 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
I am soon travelling to Geneva on a stag do and was wondering if anyone has any knowledge of nightlife in the city? Before someone comments saying why would you pick Geneva for a stag destination, it was chosen as a part of a 'Mystery Away Days' package which includes a ticket for a football game at Yverdon, and Geneva is where our hotel is for 2 nights.
I've only ever flown in and got a transfer to a ski resort, never visited the city centre.
Are there any areas to head to or places to avoid the excessive prices?
Thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| dh900 wrote: |
Are there any areas to head to or places to avoid the excessive prices?
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France. HTH 
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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 need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Dashed, not only unhelpful, but untrue as a generalisation and really very stupid.
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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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Not helped by laughing at your own (non) joke.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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There's a Lebanese restaurant a couple of doors down that we had nice food in one random afternoon we spent in Geneva.
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A number of years ago I stayed in an Ibis near the main station. It turned out it was in the middle of the red light district (hardly Amsterdam!), a good few cheaper bars, kebab shops and more dubious bars etc. I think it was on the Rue du Berne but might be wrong. If you are near the Airport / PalExpo there is a cheapish bar opposite the Crowne Plaza Hotel and some reasonably priced places at Grand Saconnex. All very acceptable to thirsty event crew!
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Wow, miserable bunch in here today. Only a bit of light-hearted fun so no need for the insults @Hurtle.
Geneva is expensive, particularly central areas. Eye-wateringly so around the lac. That's a fact not a generalisation. That bar referenced above is charging up to CHF32 for a burger so I'd hardly say that's "avoiding the excessive prices". Personally, I quite like Annemasse - not sure it's stag do material but that depends on your outlook. Whilst it's not going to be cheap in the sense of an Eastern European stag do, I reckon you'd quickly save the cost of a taxi over central Geneva (depending on where you're staying of course).
ps. you'll probably get more relevant posts in the "apres" forum rather than the off piste one.
Last edited by After all it is free  on Thu 15-02-24 14:23; edited 1 time in total
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Dashed, The supermarket carpark in Ferney-Voltaire was full of Swiss cars on Saturday. Could even get the train or bus to Annemasse.
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@Dashed, I'm not miserable, just fed up with the French-bashing which goes on on snowHeads. However, I now see that you only answered half the OP's question and I jumped to the conclusion it was the second half, whereas, from your subsequent advice to head to Annemasse, it must have been the first half. Confusion all round, apologies for my part in that. (I agree that Geneva is expensive. What I've seen of Annemasse - I know some people who used to live there - looked rather staid.)
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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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@BobinCH, Landing next Friday AM & leaving Sunday PM. Hotel is central near train station.
If you can get any tips that would be much appreciated. Lausanne looks roughly en-route to Yverdon on the train so this could be better.
Yep, ive though of the closest ski resorts, but i'd just be tempted to leave everyone and head to the pistes rather than drink, plus limited train access into the alps.
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The one night I've spent in Geneva was dire. It's very much a business city.
Get on the train to Lausanne, apparently it's much better.
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You know it makes sense.
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Head to Geneva's Red Light District (RLD).
Very popular with businessmen, intergovernmental workers, tourists, and bachelor parties who endup there "by accident".
Plenty to see, do, and eat.
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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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@Hurtle, yep - far from French-bashing on my part. Quite the opposite in fact so all good.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Dashed, yeah, I know, sorry!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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There’s a couple of Irish bars - Flanagan’s and Mulligan’s - that show sports (we found them when trying to get a 6 Nations match when we had a late flight from GVA).
At least one was fairly handy from train station.
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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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@dh900, will do. No chance of changing the hotel to Lausanne?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@dh900, I would not head for the red light district. It's rather scummy and has nothing to offer anyone. No, not even that ...
I would head towards the university area, nearest transport stop is Uni-Mail and the bars around rue de l'école du medecin. In fact, there are probably fun bars to be found anywhere between there and the Uni Hospital and Plainpalais.
More civilised, head to Carouge, the lively and slightly naughty area of Geneva for hundreds of years, since the dukes of Savoy needed somewhere to stash their mistresses.
Annemasse, is a run down dormitory town with nothing to offer.
@BobinCH's suggestion is sound although we now tend to frequent the original, one, the Café de Paris, just a wee bit lakewards from the station. Same concept, slightly different sauce.
If you know where to go (I no longer do, if I ever did), Geneva is more of a party town than e.g. Amsterdam.
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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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There are half dozen bars on Rue Henri Blanvalet and it can get quite lively there on a weekend. Otherwise the few blocks south west of the Plainpalais 'diamond' are a good bet. Obviously you can head to the lake and surprise the stag with some size small speedos so he can take a dip.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I lived in Geneva for 4 years, it is dead at night, a city for old folk who are wrapped up at home with a cup tea by dusk. As Bob Inch says, Lausanne is livelier with a young, student population (ok of geeks but still).
