Geneva is both a city and a Canton. The city itself is quite small with a small Old Town that you can explore in a few hours. Versoix is also part of Canton Geneva but has more of a small town feel. We actually live in Canton Vaud, 15mins outside Geneva and do many things in the surrounding areas, which is the reason, I’ll be including places in the nearby areas.

When we first arrived, we stayed for 2 weeks at the Geneva Lake Hotel in Versoix.

Good to Know

• Moving during the pandemic
• COVID Vaccination
• Only direct flight to Berlin from Geneva via EasyJet
• 6 Tips for Driving Up the Mountains in Winter
• Tool-Free Bidet Install Hack bidets are not normal here so I had to figure out a hack for more hygienic clean ups
• Insect Proofing Our Home we live in the countryside and have so many insects in summer
• Velux Window Screen Hack it took me years to find a good screen for Velux
• Where to buy my summer essentials

Doctors

• Versoix Medical Center our GP, Pediatrician & where we do our lab tests
• Centre Ophtalmologique et ORL de Versoix we go to Dr. Nadal for the whole family
• La Ligniere I love Dr. Davy (Psychiatrist), Sandra Voland (dietician) Lucia (physiotherapist)
• Dr. Sahil Dermatologist in Versoix, I changed from Dr. Tzika because she made mistakes and the bedside manner needs to be improved.
• Dr. Kempf Haber OB-Gynecologist in Nyon
• windows

Geneva Bites

• La Perle du Lac Restaurant a splurge with an unbeatable view of the lake in Geneva
• Natürlich Geneva
• Patisserie Sofia
• Bretzel & Gretel Geneva
• Umamido Ramen Rive best ramen so far, Asian standards good. Do not go to Umamido Confederation
• Mont Blanc 7 Chinese Restaurant in the touristic part of Geneva by the lake
• Le Tsé Fung in La Réserve Michelin-starred Chinese resto for fancy occassions
• Chicken Up for me even better than KFC and Chick Chicken
• Chic Chicken still quite good fried chicken, location is unbeatable right by the lake

Shopping

• MABUHAY Filipino Store + Balikbayan Box Service
• Victorinox Souvenirs find iconic souvenirs & useful items here
• Where to buy a lint remover
• Amazon.de picks Before I buy in stores here I always check Amazon

To-Dos

Events

• FestiChoc Switzerlands biggest Chocolate Festival every March
• Watch Servette Football match
• Watch Servette Hockey match
• Festival of Lights a great way to enjoy the outdoors despite the early sunsets
• Cirque du Soleil Luzia show in Plain Palais 19 June 22

The area near the United Nations has a lot of interesting places to go, all walking distance from each other:

• Geneva Botanical Gardens FREE & when the weather is nice it’s so lovely to go to
• UN Pregny Gate If you have booked a UN tour this is where you will have to apply for a pass and go through security checks
• Take a pic with the United Nations Alley of the Flags from the outside if you can’t get a pass
• Broken Chair an iconic place for rallys, but a reminder of the damage that landmines cause
• Red Cross Museum a bit too heavy of a subject for kids. It’s near the Philippine Mission in Geneva
• Museé Ariana a small but interesting museum for cermaics/porcelain

Area near Old Town

• Cathedral
• English Garden
• Chocolate making/tour
• Bain de Paquis – swim stuff
• Jet d’eau
• Moynier Park a good place to walk after a meal in La Perle du Lac
• CERN free science museum & show, but you must register here • opening hours

NEARBY AREAS

• Bowling at the Bowling Hotel in Signy 30mins from Geneva, great for parties
• Motel Le Leman Pizzeria Our favorite restaurant in Commugny

Nyon

• Street Beirut delicious Lebanese food
• Renou Chocolaterie a new favorite!
• Amorino Gelato open all year and cheaper than Venezia & Manu
• Ping Sheng super quick Chinese food in Nyon
• Circus Knee
• Nyon Castle Museum free every first Sunday & hosts kid’s birthdays too

Coppet

• Terre Sainte Ice Skating Rink watch video here

Rolle

• HK Taipan Our favorite Chinese

Gland

I mainly go to Gland for La Ligniere where I have my psychiatrist, dietician and physiotherapist. When I go, I end up doing errands to the places below

• Garden Centre Schilliger SA my happy place in Switzerland. Cafe Agnes is great for gouter
• Lidl I pass by for veggies, fruits and other in house brand items
• LSB Sports Ski & Snowboard Rental (winter)