Capital of watchmaking, international banks and global institutions.
Geneva is all of these things at once.
But the second city of Switzerland (after Zurich) cannot be summed up in this simple triptych.
If visiting a few museums is very useful to grasp the essence of the City of Calvin (Patek Philippe museum for watchmaking, Red Cross and Red Crescent museum for its diplomatic dimension, etc.), it is to forget that the city, 30 minutes from the French border, is also a destination for foodies.
Impossible to miss the shops that sell one of the most exported Swiss products: chocolate!
The new Choco Pass, set up by the tourist office, offers privileged access to some of these chocolate shops, with tastings as a bonus.
A great appetizer before discovering a culinary scene that reflects the city: cosmopolitan and turned towards the world.
For sweet or savory pleasures, our itinerary to delight your taste buds in Geneva.
SEE THE DOSSIER -
Geneva: Le Figaro travel guide
The arrival
Geneva seen from the south tower of Saint-Pierre Cathedral.
Geneva Tourism
ACCESS
By train:
Geneva-Cornavin station is accessible from Paris Gare de Lyon in 3 hours 11 by TGV Lyria and in two hours from Lyon Part-Dieu by TER.
The Léman Express, a cross-border RER put into service in December 2019, allows you to reach Geneva from Annecy or Saint-Gervais-les-Bains.
By plane:
Geneva airport has its own train station, connected in just seven minutes to that of Geneva-Cornavin.
To reach the city center by bus, take lines 5 or 10 of the Transports publics genevois (TPG).
In both cases, the ticket costs 3 €.
Getting around:
the public transport day pass (€10) allows you to use all modes of transport in zone 10 (buses, trams, trains and lake shuttles) from the purchase of the card and until 5 a.m. the following day.
On Saturday and Sunday, it is valid for two people traveling together.
Geneva hotels offer this ticket to their customers on the dates of their stay.
If it is not offered to you spontaneously, do not forget to ask for it at reception.
TO VISIT
The Geneva City Pass gives access to around fifty museums and activities for free or with a reduction.
It is available in 24-hour (€25), 48-hour (€36) and 72-hour (€43) versions.
A 20% discount applies on these passes until February 28, 2022.
GOOD TO KNOW
The exchange rate is quite easy to understand: approximately, 1 Swiss franc = 1 euro!
MORE INFORMATIONS
Geneva Tourist Office (Visit Geneva): geneve.com
DAY 1: CHOCOLATE FROM ALL WAYS
Morning
In his laboratory in Carouge, the master chocolatier Philippe Pascoët organizes chocolate-making workshops.
Atelier Philippe Pascoet
Before tasting all the diversity of Swiss chocolates, nothing better than learning how to make them in the company of a master chocolatier.
Philippe Pascoët
, one of the most renowned in Geneva, organizes discovery and tasting workshops in his laboratory in Carouge, a district to the south of the city, where 28 tons of chocolate are produced each year. From the cocoa bean to the finished product, including the creation of the ganache, the craftsman details the main stages of making chocolate before inviting us to get hands-on. An activity that will make children salivate... but also their parents. As a gift, we leave with our own creations. The craftsman also organizes surprising tastings with chocolate-tea and chocolate-wine pairings.
Chocolate sculpture workshop by
Philippe Pascoët
: €60 per person with a minimum of five people.
Lunch break
The Grand Central Food Hall has a dozen stalls where you can eat on the go.
Jean-Marc De Jaeger / Le Figaro
Before attacking a chocolate marathon, it is better to settle for a light lunch.
Head to the
Grand Central Food Hall
, a food court set up in a former brewery in the middle of the Rhône, near the banking district.
Mexican, Indian, Thai… The place has a dozen stands where you can have lunch on the go and without breaking the bank.
Grand Central Food Halles
, 1 place de l'Île, 1204 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 311 08 88.
Afternoon
Specializing in exceptional organic chocolate, Sweetzerland selects the best cocoas grown in Ecuador, Madagascar or Java.
Sweetzerland / Photo press
After the workshop, it's time for the tasting.
The
Choco Pass
allows you to visit half a dozen partner shops, a number that will increase in the coming weeks.
Present this sesame and the chocolate makers will be happy to introduce you to their brand and some of their products.
From La Bonbonnière, specializing in hot chocolates, to Sweetzerland, positioned at the very top of the range (the creations can be tasted like great vintages), there is something for everyone.
The chocolates can be wrapped in order to taste them later.
If the tasting samples are not enough for you, the Choco Pass entitles you to a discount when purchasing in certain shops.
Choco Pass Geneva
: €24 per adult, €5 per child.
Valid for 24 hours from the first tasting.
Evening
From the large counter of the Atelier Robuchon, one of the two restaurants of The Woodward hotel, guests enjoy the spectacle of the kitchen in action.
Oetker Collection
L'Atelier Robuchon, one of the two gourmet restaurants at the new five-star The Woodward, stands out with its chic setting, all in red and black. From the large counter, guests enjoy a privileged view of the kitchens where executive chef Olivier Jean, 36, officiates after seven years in the Taipei branch. This is the very concept of the Ateliers imagined by chef Joël Robuchon: making cooking a show. Blue lobster, wild sea bass, Swiss sweetbreads... The dishes are offered both in small tasting portions (around €40, ideal for enjoying the full variety on the menu) and as a main course (around €60). And to end the day on a final chocolate note,we recommend the larger-than-life mushroom-shaped Black Forest imagined by pastry chef Titouan Claudet.
