VISIT GENEVA LIKE THE GENEVA
Geneva is not just a city where you can buy famous watches and cheer your palate with delicious chocolates. Enjoy the glamor of Belle Epoque and classic outdoor entertainment from the end of the 19th century until the 1st World War in Geneva. Enjoy the charm and a stylish change.
Geneva comes to mind when it comes to luxury watches, Calvinism and bankers; It has an unfortunate reputation as a city that constantly stays at its watch, and as a quiet city. But if you prefer to go with the residents of the city instead of a boring ‘classic’ tour, you will find a city-city that reflects its charm and historical splendor. With interesting garage bars reminiscent of show 50s, shabby, chic lakeside cafes, and champagne cheese fondues, Geneva is a complete
classical.
What are the residents of the city doing?
City residents; Plaine de Plainpalais displays nostalgic clocks at the flea market, with stalls displaying a couple of small items such as second clothing, original items from the Swiss army, old comics, awful amateur paintings and a few original antiques. (Wednesday, Saturday 08.00-13.00; tram 12 or 15 from Cornavin Station). Students and bankers sitting side by side at LesEnfants Terribles in Plainpalais enjoy tapas and Swiss Chasselas wine. The popular bar from this garage also includes a bike workshop, live music corner (free jazz music Thursdays), a hairdresser, artworks and a gallery showcasing designer furniture.
• From the Old Town (Old Town), take a stroll to the Parc des Bastions where there are winding paths shaded by trees and wrought iron benches. In the middle of the park is the 100-meter-long Reform Wall depicting the altering founding ancestors. You can dive into the depths of history while relaxing by sipping a cold beer on the terrace of the Belle Epoque Cafe.
• The rumors that antique Patek Philippe watches are sold for a few cents in charities are probably an urban legend, but you can still go to second-hand stores like the Vet Shop (2 Rue Leschot) and Le Bric-a-Brac (53 Rue de Carouge) or La Sixième Heure. (6 Place des Philosophes; 00 41 22 3207369) Do not forget to visit where you can find both second-hand items and want exotic teas.
• Still dreaming of buying a Swiss watch? Join Sotheby (www.sothebys.com) held once a week at the Beau Rivage Hotel (www.beau-rivage.ch), the sanctuary of Geneva, with its 19th century glory. Then head to the hotel’s sumptuous separate bar for a cocktail. Or if you want to get some tan, you can spend time at the lakeside vintage Les Bains des Paquis café (www.bains-des-paquis.ch), which offers the option to take a dip. Expressing the art of chocolate with its place in Carouge, famous for its elegance, Philippe Pascoet manages to attract sweet lovers with its delicious cocoa mixes (www.philippe-pascoet.ch). Vintage velvet armchairs and different antique lamps are the remarkable feature of L’Alhambar, a bar and restaurant with theatrical appeal in the Old Town. Get a Swiss classic, La Tribune de Geneve, and settle into a chair or mingle with the bustling work-out crowd.
• The Swiss people rarely prefer to export their other valuable wines, as they are more demanded than supply. Compare Geneva’s Gamay wines with Montreux’s Merlot wines at Le Caveau de Bacchus (www.bacchus.ch) so you’ll get a better understanding of why they store these wines. Saleve cable car on picnic in Alpine foliage written on the border with France. The cable car has been carrying its visitors to the 1100-meter-high slope since the 30’s. You don’t need to prepare a picnic basket for the village shop that finds the find around. It is possible to find 100 types of French cheese at Pas de l’Echelle.
WHERE TO DRINK?
La Clémence
Settle at a table on the terrace that spans the Old Town sidewalks and sip your drink opposite the magnificent Palais de Justice (Palace of Justice) nearby. In La Clémence, Geneva’s oldest bar, excited young lawyers are also trying to gather courage with the court Swiss-Dutch drink.
WHERE TO SHOP?
