les-automnales_logo-2014_rvb_smallOpening this Friday, November 7, the annual Les Automnales expo offers something for nearly anyone living in or around Geneva. From gardening supplies to kitchen remodels, sporting goods to camping supplies, landscaping to sewing machines, spas and saunas to interior design, art to jewelry, gourmet food and wine to children’s toys and crafts, martial arts to jewelry, washing machines to bicycles, pet supplies to Christmas decorations, you can find it at Les Automnales. A list of exposants is available here.

The Geneva police department, celebrating 200 years, is this year’s guest of honor. Throughout Les Automnales, the police will hold demonstrations of their work with police dogs, close protection, clearing, and more.

Last year’s Les Jours Vintage returns November 7-9. Fifty exhibitors will have antique and classic items on display, along with music each evening, burlesque shows, dancing, hair styling, and cinema. You can view the Jours Vintage program here.

For animal lovers: New this year at La Ferme des Automnales (the Automnales farm), you will find horses and ponies along with rabbits, sheep, chickens and roosters. On November 15 & 16, the Exposition Canine Internationale and Exposition Féline Internationale will host more than 4,000 dogs and 400 cats.

Hints and Tips

  • The expo space covers five halls at Palexpo, a total of 50,000 m² (if you’ve been to the annual Geneva auto show at Palexpo, you have some idea of the sheer amount of space the exhibit halls contain). Plan your visit in advance by downloading the floor map of Les Automnales here.
  • Be prepared for crowds! More than 135,000 people attended last year’s event. Weekends and Wednesdays are the most popular, so if you want to avoid the worst of the crowds, plan to go early or on a less popular day.
  • For children aged three months to seven years, child care is available Wednesdays and Saturdays, 11:00-19:00 and Sundays, 10:00-19:00 at Daycare Ludikids on site. The first two hours are free; child care costs CHF 20 for each additional 30 minutes. Snacks and activities like crafts and a bouncy castle are included, but parents need to supply care items such as diapers/nappies, bottles, and clothes.
  • Feeling peckish? Restaurants and bars are open until 22:00 each day (20:00 on Sundays). A list of food and drink options is available here.

Practical Information

  • Getting there: Les Automnales is held in the Palexpo Center, Halls 1-5. By train, the expo halls are a 10-minute walk from Genève-Aéroport. By bus, TPG lines 5, 28, and Y stop in front of the entrance (arrêt: Palexpo); or a 10-minute walk from TPG arrêt Aéroport (lines 5, 10, 23, 57). By car, take the autoroute, direction Aéroport-Palexpo. Look for parking P12, under Halle 5 de Palexpo.
  • Admission: On Wednesday November 12, there is no cost to enter. For all other days, entry costs CHF 10 for adults, CHF 5 for students and 62 and older. Children younger than 16 years enter for free.
  • Opening hours: The main halls are open Monday through Saturday, 11:00-21:00 and Sunday 10:00-17:00.
  • Additional resources: Click here for the Les Automnales web site. Click here for the Geneva public transportation website to plan your trip by bus.

Many thanks to the participants of the AIWC’s Art of Blogging Workshop Series for their assistance in preparing this blog post!

We are a group of international women living in Geneva, Switzerland.  If you would like to join the AIWC, please visit our website at http://www.aiwcgeneva.org/