Recently, tikichris contributor Vysia Duffield had the opportunity to explore the Swiss city of Geneva. Along with a handful of other London-based bloggers, Vysia had been invited to Switzerland to explore a few cities using the free to download Make My Switzerland app. Created by actual residents of the cities featured, the app lists hidden gems and places favoured by locals. Vysia reckons the app is great for people who like to venture “off the beaten path” when travelling. “Even better,” she says, the participating bloggers got to meet and explore their chosen cities “with the locals behind the recommendations and see it through their eyes”.
Other blogs involved in the Switzerland trip include TheLostLondoner, Yin&Yang, Park&Cube and MyFashionLife. Check out their sites for their experiences in the cities they visited.
Here’s the scoop from Vysia’s first day …
Getting there
The flight took just over an hour via Swiss Air, which flies directly from Heathrow and London City. There are other options for air travel to Switzerland as well, with easyJet and BA flying from various UK airports.
At the airport in Geneva, I was welcomed by Jonathan, a rep from Geneva Tourism, who advised me that there was a machine by the baggage carousel that dispenses free tickets for a journey into the city centre. We took the scenic route via the bus into town, passing by the iconic three-legged chair in front of the United Nations building.
Explore
Once in the city centre, your first port of call should be the Geneva Tourist Office (8 Rue du Mont-Blanc). They are open on Monday (10am-6pm), Tuesday to Saturday (9am-6pm), Sunday (10am-4pm) and sell the Geneva Pass, which gives you access to free tours, museum entries and other perks for one, two or three day blocks. The price is CHF 25 for 24 hours, CHF 35 for 48 hours and CHF 45 for 72 hours.
Stay
I stayed at the newly refurbished Hotel N’vY, an avant garde, bohemian hotel with an impressive array of artwork, located about 15 minutes walk from the city and ten minutes from the lake. In fact, as soon as I walked into the hotel I was greeted by a “time-traveller meets invisible man” installation of the Travellers by Bruno Catalano.
Further exploration around the lobby revealed artwork by Mr Brainwash and David Cintract mannequins. For those unfamiliar with Cintract, he is the brains behind the “Pop Libre movement” which focuses on the legacies of Warhol and Lichtenstein.
Tag’s Cafe, which doubles as a pret-a-cafe spot, offers touch screen tables where you can play games, surf the web and more. and had a wall graffitied by none other than Meres One.
Cool vibes all round!
The room did not disappoint either. Designed by Parisian interior designer Patrick Ribes, the room was bright and airy. I had a lot of fun playing around with the chromatherapy lighting in my room. Rooms from 170 CHF (around £117) per night, and they often have special offers.
The hotel also offers free wifi and transportation cards to all guests, which is a nice touch, as travelling around the city can be quite costly.
Gastronomic Adventures
After freshening up, I met with my ambassador Helen, who was with Jonathan at the hotel’s bar, relaxing from their day’s work with the house speciality, the Green N’vY.
We headed to the jewel of Geneva’s Indian cuisine offerings, Rasoi by Vineet, located at the Mandarin Oriental (Quai Turrettini 1, 1201 Geneva). We were treated with a menu designed by acclaimed chef Sandeep Bhagwat, featuring the best and most innovative dishes offered by the haute Indian restaurant which was paired with some excellent local Genevan wines from their cellars.
After dinner, we walked over to the ‘20’s flapper-themed speakeasy recommended by Helen on the app, Verre à Monique (Rue des Savoises 19, 1205 Geneva). Here is what she says about the place:
Right opposite Verre à Monique is Cafe de la Presse, one of Geneva’s oldest bars and an old journalist hangout that serves delicious tapas style food and drink till the wee hours in the morning
Good to know
A good time to visit is during the annual Fêtes de Genève, which will start from July 18 to August 11. During the time, Geneva will be filled with festivities, featuring food markets, street shows, music and all sorts of cultural events leading up to an hour-long grand finale of fireworks set off to a pyro-melodic fireworks with a sound system in the middle of the lake on the 10th August at the quaysides of Geneva harbour.
Hat tip: Geneva is such a business destination that the flights and accommodation are actually much cheaper during the weekend.
Written by Vysia Duffield
Check back tomorrow for the second post in this three-part miniseries.
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