My weekend trip to Geneva during Christmas
"The best education I have ever received was through travel." Lisa Ling
This friday 8th of December 2017, my husband & I flew to Geneva in Switzerland to spend the weekend. He bought me this trip as a present a few months ago, and as always I was so excited! I hadn't been to Switzerland before, which also meant that I could add a new country to my list. So today my count says 31 countries in total.
We traveled with EasyJet from Copenhagen Airport and the trip lasted for less than 2 hours. When we arrived at the airport in Geneva, we experienced something chocking. in all the cities and countries I've been to, the ride from the airport to the city is the most expensive ride- and thats the funny part. I dont know If its because Switzerland is the richest country in the world, or what the reason could be- but when you arrive in Geneva, you get to pick up a ticket that last for 80 minutes, for free. Yes, free! So you can basically get from the airport by bus and train and not pay a single dollar.
Where to stay?
We took the bus from the airport, for approximately 15 min and got off at the central station, Corniva. We were about to figure out the location of our hotel and In between worriying about whether we had to walk a long distance or get lost, right there just a few steps from the main station, I saw the hotel - Ibis style. You probably know it from other cities because it is a large hotel chain.
The check in was an easy process, and we quickly got the keys to our room on 3rd floor. Nice, big, trendy and clean! We had a nice breakfast included and the breakfast area was modern furnished. As If that wasnt enough, the hotel was located 5 min from Lake Geneva and 15 minutes walk from all the shopping streets, restaurants and if you come in December, a little christmas as well.
The hotel good service and they offer services such as luggage storage, umbrellas for rainy days and they even give you your breakfast to go, if your check out is earlier than breakfast time!
Where to eat?
Switzerland is known for being pricy - but it is not impossible to find affordable food. The big chain Vapiano, that serves delicious italian food is less than a 10 minute walk from the hotel, and among others, we tried a lebanese restaurant named Parfums de Beyrouth. One of the best shawarmas I've ever had, and believe me - I've tried a lot! They're open til 6 am on weekends. Not far from Parfums de Beyrouth we found a cozy Shisha cafe, that serves shishas, drinks and food. Chez Leyla is the name and it's absolutely recommendable!
And of course there's a Starbucks located on every corner. The famous Ladure for french macarons and delicious dessert is located right by Geneva lake.
So you wont go hungry to bed.
Transportation
As I mentioned above, the transportation from the airport to the city is free. When we arrived at the hotel, we recieved to transportation tickets by the hotel assistant. The tickets gives you access take just about any bus, train, tram and even boat to gross the lake for free.
Yes, again - obviously all transportation for tourists in Geneva is free. We took the boat several times from one end of the Lake to the other. Its a 7 minute ride and gives you the opportunity to get off at two different stops while it also gives you a beautiful view of the famous water fountain jet d'Eau and the beautiful mountains.