One Day in Geneva, Switzerland
While Geneva may sound like a business hub – being home to the headquarters of the United Nations, World Health Organization, Red Cross, and the World Trade Organization – it was actually the most relaxing city I’ve visited so far while in Europe! Read below for a list of the highlights of things to do in Geneva we recommend prioritizing during your one day trip to make the most of your visit.
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1. Enjoy Breakfast at the Cottage Café
To start your day off right in Geneva, we recommend stopping at the Cottage Café. This local café sits right next to the Brunswick Monument in a quaint park in Geneva and offers a selection of pastries, fruit, and small plates to kickstart your morning. With its beautiful views and relaxed atmosphere, the Cottage Café is the best place to grab your morning coffee.
The Cottage Café is located at Rue Adhémar-Fabri 7, 1201 Genève, Switzerland.
2. Stroll Along Lake Geneva
Once you feel charged for the day, you can begin making your way down towards the famous Lake Geneva. Only about a fifteen minute walk to the other side of the lake by way of Pont du Mont Blanc bridge, the lake’s waterfront showcases just how beautiful Geneva is!
The city does a great job of keeping its public areas clean, green, and festive! A stroll along Lake Geneva is full of well kept flower boxes that brighten up the day for passerbys – but also for the Mute Swans that are known to frequent the area!
Another fun & free activity to enjoy along Lake Geneva are its colorful street pianos! These pianos are available for the public to play – whether you are trained in the art or not. This inspiring addition to Geneva is part of a larger global project entitled “Play Me, I’m Yours,” by Luke Jerram – which has now placed over 2000 street pianos in cities worldwide!
Beyond the street pianos, one of my favorite things about Geneva is how filled it is with music. Walking around the city, we must have come across five or six different street performers – from singers to violinists to jazz bands. Music is simply a part of the atmosphere.
3. Visit the Geneva Water Fountain
The Geneva Water Fountain, Jet D’Eau, has become an iconic symbol for the city. Accessible by way of a jetty, you can walk out pretty close to the fountain for a close look at the towering 460 feet stream of water.
4. Ride Up The Mont-Saléve Cable Car
While it probably makes more sense to save this next item until you’re done exploring the city of Geneva itself, I didn’t want to mention the grand size of the Geneva Water Fountain without mentioning just how tiny it looks from the Mont Blanc viewpoint. While hundreds of feet high from the ground, the fountain is hardly visible without binoculars from within the Alps. Needless to say, our next recommendation is to ride up the Mont-Saléve Cable Car – also called the Téléphérique du Salèv – to take in the beauty of Geneva in all its glory.
On top of the stunning views, disembarking from the cable car to Téléphérique will also lead you to several hiking trails, yard games, and a mountain view restaurant!
5. Paraglide Through The Alps
If you’re up for a bit of adventure, don’t skip out on the opportunity to go paragliding while you’re at Mont Blanc! We ended up deciding to take a train to the other side of the mountain for a couple of days and flew paraglides over Chamonix, France instead – but Geneva offers equally beautiful views! If you’re interested in learning more about what it’s like to go paragliding, you can read more here.
Paragliding Tandem Tour
6. Explore the Parc des Bastions
Okay, back down onto the ground and into Geneva. Another tranquil getaway you wont want to miss while in the city is the Parc des Bastions. About 65,000 square meters, this expansive park often serves as the site for local festivals hosted in Geneva – making it a great place to enjoy performances & shop for souvenirs.
The Parc de Bastions is a public park that is completely free for entry.
7. Ride a Mouette Through Lake Geneva
With the city of Geneva centered around its lake, another fun & affordable way to see the area is to hop on one of the many Mouettes (public transport boats) that cross the water throughout the day. Connecting four harbors around Lake Geneva, these shuttles allow you to cover the city a bit more efficiently – while still being a peaceful activity in and of themselves!
The Mouettes run every few minutes, with tickets costing less than $5 USD.
