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[sassafrass]

I'm going on a study visit to Geneva at the end of June for about a week.

I know I'll be in the library or meeting with colleagues most of the time, but I would like to break away for a day or two to clear my head and take a look around.

I'm excited about the visit but worried about the city. I have friends who have just moved from Geneva who really disliked the place. They say the surrounding countryside is beautiful and Lake Geneva is just lovely but the people are aloof and the bars/cafes are overpriced and dull.

Say it ain't so! Does anyone have recommendations for me?

Thanks!

[daurousseau]

You can drive to almost anwhere in Switzerland in a few hours. Just drive over to Basel or Zurich and enjoy the lakes along the way. If bar life is your thing there are hipster bars in both places.

Me, I'd be content just to sit around with my latte or wine in a lakeside cafe on Lake Geneva, with a couple of runs up the neighboring valleys for alpine scenery.

Switzerland is much more beautiful than the postcards and web pages.

[sassafrass]

Thanks daurousseau!

However, I wonder whether you've obliquely confirmed my suspicions about how boring Geneva is. That you suggest I head to Zurich or Basel chimes with things my friends have said. I have the option of going to Lausanne for a few nights and I might take my colleagues up on this option.

Since I'll be travelling alone, I envision sitting in a bar/cafe with a book and a drink and then heading to some outdoor restaurant for dinner. Hipster bars, weirdly, are very important to me. I can't say why!

I won't have a car; I'll be purely tram/train-based whilst I'm there.

[socsci]

Rick Steves thinks so, in his original book Europe Through the Back Door. What's weird, though, is that he is so committed to this view that his book on Switzerland doesn't have a chapter on Geneva! So when I had to go to Geneva a couple of years back, I had to buy Frommer's book even though they've gone way downhill since Arthur Frommer retired. I had a good time, but I knew people there. There are plenty of good restaurants, but I'd probably agree it's boring.

Everything in Switzerland is really expensive, so going to Zurich or elsewhere won't change that. Zurich and Geneva do regularly top global surveys for quality-of-life.

I should note that I actually like Rick Steves a lot. I see him as having inherited Arthur Frommer's mantle, reminding people that you travel *because* things are different elsewhere, and he even has Frommer's lefty politics, and is more overt about it.

[sciencephd]

I do like Rick Steves, but he is almost off the charts on my boring scale.

[testingthewaters]

Yes, it really is.

[wegie]

My husband is a fund manager and an ex-banker . . . even he thinks Geneva is boring!

[pinkyogurt]

When I went to Geneva for a conference (and was also without personal transportation), I hopped a train to Florence as soon as the meeting was over and spent a few nights there. Amazing!

[madhatter]

The Swiss intercity train system is fantastic. Very easy to get around. If you have a day to spare and you want to do something amazing, go to Interlaken and take the cograil up to Jungfraujoch.

[svenc]

I spent a day or two walking around Geneva not so long ago, and that was about all I needed.

If you don't have much time, there are some things to see in the city, and I found it to be pleasant enough.  But no, it's not a very exciting place for tourism, and prices are high.

[espagnole]

I have not been to Geneva, but was in Zurich a few summers ago for conference. While it is indeed VERY expensive, there are cheaper options if you know where to look. I recommend a picnic by the lake or visiting the historic churches. And just walking down the Bahnhofstrasse is an education in itself: I had never seen so much conspicuous wealth in my life, and that includes Rodeo Drive and Michigan Ave. in Chicago. The chocolates are truly amazing. Yes, the people can be stuffy: just smile and be polite and they will (generally) return the favor.

[hestia]

Unless you need a watch or a Swiss army knife for three times the price you'd pay in the US for the same thing.   Yes, I found Geneva to be truly one of the most boring cities in Europe.

[notaprof]

I feel a little sad for Geneva.  She needs a good PR person.

[jackit]

I was in Geneva in March, and loved the lake at night, and the old town.  One night I was out with some colleagues and we did find a club with a decent DJ that stayed open quite late.  It turns out they love the 70s.

No karaoke, though.

[concordancia]

Can one visit CERN? That would be totally awesome.