Swiss summer weekend in Geneva

During my month in Switzerland last year, I spent a few days living and working in Geneva before heading inland. It was a short 5 day stay, and the city was interesting – smallish but with everything you need. It was a grand city, full of financial institutions and lots of watch shops. The highlight for me though was the time I spent around Lake Leman which was kind of most of what I did. And enjoyed totally!


Around Lake Leman

I flew in to Geneva and took the (free) train to the city centre where I stayed the next few days. The city felt quite overwhelming to me. It has lesser population than Amsterdam, but still the hustle bustle felt more. The buildings are bigger, especially the banks; the streets are grander, and there are so many people, very diverse too. It took me long to get used to this fast pace of life again!

Along the Lake

As I was living 5 mins walking from the Lake, the next few days I mostly explored the area around the Lake every evening after work (when it wasn’t raining of course). I went for walks around the lake in every direction and it was all quite gorgeous. And hot! The weather was sunny and quite hot, which sometimes made getting out during the afternoon tough. But the evenings were warm and more comfortable.

Sunset on Lake Leman

The lake is huge and even has beaches used in summer. It is full of birds – swans, ducks and so on. The Geneva fountain also adds to its charm anywhere you look. All around the lake, there is a path to walk which I explored in both directions. When I walked along the south side, there were a few gardens where you could run or just enjoy being in greenery. The other direction took you towards the city centre and the Rhone river which was more full of tourists.

Once I walked on the north side and had dinner there, with the setting sun across the lake. There I saw the richer and posher part of Geneva with the larger houses and greener areas. The sunsets across the lake was quite captivating, all the hues of the sunset in the sky reflecting on the water. And all the grand buildings across the water adding to the background. It was also very refreshing walking along the lake, with the mountains on the other side making you feel that you are closer to nature than you actually were.

Next to the Rhone

Every evening, I ate at some picturesque restaurant and enjoyed the fresh mountain air here. The first evening, I had dinner at the Little Kitchen, sitting next to the gushing waters of the river Rhone. There was something magical about that river, its jade green colour somehow felt very refreshing. And the sunset colours on the buildings around at this time felt heavenly.


City centre

Church in Old Town

On the weekend, in between the rain, I walked around the old town of Geneva. Its on top of a hill and has the typical grand European buildings. Walking through here, I also realised that after staying a few months in Amsterdam, such buildings overwhelm me now😊.

Stained glass

I walked into the local Gothic church and was impressed with its stained glass paintings. As the light filtered in through the glass, it created some gorgeous images. And the roof was painted so intricately, there was something magical about it.

In the evening I visited a friend nearby and it turns out her house was 5 mins walking from France. Apparently though she lives in Switzerland, her gym is in France! This is something I find so difficult to imagine, living so close to a country’s border.


Swiss Day

One of the weekend days turned out to be Swiss National Day when they all celebrate the formation of their country. There were many events planned all day – fairs, shows, concerts, shows etc - and I took part in some of the festivities. I decided to go to a music performance at the Bateau Geneve which is a huge boat on the lake. There was a huge crowd and there were performances by different Swiss groups all day. Everyone just sat there eating and drinking all day. It was a lot of fun, with a lot of laughing and enjoyment.

Swiss Day celebrations

I saw only part of the show, first two musicians in Swiss attire who were singing folk songs. Then two other singers who were great dancers too singing (and dancing to) songs making fun of the Swiss. It was nice to see how they and the crowd could laugh at themselves! Like how they sell arms to the whole world even though there has never ever been any war in Switzerland; how the Swiss don’t like the Arabs but are ok with their money😊, and then some songs about the Pope, local politicians and so on. As the songs were in French, I didn’t understand them, and someone on my table had to keep explaining them to me. But it was still good to be part of the gay celebrations that day.

Lake at night

After that, I walked to see a sound and light show on the lake which went on late in the night. And then the fireworks came out! The pandemic was still going on, so I was being careful not to go to any of the indoor events. But still, it felt good to be part of this day and spend the day with the locals. I also met a few people during these shows who told me more about their country. It was fun.


List of other things to do

Here is a list of things to do if you have more time in the city, though I didn’t get to do it:

Museums/Tours: Red Cross museum, UN tour, CERN tour

Areas to explore:

• Carouge: super artsy area in Geneva. Worth a walk around on the weekend
• Boat to Yvoire, a small medieval town in France
• Hike to Seleve, with views over Geneva
• Jonction walk

Restaurants:

• Bains des Paquis: Must visit place in Geneva, beach with a restaurant
• Parfum de Beiruth: Super cheap Lebanese place that all of Geneva goes to
• Khora: fancy delicious Greek place with seats outside
• Bateau Geneve: Eat on a boat that does not move
• Brasserie Lipp: fancy French brasserie

By the way, it’s important to know that shops close at 7pm everyday and don’t open all weekend. So one needs to buy things in advance to survive😊.


Geneva is mostly about finance and watches. It’s a big city, and though the lake adds to its natural charm, and it has a lot of historical/cultural things to do, it’s still not the feel you expect from being in Switzerland. So after a few days here, I was already itching to be in the mountains, in a more remote place, in the real Switzerland. And soon left for Lausanne…

Other Switzerland posts from this stay

Mountains of Zermatt

Mountains of Grindelwald

Living the swiss life in Lausanne