It is probably better than Riyad for a stag do, but not by much.
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@davidof, oh, I don’t know, I’ve had a few “interesting” nights out 
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I was there one night, I thought the last person who worked there had turned off the lights when they headed home.
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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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| Hurtle wrote: |
| @Dashed, not only unhelpful, but untrue as a generalisation and really very stupid. |
He's actually correct - Geneva's so small that it's hard not to end up in France if you miss your bus stop.
And it's not a generalisation, it's simply due to the CHF/EUR exchange rate.
In fact Geneva's biggest club used to be in France - unfortunately the Macumba is now closed.
But within the Geneva Canton but just outside of Geneva Town, in Lancy you could go to Village du Soir - it somehow reminds me of pre-regeneration King's X: https://www.villagedusoir.com/
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I just thought that telling someone to go to France when they'd won a trip to Geneva was a bit unkind. I'd thought of suggesting that "Geneva nightlife" was an oxymoron and decided against it! I'd not thought of Annemasse as a "destination", I must say though I've never been there at night, when perhaps it comes alive.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Origen, “when perhaps it comes alive.”
No, it doesn’t
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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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| Kramer wrote: |
| The one night I've spent in Geneva was dire. It's very much a business city. |
Nonsense. Unless you think all the locals exist only to serve business visitors, and all the many expats at CERN, international agencies, banks, research compamies, other international business who have settled there, all sit at home twidding their thumbs when not at work?
| davidof wrote: |
| I lived in Geneva for 4 years, it is dead at night, a city for old folk who are wrapped up at home with a cup tea by dusk. |
Have you ever tried to go out? or just went home to have a cup of tea yourself?
| under a new name wrote: |
| If you know where to go (I no longer do, if I ever did), Geneva is more of a party town than e.g. Amsterdam. |
This. Geneva is a lively international city.
| dh900 wrote: |
| Are there any areas to head to or places to avoid the excessive prices? |
Now, this is a problem. If you live and earn in Geneva, it's a relatively affordable city - certainly more so than e.g London. But the exchange rate makes it less fun for tourists... The student bars in Lausanne are definitely cheaper. If you like student bars.
With that caveat, a few suggestions from an expat/local point of view, with 'reasonable' prices, i.e. excluding the overpriced clubs and bars aimed at fleecing naive businessmen and rich Arab tourists.
Near the train station, without going too far into the red light district, here are a few places more or less in a straight line.
Crowned Eagle - english style bar, good pizza, pool table, often live music. Good for a few drinks, lively pub-style https://www.facebook.com/TheCrownedEagle/?locale=en_GB
Le Scandale - decent pizza and cocktail bar, if you want to mix it up for dinner - often has a DJ going at the same time. Very popular. https://lescandale.ch/
As it's a stag do, maybe some fun games? Cube Challenges has many. Book in advance for groups. https://www.cube-geneva.com/en
And then just a little further down the road, Mr Pickwicks - another english style bar, with a large downstairs area, with DJ's and/pr live bands every weekend (and sports during the day). Open until 2am. https://www.mrpickwick.ch/en/ / https://www.facebook.com/mr.pickwickpub
There are some clubs and late night bars in the area open until 8am, but I'm not familiar with the current crop - but I've listed a few in other areas below.
A few recommendations heading from the centre towards Plain Palais
Halles de l'île - a large venue, with changing vibes as the evening goes on, and DJ's etc until 2am. Very central, on a 'island' where the lake turns into the river http://www.brasseriedeshallesdelile.ch/
Easy walk from the above over to Plain Palais, with loads of options. Maybe try Cafe Cuba for some cocktails, and getting into a party mood. https://cafecuba.ch/
If you're up for a dance after that, one of my current favourites is Cercle des Bains. Open to 4am, good dancefloor, but a bit more relaxed that some clubs. Different DJs each night, so depends what you're into https://cercledesbains.ch/en/privatisation/
Another verrrry English pub in the area, if you want something less dancy - but sports, and often live music https://www.ladyg.ch/
And another (but central) area - Eaux-Vives
| hold_my_biere wrote: |
| There are half dozen bars on Rue Henri Blanvalet and it can get quite lively there on a weekend. |
Yep, this. Great selection of bars on one street. Easy to jump between them if you want to check out a different set of drinks, music scene etc.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Yvette+de+Marseille/@46.2031969,6.1584601,20z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x478c6536c5b81805:0xad9b2ba03058e2b5!8m2!3d46.2032739!4d6.1586819!16s%2Fg%2F1tmz5vfd?entry=ttu
Some close 1/2am, but on a Saturday night/sunday morning, Maison Balkii underground club doesn't close/stop. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Maison+Balkii/@46.2031969,6.1584601,20z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x478c6536c2386f8b:0x292801f4e9a17f73!8m2!3d46.2031742!4d6.1589366!16s%2Fg%2F11gdkxxb67?entry=ttu
For a cheap dinner nearby beforehand, https://pizzeriadagliamici.ch/ does very good value pizza and pasta - and drinks!
