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WOW! 8 women, one pot of coffee and some carrot cake at the AIWC.  The result? Three new blogs about how to entertain summer guests both locally and further afield. This blog will cover the highlights of Geneva; Blog 2 focuses on trips within Switzerland; and number 3 will venture over our borders.

Entertaining summer guests and keeping our families occupied over the summer couldn’t be easier in our fabulous city.  Here are some of our ideas for local trips and a few tips.

  • Many museums have free admission to the general exposition.
  • Many of the temporary expositions that you normally need to pay for are free the first Sunday of the month.

For kids and active visitors: Try the beach at Geneva Plage or Bain de Paquis, tree top climbing at Parc Aventure in Onex and Frisbee golf on offer at a number of local parks.

Genève-Plage

For those looking for some history: walk the old town to see the Cathedral (TIP:climb the tower for the most incredible view of Geneva), Maison Tavel (the local history museum), the excavations under the cathedral and the Reformation Wall. (TIP: try the crepes at the St Pierre Creperie beside the cathedral. They are second to none.)

For those more educationally minded: CERN (TIP: there are exhibitions and an overground walk but guided tours MUST be booked), Science Museum; and the Natural History Museum (TIP: currently the Natural History museum’s special exhibit is on ants. Ant colonies are great to watch.)

For those keen on art: Art and History Museum, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMCO) (TIP: the first Wednesday evening of the month, entry is free between 18:00 and 21:00).

For those interested in International Geneva: The Red Cross Museum and the United Nation tours of the building and gardens are excellent (TIP: don’t forget your ID card).

UN Entrance

UN Former Entrance

For those wishing to shop: Rue du Rhone of course is the street for luxury items while one street over are the more affordable shops (TIP: Zara Home has colorful, unique and nicely priced home decor).  It’s always fun to check out the markets; particularly Carouge on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

TABLEWARE

And Lake Geneva itself: Boat trips, boat rentals and pédalos galore are on offer by the lake side. (TIP: The mouettes -little yellow bus boat ferries run by the city- are a bargain at only CHF 2 a trip or CHF 3 one-hour bus pass.) Take a walk out to see the Jet d’Eau on the newly installed boardwalk.

Don’t miss this viewfinder near the Jet d’Eau. It helps you estimate the height of the fountain.

Enjoy your guests and your summer!

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/ 

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