L'Atelier Joël Robuchon
, The Woodward hotel, 37 quai Wilson, 1201 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 901 37 70.
DAY 2: WINE AND CHEESE ON ALL FLOORS
Morning
In fine weather, La Cabuche, on the Dugerdil estate, is the ideal place to taste wine, with the mountains as a backdrop.
Domaine Dugerdil
With its 1400 hectares of vines, Geneva is the third largest wine-growing canton in Switzerland, with Chasselas as the dominant grape variety (white).
West of the city, stop at Dardagny or Satigny, just before the French border, to find one of the hundreds of tasting cellars in the region.
In fine weather, the Dugerdil estate opens its Cabuche, a charming little building with a terrace in the middle of the vines.
A peaceful place to taste the wines of the estate with, as a bonus, the mountains in the background.
Domaine Dugerdil
, 452 route du Mandement 452, 1283 Dardagny.
Phone.
: +41 22 754 02 90.
Read alsoFive Savoie wines to discover in the resorts of the Alps this winter
Lunch break
And if you treat yourself to a clever fondue in a tuk-tuk?
Taxibike, a Geneva-based bike taxi company, offers lunches (but also aperitifs and dinners) on board its two electric vehicles.
Among the dozen or so partner restaurants, the Auberge de Savièse offers Swiss specialities, including the authentic half-and-half fondue, with raw milk Gruyère cheese and Friborg Vacherin cheese.
A visit to the restaurant and it's time to set the table, specially set up to absorb the jolts and arrange the fondue set and the forks.
During the ride, from the old town to the shores of Lake Geneva, the driver is happy to relate historical anecdotes about the city.
If the fondue is not enough to warm you up, plaids are available.
Restotuk by Taxibike
.
From €145 for one hour to €325 for three hours by tuk-tuk (four seats maximum), prices of meals and drinks not included.
To read alsoBerthoud, tartiflettes, crusts… A brief summary of dishes to taste in the mountains for cheese fondues
Afternoon
Classic decor, cozy atmosphere, piano bar... The Albertine's bar at the Beau-Rivage hotel offers a relaxing setting for its
tea time
.
Gauvin Pictures
If the
tea time
at the Hotel d'Angleterre is a must in Geneva, its notoriety leads it to be regularly full.
We won't hesitate to push the doors of the neighboring five-star hotel, the Beau-Rivage hotel, and its bar L'Albertine.
Classic decor, cozy atmosphere, piano bar... An ideal setting to relax around a gourmet tea party, the theme of which changes several times a year.
The Beau-Rivage pastry chef, Yohan Coiffard, highlights cocoa-based creations for "chocolate fanatics" until February 13 (the hot chocolate is unctuously smooth!), before giving way in spring to light and fruity notes during
tea time
on the subject of Sissi.
A way to pay homage to the hotel's most infamous guest, Empress Elizabeth of Austria, who died there on September 9, 1898, hours after being stabbed by an anarchist on the shores of Lake Geneva.
Objects that belonged to him are also exhibited throughout the building.
Albertine's bar
at the Beau-Rivage hotel.
Tea time on Saturdays and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Sweet or mixed menu at €47, optional glass of champagne at €15.
Read alsoSeven experiences to live the life of a palace... without emptying your bank account
Address Book
CHOCOLATES
Sweetzerland Chocolatier, 5 rue du Mont-Blanc, 1201 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 310 49 48.
Stettler & Castrischer, 69 rue du Rhône, 1207 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 738 17 20.
Du Rhône Chocolatier, 118 rue du Rhône, 1204 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 311 56 14.
La Bonbonnière, 15 rue Pierre Fatio and 62 rue du Stand, 1204 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 311 61 96.
Philippe Pascoët, 12 rue Saint-Joseph, 1227 Carouge.
Phone.
: +41 22 301 20 58.
GOOD TABLES AND SMALL HUNGERS
L'Atelier Joël Robuchon, The Woodward hotel, 37 quai Wilson, 1201 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 901 37 70.
Balila, Hotel Longemalle, 13 place de Longemalle, 1204 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 818 62 60.
Le Chat-Botté, Hotel Beau-Rivage, 13 quai du Mont-Blanc, 1201 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 716 69 20.
Auberge de Savièse, 20 rue des Pâquis, 1201 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 732 83 30.
Grand Central Food Halles, 1 place de l'Île, 1204 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 311 08 88.
OR SLEEP ?
The Woodward
The Woodward is the only hotel in Geneva to have only suites (here the Léman Suite).
Oetker Collection
This five-star hotel from the Oetker collection (Le Bristol in Paris, Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, etc.) opened in September 2021 on the shores of Lake Geneva.
The only one in the city to be composed entirely of suites, 26 in number, the hotel is home to two gourmet restaurants (Atelier Robuchon and Le Jardinier) and the first Guerlain spa in Switzerland.
The sense of welcome and service is irreproachable.
The Woodward, 37 quai Wilson 37, 1201 Geneva, Switzerland.
Phone.
: +41 22 901 3700.
citizenM Hotel
With rooms on offer for less than €150, citizenM is a budget alternative in a city with a high cost of living.
citizenM
Opened in September 2020, this four-star hotel enjoys a privileged location between Lake Geneva and the old town.
The 144 rooms, functional and all identical, are available from €139, a particularly advantageous rate in a city with a high cost of living.
Automated check-in, control of lights by means of an electronic tablet... Technophiles will appreciate.
citizenM, 31-33 rue de la Rôtisserie, 1204 Geneva.
Phone.
: +41 22 501 75 14.