 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi guys
my snowhead buddies are getting early flights home this saturday from geneva (13th april) meanwhile my flight is not until 7.30pm..anyone got any thoughts on how to survive the day in geneva without requiring a second mortgage?
cheers!
Jo
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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a good book - some chocolate and a bottle of water 
anything else risks expensive spending!
Alasdair
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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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There's a cinema right by the train station in the city centre (5 mins from the airport) which shows films in English. One way to pass a couple of hours!
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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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One hour of free wifi at the airport helps, sadly Geneva itself is a pretty souless place devoid of the usual tourist attractions found in grand capitals (once you've seen the jet of water and a flowerbed there are only hotels, banks and shops left).
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Dump your bags in a locker (by the station at the airport) and go into Geneva for the day.
Trains every 15 mins or so, will cost a couple of francs and journey takes about 5 mins.
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albinomountainbadger, It's unlimited free wifi as you can just get another free 1 hour when it runs out...
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| akirk wrote: |
| a good book - some chocolate and a bottle of water |
Swiss paprika flavoured crisps are good too.
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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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| Flaine skier wrote: |
| albinomountainbadger, It's unlimited free wifi as you can just get another free 1 hour when it runs out... |
Really? I have only managed to do that by using a different phone number the second time around.
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If the weather is OK, just go for a long walk round the lake, stopping for the odd coffee. Having been into the supermarket in the shopping mall at the station end of the airport complex to buy some sandwiches and fruit to sustain you. If the weather is nasty I'd watch a film, as stevomcd suggests, and read.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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The old town is quite nice for a bit of a wander too for a couple of hours
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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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| albinomountainbadger wrote: |
| Flaine skier wrote: |
| albinomountainbadger, It's unlimited free wifi as you can just get another free 1 hour when it runs out... |
Really? I have only managed to do that by using a different phone number the second time around. |
Really, I was there for 17 hours and had free wifi the whole time, just keep a charger to hand.
It was a long expensive day. £48.00 in burger king still sticks in my head, 2 adults 2 kids.
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yes the burger king is legendary - its £12 per head whatever you have!
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You know it makes sense.
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JojoT73, always worth popping over to the check-in once you get the airport and checking if there's room on an earlier flight.
I've done this with Swiss a couple of times, and assuming there's room, they've always been happy to move onto an earlier plane at no cost.
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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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albinomountainbadger,
1. Geneva isn't a capital, let alone a grand one. It's a small town in a nice part of the world. Hardly fair to compare it with London or Paris, is it?
2. Depending on season, the botanical gardens are pleasant, the Natural history museum is very good, Maison Tavel is interesting (there's quite a lot to see in the old town). Etc., etc.
Dead easy to get from the airport to the main station by train, luggage deposits available.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| under a new name wrote: |
albinomountainbadger,
1. Geneva isn't a capital, let alone a grand one. It's a small town in a nice part of the world. Hardly fair to compare it with London or Paris, is it?
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If you think so; I admit the error but it reminds me of the pub quiz question when everyone says Sydney is the capital of Australia. In any case, yes I do think it's fair to compare it to London or Paris; New York isn't a capital and neither is Barcelona, but you could happily spend days taking in the streets of either without even setting foot inside a building. I realise Geneva is small in terms of resident population, and there will be things to seek out, but given it's global fame and wealth I just expected to have more right in front of me.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Talked about a lot on SHs, because of the airport, but that's hardly worldwide fame. Before I became interested in ski flights and had to drive there frequently to pick people up, I just knew it as the HQ of some international organisations.
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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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albinomountainbadger, why would a city with a sub-200,000 population be comparable in any way to London or New York?
Anyway, the London and New York skiing is nowhere near as good.
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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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charliebigpotatoes thank you for the tip! I'll never be the same again!
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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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| pam w wrote: |
Talked about a lot on SHs, because of the airport, but that's hardly worldwide fame. Before I became interested in ski flights and had to drive there frequently to pick people up, I just knew it as the HQ of some international organisations. |
Being the global head of democracy and a major world financial centre makes it pretty famous in my book, suppose it depends on your interests; I'd certainly heard of the city long before the airport and/or this forum.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| albinomountainbadger, why would a city with a sub-200,000 population be comparable in any way to London or New York? |
The City of London has a low population too, it's the outlying area that houses people. Point remains and is proven by the lack of suggestions on this thread, that for such a major city it has little readily accessible for tourists.
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Geneva has much the same population as Luton and Crawley, both 'airport' cities where you might find yourself at a loose end for a few hours.
I'd suggest that Geneva has a lot more going for it than either of these two 
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| albinomountainbadger wrote: |
| Point remains and is proven by the lack of suggestions on this thread, that for such a major city it has little readily accessible for tourists. |
I've given plenty of suggestions in the past, which a search might have turned up  Having been limited to only a smartphone for the past 6 days, I couldn't be bothered to type anything out again (sorry The Bad Armenian)
I'll admit though, it's easy for me to point things out, as I already know it; and Geneva doesn't do much to promote itself outside of the main festival summer season - I guess it just knows that's when the hordes come, and is happy with it (with obvious exceptions for the car show, and more specialist events such as the Bol d'Or). Assumptions seem to be made (by the city) that people just pass through in the winter.
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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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fixx, +1
I've also posted on similar threads before so I'll keep it short this time, but there is lots to do in Geneva and all accessible on foot or a couple of stops on the tram from right outside the main station (which is 10 mins on train from the airport)
e.g.
Botanical gardens
Cathedral in old town (old town itself a nice wander around)
UN HQ tours (free)
Red Cross HQ museum / exhibition (small donation required)
Large lakeside park (not the bit with the flower clock) with mansions in it and a history of science museum
Department store stones throw from station with very good self service cafe
I think the WHO and IMO have free exhibitions in their HQs as well
I've actually found it to be one of the handiest airport/cities for killing time before a flight. You can leave bags and skis at the luggage lockers and manned office in the airport station.
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