I still read, rate and comment but rarely write on here.
I still read, rate and comment but rarely write on here.
Member since:26.04.2001
Reviews:115
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Introduction ~~~~~~~~ Geneva is located in the south-west part of Switzerland is very near to France. In fact part of Geneva airport is in France. If going on holiday to you means "cheap stuff" then Geneva and Switzerland in general for that matter is not your ideal holiday. Switzerland shares rip-off Britain prices and many things are more expensive there. The only thing that is cheaper there is petrol and fags.
Scenery ~~~~~~~~~~ The scenery in Geneva is beautiful near the lake. From the lake you can see into the Alps and see the famous Lake Geneva fountain. At night Geneva is stunning, the fountain is lit up and all the posh offices have fancy lights. (Like the ones Harrods has) On top
of all that you are only a 20 minute drive to the Alps where there is more breathtaking scenery.
About Switzerland in General ~~~~~~~~~~~ Switzerland is made up of 23 cantons. These are like our counties except have much more power, for example laws are vary widely for canton to canton. So think of them more like American states. There are 4 official languages in Switzerland - German, French, Italian and Romanic. Though Italian and Romanic are only spoke in the mountains. Out of the major Swiss cities Bern (the capital) and Zurich are German speaking and Geneva is French speaking.
Some tips ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you happen to be staying in Geneva don't just stay in Switzerland! You are within walking distance of France, only 20 or so miles to Annacey which is a pretty tourist honey pot in France. And you are also fairly near to Italy. The quickest way to Italy from Geneva is via the Mont Blanc tunnel, though this is closed at the moment but it s due to re-open in October 2001. If you are going into Geneva at night the cheapest and most convenient place to park is the underground carpark, which is under Lake Geneva! Now this carpark is the poshest you will ever see. Classical music is played all around the carpark, it is graffiti free and is full of Ferraris! And in the evenings it is always possible to get a space and is also cheap in the evenings. Though in the day it's a different story. It costs 3 times as much as what it does at night and it is impossible to get a space.
Shopping ~~~~~~~~~~~ If you are a shopaholic and more importantly rich Geneva is heaven. There are flash jewellers on every corner, fancy and exclusive boutiques dotted all over the place. But if your not rich you'll have to stick to the tacky souvenir shops selling flags, penknives, cowbells and cheap watches. Even if you can't afford them its quite fun looking at watches in the jewellers and guessing how much they are. You see, they don't give prices, after all if your asking the price you obviously can't afford it. If you're a chocolate lover you will not be disappointed at the chocolate shops Geneva has to offer. There are stunning displays in the windows, I went at Easter and was truly amazed. Though if you are tempted by the magnificent displays watch your wallet because there not cheap! Though they are made with fresh cream and fresh ingredients, and they also go off fairly quick. As well as shopping in Geneva there is also the secretive banks. So if you happen to have a few million lying around put it in a Swiss bank and watch it grow and grow…
Eating ~~~~~~~~ Considering Geneva is such an important city politically (United Nations are based there, loads of international organizations, etc.) eating in Geneva is relatively cheap and a little bit cheaper than London. Though McDonalds are more expensive, a Big Mac meal will cost you £5 whereas in England I will cost you about £3. You also don't find any greasy spoons and kebab shops. The best restaurants in Geneva are in the old town, they tend to be the more genuine one. The ones in the new town are mainly big pizza chains. Restaurants in the old and new town let you sit out which is nice, especially as there not situated on roads. Most restaurants in the Old town offer a mixture of Swiss and French food, whereas those in the New town are Italian and American influenced.
Feel at home ~~~~~~~~ Geneva caters ever such a lot for people who speak English as their first language. There is an English-speaking radio station - World Radio Geneva run by the BBC. It has a mixture of English and American DJ's and plays ordinary pop music. There is also a shop in Geneva selling English books and videos. And most people in Geneva speak English. This is because there are ever such a lot of English and Americans living there.
Overall ~~~~~~~~~~ I recommend you go to Geneva, it's a lovely place. Though its not really genuinely Swiss, it's a very international city and is considered by many to be neutral grounds. Getting to Geneva is quite easy, EasyJet, British Airways and Swissair all fly there. If you consider flying there don't just look at prices for EasyJet the supposed budget airline as they are quite often not the cheapest, we recently looked at flight prices and found EasyJet to be the most expensive!
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I went to Geneva in 1971. It is time that I went there again...Paul
Morgenhund 14.06.2001 12:47
Your budget was low because you stayed with relations, but I reckon that you'd be hard pushed to survive in Geneva on a tenner a day otherwise. Good op. Mike
joannavos 11.06.2001 22:12
Sounds lovely. My grandparents-in-law ive in Geneva, although I've not met them yet. My mother-in-law however lives in France and visits her parents fairly regularly! Maybe I should convince hubby that we should pop over for a visit!!! Thanks for a descriptive op. I enjoyed reading it! Joanna.
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Advantages: Londoners perspective: beautiful, clean, orderly and different Disadvantages: Londoners perspective: Expensive (yes even for me!)and a little small and quiet
Tricia24 11.11.2003 ·
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Review of Geneva (Switzerland)
Advantages: Londoners perspective: beautiful, clean, orderly and different Disadvantages: Londoners perspective: Expensive (yes even for me!)and a little small and quiet
Tricia24 11.11.2003 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Geneva (Switzerland)
Jun 11th, 2001
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