This article is classified "Real"
Geneva, capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, part of the Helvetique Confederation, is a city in Switzerland. French speaking, English is the most used language in Geneva, due to the presence of an countable number of International Organizations in it (among them UN, WHO, WWF and an infinite number of banks). If you are planning to expend an exciting weekend in a fabulous city, Geneva is not the right choice unless you can stay the day counting your money in a private bank. Geneva is a city for very rich people. If you are very rich, you can eat at expensive restaurants, buy at expensive shops, and use expensive cars. Since you are reading this guide, you are probably not quite defined as "rich," so you will have to spend your money in expensive restaurants and expensive shops, but forget about the car. The city is small, with 300,000 habitants. 60% of them are not Swiss, which could be a good thing concerning amusement. Swiss night-life is summarized in a few words, actually very few words. Zero words, to be honest. The rest of the population goes to English pubs, Italian cantinas, and out of the city, which is the best part of Geneva. Roma and Paris are good options. In winter, you can ski in Chamonix, less than one hour by car. Touristic attractions are the Geneva Lake, with a big fountain near the city, and religious buildings connected with Calvin Protestant Revolution in Geneva. That means you can make tourism and pay for all your sins in the same day, which is not something to disconsider. Don't get the "Teleferique du Saleve," which you can reach by car or walking, and save 10 bucks. Only a swiss would think about paying to get up in a mountain where cars can drive, so they don't tell it to you until you are there. There is also the old town, which is 400 years old (which is not so old in European standards, but enough if you come from California). Rue du Rhone is the principal street, where you can lose all your money buying things with prices that should be outlawed anywhere. Hermes, Chanel, Cartier, Valentino, and every one else have shops in Geneva. That makes the city a good shot if you want to be a top model. Better if you want to get top models, and you can afford it... Placed in the middle of Europe, Geneva is the right place to stay the night in a trip from Paris to Rome, or Munich to Lyon. Did I already mention that you have to be able to afford the night? OK, Geneva is not that expensive. It is more. Democracy is a very famous institution of Switzerland. The problem is the definition of the word. In Geneva, what is not forbidden is mandatory. "Do you have a license to do that? Ah! So that's you in our files. But, did you get a license to be in our files?" On the other side, people are very used to obeying orders and reading the manuals. The problem is that, not very often, there is nothing in the manuals, what can be good or bad for you, depending on how much you drunk, who is talking with you, and why you left your documents on the starship. Switzerland is famous for its watches and cheeses. Try a fondue "motie-motie" anywhere in the city. The oldest restaurant in town is a good choice. It is in the old town, in front of three old guns that commemorate the defeat of Geneva by Austria. I don't understand that either. Geneva is infamous for its red wine. If they tell you it is good, don't believe them. If they insist, say you don't drink alcohol. Be aware to be ready to explain what that glass of beer is doing in your hand. You can get a good white wine, but they come from Lausanne. Actually, everything that is good in Geneva come from some place different. French girls, Italian cooks, German managers, English rock are easily found. American lawyers are here also, but this was a big mistake the Swiss did. To buy a watch, you can select from a 20,000 US$ Gold and Diamonds Rolex to a 35 US$ Swatch. Swatches are plastic watches with fun colors and drawings that no one thinks are beautiful, but everyone has to have at least two. To find a shop selling Swatches, just look for people speaking loud with Italian accents. They are real Italians, and they used to buy more of these watches than everyone else in the world. We don't know if this can improve their punctuality, but it improves a lot Geneva revenues. It is very interesting that it is much easier to buy the Rolex you want than the Swatch that you saw in the catalogue. Swatches are collectors items, and some of them are difficult to find. Some people believe that Swatch really makes a profit from selling catalogues, the watch being just a small misconcept in the design phase that went wild. Equipment: skiing gear, towel, leather wallet What to bring: money, credit card, gold, jewelry, towel You can't lose: the ticket back home, skiing in Chamonix You should forget: staying more than 3 days