Galerie Un Deux Trois
It is a place where you can buy some original memories with more than 10 thousand authentic advertising posters and signs, such as the mountain train reflecting the winter dream of the 60s, the signs of the Milky Tobler Chocolate from the 1910 site, pictures of Swiss Art Deco fashion.
www.gal-123.com
Antiques Scientists
The store, which resembles Alaaddin’s magic lamp, with carefully processed hand products such as telescopes, microscopes and barometers belonging to the Macabre School of Medicine, which you can find on its shelves, reflects Swiss punctuality and engineering.
www.perret-antiques.ch
Keep it in your mind
All Geneva hotels give their guests free daily passes for the water taxi called mouette, all local tram and bus services. The Geneva Pass card provides unlimited or discounted entry to many city events.
According to the results of the Quality Life Survey of 2010 by the famous research company Mercer; Considering the living standards, Geneva ranks 3rd among the world’s best quality and livable cities.
WHERE TO STAY?
Hotel Lido
The old building from the 30s on the shopping street full of cuckoo clocks between the lake and the Pacquis has gained a very modern appearance with its restoration works and brand new bathrooms.
8 Rue de Chantepoulet; 00 41 22 731 5530
Hotel Bel l’Esperance
The most enjoyable feature of this old charity hotel, where an old badge belonging to the Protestant Liberation Army (Salvation Army) welcomes the guests, is the roof terrace where you can see the view of the cathedral and Lake Geneva.
1 Rue de la Vallée; 00 41 22 818 3737
Hotel Kipling
Sepia portraits by Rudyard Kipling and the historical colonial theme add charm to the boutique hotel, located between the lake and the station. Only room facilities are available.
27 Rue de la Navigation; 00 41 22 544 4040
Tiffany Hotel
The four-star hotel near Plainpalais and the Grand Theater, the trend of the last period, brings all the pleasures of the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th century to its peak with its original wrought iron balconies, stained glass lamps reflecting the style of the 20s and decoration of the Belle Epoque period. Only room facilities are available.
20 Rue de la L’Arquebuse; 00 41 22 708 1616
Hotel du Lac
Inspired by Anita Brookner’s bestseller and bearing the same name, the 17th-century lakeside hotel welcomes visitors in the Medieval village 15 minutes from Geneva. Only room facilities are available.
Grand-Rue 1296, Coppet; 00 41 22 960 8000
La cour des augustins
Despite being a 19th century building, here are more than all boutique hotels in the city center: Wireless internet, LCD televisions, Swiss modern art gallery, relaxing spa center and interior design shop. Only room facilities are available.
15 Rue Jean-Violette; 00 41 22 322 2100
WHERE TO EAT?
Carouge Market
The indispensable items of your picnic basket are the 200-year-old market that comes to mind when it comes to goat cheese, plump tomatoes and crispy baguettes. If you want to rest your feet after your shopping, you can drink a coffee called “renversé” in a cafe: The heated filter coffee from the previous night is probably served with hot milk, but this is definitely a specialty to try.
Café Remor
Dinner is not given much importance in the classic restaurant tradition in Geneva. The menu du marché (main course menu), which includes three plates of dishes, including wine at very reasonable prices, attracts a lot of attention during lunch. Look for a table on the crowded stone-paved terrace.
Cafe du Soleil
Sit side by side with city dwellers and United Nations staff and enjoy the bubbling hot cheese.
Au Pied de Cochon
If you want to taste traditional Geneva food, you should eat tripe and pork trotters. You can dine tripe sausage called Andouillette and stuffed pork leg at this wood-paneled bar in one of the city’s largest squares.
Cafe du Center
Even if you are at the Geneva lake, those who love seafood do not despair. In this stylish cafe, the vintage silver plates filled with carefully prepared crabs, plump mussels, giant shrimps, venus oysters and sea snails deserve praise.
Café des Négociants
Waiters in white aprons stretching all the way from one table to the next serve European cuisine, usually fresh fish and delicious meats, with pleasant presentations and direct the guests to the old domed wine cellar to choose their wines.