For different activities, https://www.rollersgolf.com/mini-golf-bar-geneva is a LOT of fun
And for another later club, https://www.lebaroque.com/en/experience/baroque-club/ isn't far and is open until 5am, but you're moving into very expensive territory.
Other good value food around the city
Yep. Also Chez ma Cousine - a few locations around the city, but it;s worth checking out the Old Town for sightseeing anyway https://www.chezmacousine.ch/restaurants/vieille-ville You might have to wait for a big table though.
A bit more random, but good value for lunch - top floor of Manor (department store) has a large self service restaurant, including wine and beer https://www.manor.ch/fr/store-finder/store/gen
And my personal favourite, if you like fondue - Bains de Paquis. Delicious fondue, and local wines available, for reasonable prices. But booking essential, staff don't love speaking english, and only a couple of tills take cards - so get in the right queue! https://buvettedesbains.com/
There's looooads more, this is just off the top of my head - if you're looking for something particular, or a certain area, do say, and I can give more specific recommendations.
Do bear in mind that Geneva is very walkable - but you should also get a free transport pass from your hotel, and public transport is efficient. It also includes the 'mouettes' boats crossing the lake - worth hopping on just for a free boat ride! https://www.mouettesgenevoises.ch/en/
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Fri 16-02-24 9:58; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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As mentioned, Lausanne is a fairly international university city with lots of students. So I wondered if it might be worth hopping on the train for a night out there? Journey time is 35-45 minutes with a train back to Geneva roughly every hour right through the night after midnight.
Similarly, for a day time trip, would it be worth a post-hangover round trip on one of the CGN Belle Epoch paddle steamers that ply around the lake?
If you’re after a day out you might consider the Chocolate Train from Montreux. Not quite standard stag do stuff, but it might appeal to some.
For CHF 52 you can get an advance Saver Day Pass that allows unrestricted travel on trains, télépheriques and PostBuses on the public transport network anywhere in Switzerland. So if you can find somewhere reasonably near to visit, the transport costs needn’t be an issue. Note this doesn’t include CGN boats or the commuter shuttles around and across 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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| under a new name wrote: |
| @davidof, oh, I don’t know, I’ve had a few “interesting” nights out |
I used to work at Swiss TV in Planpalais and know the area pretty well. Not somewhere I'd fly from England to visit.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| under a new name wrote: |
@Origen, “when perhaps it comes alive.”
No, it doesn’t |
For Annemasse it'd depends on your definition of "alive". Mile End at night is fun too... 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Also if in Geneva and heading there Bain des Paquis - bring your swimsuit and a towel! Cold water swimming is now part of the local culture.
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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 need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@polo, I was there not so long ago (in El Faro) - maybe 8 months. Have eaten in El Faro a few times, very good but not at all cheap even by Gva standards. Not normally what I'd suggest for a stag weekend.
High street kebabs? well... we are reaching for the stars there aren't we?
I still thought the area was generally pretty scummy, maybe that was the daylight, maybe you just have "different" standards?
I'd forgotten how rude you are when someone disagrees with your opinion.
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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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@under a new name, “it has nothing to offer anyone”…..triggered me, is that nonsense or not?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Not a lot of help, but...
Back in the day we used to fly over to Zurich to stay with a mate and go clubbing for the weekend. Geneva was known even then as a boring, expensive place but surely it must have got better in the past 30-odd years!
Most of the clubs we used to frequent to have been flattened with blocks of flats built on the land now.
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@polo, no, fair does, not my most, errr, nuanced of generalisations, eh?
There was, pre-covid, also a most excellent Lebanese. Can't work out from maps if it's still there but there appear to be a few other good looking ones that have popped up.
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@under a new name, the best Indian, best Chinese, best Peruvian etc. all in that area according to my geneva based mates. And then there's the drugs scene...it's a mini Amsterdam, with much cleaner streets. Not everyone's cup of tea for sure.....but boring / dead... no, and that's just one tiny area.
We actually have an apt now in Eaux-vives, an expensive necessity for frontaliers wishing to work from home / abroad etc, rules have changed. Point is I have been going out in gva regularly in the last 2 years, to the detriment of my health.....dangerous place....I've seen lads spending thousands in entertainment on a night out.....but they were definitely having fun 
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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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Thanks for all the responses.
Lausanne is looking a likely desitination for some bars next Saturday night, we are heading to Yverdon on the train for a Footy game va Basel in the day, so Lausanne stop for the night on return.
Ive also saved plenty of the links, thanks for sharing insight @fixx, and others.
I think we will stay in CH and unfortunately for me it's a stag with a lot of non-skiers & unlikely to convince a trip to Chamonix or PDS for beers.
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FAQ
