8 places you must visit in Geneva, Switzerland
8 places you must visit in Geneva, Switzerland
Geneva is the second most popular city in Switzerland after Zurich. Its population is about 200 thousand people, and the spoken language is French, although many of the locals also speak English and German. Geneva is known for its luxury watches, chocolate and banking industries. Since I am only a fan of the chocolate, I will introduce you to the natural sights and open spaces in the city. The climate here is mild with warm summers and cold winters, and the city is surrounded by beautiful natural scenery, and numerous parks and gardens will help you spend more time outside.
And here are the 8 sights in Geneva that I visited and fell in love with.
1. Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva is located in Switzerland and France, with many towns and villages located on its shores. It is about 14 km wide and 73 km long and is of glacial origin. It is the second largest lake in Central Europe after Lake Balaton in Hungary. In summer, the water temperature is around 20-25 degrees and you can often see people swimming, surfers, people with kayaks and sailboats. The lake brings coolness, but also makes the climate in the area milder by giving off the heat generated in the summer. Great paths have been made by the lake, which are wonderful for walking, running or cycling. There are plenty of benches and comfortable picnic spots where you can enjoy the wonderful view.
2. Jet d'Eau
The fountain is a huge jet of water that rises up to 140 meters into the air. The powerful pumps pump out 500 liters of water every second at a speed of 200 km/h and create a wonderful atmosphere. In good weather, a rainbow appears on the water and it is very beautiful. The water jet can be seen from quite a distance, including from an airplane (up to 10,000 meters high). It is one of the landmarks of the city of Geneva, and it is also the highest fountain in Europe.
And do you know that he might not exist at all now, if he hadn't had to...
Read more about the fountain in my article here: Jet d'Eau.
3. Jardin Anglais (The English Garden)
It's a lovely little spot near Lake Geneva. The biggest impression in this park is made by the colored clock, the fountain and the beautiful hundred-year-old trees. With lovely green grass and plenty of benches, it's one of the city's favorite hangouts.
4. The Ferris wheel Bergdorf
Right next to the lake and near the Jardin Anglais is a great Ferris wheel. Reaching a height of about 60 meters, it offers a great view of the lake, the city and the nearby mountain. At a price of 6 francs per adult (6CHF ~ 6 EUR) you will be able to ride in about 5 minutes. We personally loved it and enjoyed every second of it.
5. Parc de La Grange
/ image Wikipedia /
It is one of the largest parks in Geneva. With its huge green space for nature lovers and tranquility, this place will manage to recharge you and make you feel away from the city even just a few steps away from it. In this park there is a huge Villa de La Grange, a rose garden, an outdoor stage (Theathre de Verdure - Ella Fitzgerald's stage), playgrounds, swimming pools, tennis courts and more. The park is extremely spacious, with well-kept lawns and magnificent trees, including 200-year-old cedar trees and 100-year-old oaks.
6. Parc Mon Repos, Parc de La Perle du Lac, Moynier Park, Parc Barton
These are several small and pleasant parks close to each other on the shore of the lake. You can get from Parc de La Grange here on the M4 yellow boat that crosses the lake and enjoy the views along the way. The parks are very pleasant for a walk and run along the shore of the lake. Nice wide fairways and well-manicured grass are the things you will notice here as well. There are several boat docks and a surf school along the coast, so you can combine it with water sports.
7. The Botanical Garden in Geneva
It is located near the parks listed above and is a wonderful transition from strolling to sightseeing. And the Geneva Botanical Garden is definitely a major landmark. It was established in 1817 and it currently has over 12,000 plant species on an area of about 28 hectares.
The botanical garden is a wonderful place for a walk for adults and children. It includes many exhibitions of various kinds. On our visit there was a tropical display with water being sprayed inside periodically to keep the humidity high. The ponds with different types of lilies and other aquatic plants also impressed us a lot.
* Entrance to the Botanical Garden is free and you can enjoy the variety of flowers and plants in peace without hurrying and worrying.
8. Le parc animalier - The animal corner
The animal park is a small corner near the Botanical Garden, which is free to visit and very enjoyable for adults and children. A large area has been set aside for the animals and walkways around them for visitors to enjoy the beautiful species. We were most impressed by the roe deer and flamingos, which we definitely did not expect to see. There were several other types of animals such as goats, different types of birds. The park is small and pleasant for a walk, and you can easily include it in your program.
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