In collaboration with Swiss Air and the Geneva Board of Tourism, this August we visited this beautiful Swiss city. It was our first time in Switzerland and we weren’t disappointed! Geneva is a great destination if you want a relaxing holiday away from the hustle and bustle and if you are looking for a city with a great cultural background.
It’s time to go
We took an early Swiss Air flight from Heathrow airport in order to not waste any time.
We traveled in their lovely business class, where we were able to enjoy the comfort of spacious seats together with a delicious business class meal, which also included a warm croissant, fresh orange juice and coffee. We are not big fans of flying, but we were really surprised when the captain announced that we were about to land. Time has never passed so fast on a plane!
Arrived in Geneva
We arrived in Geneva around 11am, and the the first thing that caught our eyes was the beautiful sunny weather. We were told by some locals that this was going to be the hottest weekend of the summer, how lucky was that?
The amazing thing about this city is that the airport is really close to the centre. That means that it only took us four minutes to reach our hotel, and completely free of charge for tourists. You can forget those long sweaty bus rides to get to your hotel!
A stroll in Geneva Old Town
Like many European Cities, Geneva is rich of culture and history. This heritage is perfectly portrayed in Geneva Old Town, a maze of small streets and picturesque squares, full of cafés, restaurants, historical sites and decorated with antique buildings adorned with beautiful facades. It almost feels like travelling back in time! As we have the city card (which we strongly suggest you get), we decided to use the city train.
Geneva Old Town was so beautiful – as was the weather – that we decided to also do it by foot. It really felt as if we were living in the Middle Ages. No wonder this is considered as a national heritage site.
Climbing St.Pierre Cathedral
Right at the centre of the Old Town, you can find St Pierre Cathedral, belonging to the Reformed Protestant Church of Geneva and built in the 4th century. The climb was quite challenging as, like most old cathedrals, there is no lift! So we climbed over 100 steps and had the opportunity to capture this beautiful view!
Lunch at La Riviera by Mandarin Oriental
We all know that many travelers’ main concern when on vacation is the food. If you visit Geneva – and you definitely should – the Mandarin Oriental is a must stop for lunch!
A living example of Swiss hotel tradition at its very best, Mandarin Oriental, Geneva has a superb location on the River Rhône, located within the heart of the city’s shopping, historic and business districts.
La Riviera by Mandarin Oriental is a pop-up restaurant that offers authentic South of France specialties from seafood to sunny vegetables. All the food is complemented by an excellent selection of Provençale wines, including a wide choice of rosé.
We started with a nice Saumon mariné, crème à l’aneth, which is a marinated salmon with dill cream, and a Soupe de poissons de roche servie avec Gruyère, croûtons et sa rouille, which is a fish soup served with Gruyère cheese, croutons and rouille. All this paired with a tasty Château la Coste from Provence.
After this delicious starter, we continued with a Rib Steak and the Seabass cooked in butterfly style. The meat was nice and tender, and cooked to the right point. Also, we would definitely recommend the cake of Polenta as a side.
As dessert we had the prettiest Vacherin with raspberries & nougat you will ever see!
After a charming lunch, it was time to go for a nice walk in order to burn some of the calories we had just gained.
Boat trip
The weather was too pretty to not take advantage and go for a nice boat ride. This was also included in our city pass, as many other really nice activities for tourists.
The cruise was very relaxing, even though we got absolutely soaked when passing underneath the Jet d’Eau, the 125 years old landscape. What was the captain thinking!?
Drinks at the sunset: Les Voiles
After a long and intense touristy day, we really wanted to enjoy the sunset over the lake. That is why we thought it would be a great idea to visit Les Voiles by Genève-Plage, a lively bar on the lake’s coast.
We ordered a bottle of the house Rose wine so that we could enjoy the sunset with style, together with some finger food. After the sun was down, the music went up creating a vibrant atmosphere that everyone seemed to appreciate, especially after a few drinks!
Flying back home
We were really exhausted after trying to do as many things as possible in this enchanting city in less than 48 hours, so we were happy to take advantage of the fast track included in our business class tickets to skip the queue at the security controls and go directly into Swiss Air’s incredible lounge.
The lounge was really calm and relaxing, and offered all the comfort you need before flying on a plane. We loved the breakfast and the drinks selection, and the leather seats were perfect to sit down and calmly go through a newspaper or a fashion magazine.
Again the flight was really pleasant, and again they had to almost force us to get off the plane! It is actually great to enjoy some proper food on while flying for a change, rather than the usual unappetising plane food.
Our view
Visiting Geneva was definitely a positive experience for our team. The Swiss city looks very much like a medieval fairy tale, with its captivating old town and its beautiful lakeside that attract tourists from all over the world. We were able to obtain a city pass from Geneva Board of Tourism, and we suggest you do the same as it is quite affordable and gives you access to most activities that you will want to do once you are in the city. The transport system works really well, as any visitor who signs in at a hotel gets a free pass for all public vehicles. The airport is really close to the centre, and this was a nice surprise as it can be really stressful or expensive to reach your hotel once landed. We strongly recommend flying with Swiss Air if you have the opportunity, their punctuality and professionalism stood up above everything, and if you fly in business class their lounges are really amazing. The one thing to be aware of when visiting Geneva is the price of food, which can be really expensive at times. We recommend to book a nice restaurant on the lake, so that you can enjoy the view while eating some nice food. If not, you may end up eating a pizza from a not very appealing stand and spend the same money you would spend in a much better restaurant. We tried the Riviera restaurant at the Mandarin Oriental, and we can say that our experience was definitely positive as the food and service were top notch.
