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Voykit pocket guide · Switzerland
Geneva
Genève
Geneva is a compact lake city: do the old town on the hill in the morning, walk the quays in the afternoon, and let the airport train and the tram carry every bag.
Geneva's sights are small and close, but it is one of Europe's most expensive cities and the old town is a hill of cobbles. Trips go wrong when bags meet the slope, when a Sunday closes the shops, or when the Jet d'Eau is switched off for wind. Four walking clusters cover a first visit; Lausanne, Montreux and the Alps are trips away from one kept bed.
- Country
- Switzerland
- Local name
- Genève
- Best months
- Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Europe/Zurich
- Stay
- 2 days: Old town morning + quays afternoon
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CHF
- Money
- Cards and contactless almost everywhere; keep a little cash for kiosks and markets. Euros are sometimes taken with francs back as change.
- Daily spend
- Budget CHF 70–110 excl. bed · Mid CHF 110–200 excl. bed · High CHF 200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Install an eSIM before you fly; Switzerland is outside EU roaming plans.
- Emergency
- European emergency number 112 · Police 117 · Ambulance 144 · Fire 118 · Rega air rescue 1414
- Plugs
- 230 V; Swiss type J sockets (also fits type C plugs). Bring an adapter for other types.
- Tipping
- Service is included; round up or leave a few francs for good service.
- Water
- Tap water is safe; public fountains are drinkable unless marked.
- Toilets
- Cafés, stations and museums; public toilets sometimes charge a coin.
Get in
By air
- Geneva Airport (GVA)
- GVA to Cornavin: one short train, 6–8 minutes, and a walk to the hotel — the risk is not the ride but the last-train time on a late landing.
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; tram or bus between clusters.
- Passes
- Hotel guests get a free public-transport card: use it before buying tickets.
- Late at night
- Trams and buses run late but thin; the last airport train is around midnight (check the SBB app).
See and do
01St Pierre CathedralCathédrale Saint-Pierre
Go early: the nave in ten minutes, then the tower climb if your knees allow; the old-town lanes empty out before 10:00.
02Bains des Pâquis
A public lake pier with a swim in summer, a sauna and a buvette; small entry fee; go in the afternoon or at sunset.
03Jet d'Eau
Walk the lake path to the fountain and the end of the jetty; it does not run in strong wind or hard frost, so glance at it from the quay first.
04Reformation WallMur des Réformateurs
A five-minute stop in the Parc des Bastions: the four reformers carved in stone; combine it with the cathedral.
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lausanne | Train from Cornavin, about 40 min | Full day |
| Montreux and Chillon | Train about 1 h 10 min to Montreux, then a walk or bus to the castle | Full day |
| Chamonix (France) | Bus or shuttle about 1 h 30 min | Full day |
Eat
- Buvette des Bains
- A lakeside pier café for a simple lunch or a drink after the fountain; cheap by Swiss standards; check hours by season.
- Café de Paris
- A Geneva classic: one set menu of steak with a butter sauce and fries; go early, walk in, and do not expect to choose.
Sleep
- Cornavin and Pâquis
- First-timers: a short walk from the airport train, most hotels have a 24-hour desk, and the tram reaches the old town in 10–15 minutes.
- Old Town and Rive
- A quieter, slower base on the hill: cobbled lanes, steep streets and fewer hotels with a night desk; choose one with a lift.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjourbohn-zhoor |
| Thank you | Mercimehr-see |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaîtlah-dee-syon see voo pleh |
| To this address, please | À cette adresse, s'il vous plaîtah set ah-dress see voo pleh |
| I am vegetarian | Je suis végétarienzhuh swee vay-zhay-tah-ree-ehn |
| A table for two | Une table pour deuxoon tahbl poor duh |
| Which stop is this? | C'est quel arrêt ?say kel ah-reh |
| Help! | Au secours !oh suh-koor |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; three cheek kisses among friends; avoid: Skipping the greeting in shops
- Punctuality: Be exactly on time; avoid: Running for the train expecting it to wait
- Language: Greet in the local language, then ask for English; avoid: Speaking German in Geneva as a default
- Quiet: Low voices in trains; quiet carriages are marked; avoid: Speakerphone calls
- Money: Keep financial talk discreet; avoid: Asking people's salaries
- Recycling: Separate PET, glass and cans; avoid: Leaving rubbish in hotel or flat bins unsorted
Red lines
- Cathedral: quiet, covered shoulders.
- Do not swim outside marked areas or in a storm.
- Tap water is safe; refill at public fountains.
Scams and watch-outs
- Street petition or bracelet offers near Cornavin end in a demand for money: walk on.
- Unlicensed drivers offering rides in the arrivals hall: use the taxi rank or the train.
- Shops near the station that exchange money at poor rates: use a bank or a card.
- Fake ticket sellers at the Jet d'Eau boats: buy at the official booth.
One and two days
1 day
The first day of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Old town on foot, a 12:30 lunch table
- 08:30St Pierre Cathedral
- Reformation Wall (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (old town)
- Afternoon: lake promenade and the Jet d'Eau; the Bains des Pâquis pier at sunset.
2 days
The first two days of the timed plan.
Day 1 — Old town on foot, a 12:30 lunch table
- 08:30St Pierre Cathedral
- Reformation Wall (optional)
- 12:30Lunch table 12:30 (old town)
- Afternoon: lake promenade and the Jet d'Eau; the Bains des Pâquis pier at sunset.
Day 2 — Jet d'Eau, the pier and a lakeside snack
- 09:30Jet d'Eau
- Bains des Pâquis (optional)
- Buvette des Bains
- Evening: fondue or an entrecôte near Cornavin; book ahead on weekends.
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Geneva Tourism (official): www.geneve.com/
- Switzerland Tourism: www.myswitzerland.com/
- Wikivoyage — Geneva: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Geneva
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/geneva). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.