8. Enjoy a Cruise on Lake Geneva
While the Mouettes are great for direct, short rides across Lake Geneva, there are also day cruises offered in Geneva! If you’re just looking for a taste, there are affordable one-hour options to cruise around Geneva itself. But if you have the time, you can also book a one day tour from Geneva to Montreux, the Swiss city that sits on the opposing end of the lake from Geneva!
Day tours typically build in time to disembark and explore the city of Montreux itself, so it will definitely take up a good amount of your day. For that reason, we recommend prioritizing the other activities in this list and then adding on this bonus trip if you’re lucky enough to be in the area for an extra day!
9. Ride the Geneva Ferris Wheel
Once you’ve explored the city from the water, check out another exciting view of Geneva from its big ferris wheel! The ferris wheel is open to the public during the summer months every day from noon until midnight.
The ferris wheel costs just six francs (~ $6.67 USD) per adult and three francs (~ $3.33 USD) per child. Tickets can be purchased on the spot.
10. Stop at the Flower Clock
Right around the corner from the ferris wheel is one of Geneva’s most photographed spots – the Geneva Flower Clock. This work of art is made up of over ~6,000 plants, comprised of seasonal flowers that are changed throughout the year!
The flower clock is free to enjoy and located within the Jardin Anglais at Quai du Général-Guisan 28, 1204 Genève, Switzerland.
11. Explore the Jardin Anglais
While visiting the clock, take some time to enjoy the rest of the Jardin Anglais as well! This park features a pavilion that is often home to live music or performances, as well as a central water fountain.
The Jardin Anglais park has expansive open grass & is free for entry, making it a great spot to sit down and take a breather for both adults and kids alike.
12. Listen to a Concert in Victoria Hall
Completed in 1894, Victoria Hall is a historic concert hall within the heart of Geneva. The host of many travelling orchestras, Victoria Hall is intricately decorated and a beautiful environment for performances visiting Geneva.
While shows are not held daily, check out the schedule for Victoria Hall to see if anything lines up with your visit!
13. Visit Saint Pierre’s Cathedral
The oldest and most historic cathedral in Geneva, Saint Pierre’s Cathedral is a highlighted stop on many city tours. Over 800 years old, one of the most notable features of this cathedral is its archeological collection – open to the public for free.
The cathedral is located at Cr de Saint-Pierre, 1204 Genève, Switzerland.
14. Explore Geneva
Finally, we recommend just walking around Geneva as much as you can! Geneva is such a beautiful city, with small cafes, flowers, and shops around every corner – you’re bound to find your own hidden gems! Walking tours are actually one of the most popular ways to see Geneva – and people’s first choice by far tends to be the chocolate themed walking tour!
Regardless of what makes it to your Geneva bucket list, please let us know what your favorite thing to do during your trip to Geneva was in the comments!
What’s Nearby
If you have more time in Geneva than one day, there are also many acclaimed day trips to nearby attractions that you can book a tour to from Geneva – including Chamonix, Lake Annecy, and the Swiss Riviera! Or, if you’d rather move on to a new base, check out the travel guides below of nearby destinations!
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About the Author: Hi, I’m Jill! I am a biomedical & mechanical engineer who loves traveling during my free time. My hope is to help make it easier for others to plan their dream trips by providing firsthand experience from the places I’ve been! Read More.
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The lake and the ride on the Cable Car look absolutely amazing! I would love to visit someday!
They’re beautiful! Thanks for reading 🙂
Ahh Lake Geneva is so beautiful with all the swans. I’m planning to visit in August. Definitely thinking about heading over to Montreux as well.
I hope you have an awesome trip!! Thanks for reading 🙂
I visited Geneva in December and loved it. I’m sure the city is even more beautiful in spring and summer. I loved the fact that transport for free for tourists (well our hotel gave us a free transport card 🙂 The boat cruise if anything is fab.
Glad you loved your visit! Thanks for reading 🙂
Wow, that paragliding tour looks amazing! And the view from the mountains are stunning, feels a bit safer with a cable car though! 😀
Haha yes, they’re both great ways to get beautiful views of Geneva! Thanks for reading 🙂
This looks like such a great trip and that brunch the first day looked amazing!!!