art: Collection de l’Art Brut.
• Dinner in the trendy Flon district.
⸻
Day 6 – Alpine Hiking (Rochers-de-Naye or Les Pleiades)
• From Montreux, take the cogwheel train to Rochers-de-Naye (2,042 m). Great views of Lake Geneva.
• Or do a gentler hike in the Les Pléiades (also famous for springtime narcissus flowers).
• Pack a picnic with local cheese and wine.
⸻
Day 7 – French side: Yvoire or Evian-les-Bains
• Boat across the lake.
• Yvoire: medieval walled village with gardens, little cafés.
• Evian: Belle Époque spa town, source of Evian water.
• Back to Montreux for a relaxed evening.
⸻
 Differences vs Geneva base:
• Geneva = international, museums, UN, more “city breaks”.
• Swiss Riviera = wine, food, slower pace, direct mountain and vineyard access, very photogenic.
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You know it makes sense.
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I reckon Geneva gets a bad rep. It's not unusually boring, it's just small.
Consider that it's core population is about the same as, say, Aberdeen, or Peterborough, neither of which are typically promoted for city breaks, but nor described as (more) boring (than you'd expect).
Anyhoo.
If you see perch described as "du lac", it's from Léman.
We used to love the perch at the Café des Amis in Choulex, a charming village outside Geneva. A good few years since we left but it's still getting 5* reviews on Tripadvisor. Reachable by bus.
Our experience over 13 years was that it's easy to get decent food, rare to get bad food but equally rare to find excellent.
A couple of years ago we found and liked "Sam's Grill House", Rue du Mont-Blanc 16, 1201 Genève, Sort of Turkish and rather excellent. But we're always looking for a change of style.
Definitely I'd go for a wander around Lausanne. Bob's A-not-I suggestions all good if your mate can be bothered. CERN a definite though.
Friends have liked the Patek Philippe museum. List of museums here https://institutions.ville-geneve.ch/fr/mhn/frontpage/musees-de-geneve/
But equally bear in mind that it can easily be lovely warm sunny weather and museums may not be the most attractive things to do ... a lunch cruise along the lake?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Thanks for all the feedback folks.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Chateau de Chillon was a good visit and I also liked Gruyere (is the H R Giger museum and bar stoll going?) but isn't it a bit far from Geneva?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Many years ago now, we gave a certain snowHead a lift from GVA to a bash. It was in the days before sat nav was a thing for cars, and I used to print off a route map from AA or ViaMIchelin to our destination. I was already familiar with the route out from the airport, but the exit for 'France' was closed, and we ended up a little out of our way. Said snowHead had a 'walking GPS' which unfortunately landed us in the dark in the middle of some Vineyards. Fortunately we did not end up in the lake. A friendly kebab shop directed us back to the right road and out of GVA. We should have partaken of their food as we ended up without dinner due to the lateness of the arrival at our destination.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You might want to avoid booking a hotel on the Rue de Berne unless that sort of thing takes your fancy
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