Geneva on a Budget!
Accomodation
One of the most expensive things in Geneva is the accommodation. Sleeping in a hotel or airbnb can cost around 100chf per night.
If you stay there you could buy food on the french supermarkets that are cheaper than the swiss ones, go to restaurants and do shopping paying at least a 30% less than you would pay in Geneva.
If you are arriving to Geneva airport, you will need to take one train to Geneva main station (1 stop) and then go to Annemasse from there. The train ride costs 3chf for an hour.
I recommend you to stay the closest to the train station.
Some possible hotels:
Itinerary
Day 1
Do the first thing that any tourist in Geneva does. Go to the Jet d'eau. (If you are travelling from Annemasse, get down on Eaux-Vives station).
If you are travelling on summer months there are a lot of food trucks and little cafe's open around the area. You can swim on the lake (just remember to rinse yourself afterwards) and there are even some classes like yoga, tango dance, swing dance for free in a place called 'La Canopée'.
Then you can walk around Parc La Grange and Parc des Eaux-Vives. These are two really beautiful parks and a perfect place for a picnic if you are feeling up to it. On summer you have free concerts in Parc La Grange (yeah I love summer in Geneva). If you are coming from Annemasse or the Eaux-Vives station you might want to start on the parks and then go to the Jet d'Eau.
Then you can go and see L'Horloge Fleurie. Because switzerland not only means chocolate but clocks as well.
Then you can cross the river using the Pont du Mont-Blanc.
Day 2
Another place that you should visit in Geneva is the Old Town.
Start in Parc des Bastions, here you can find the reformation wall, you can play gigantic chess and dames.
Next stop should be the cathedral.
You can go up to the towers and have an amazing view of Geneva. This is not free, it costs 7chf, but if it's a sunny day it's worth it.
If you like history, you can go under the St Pierre Cathedral as well and see the Archeological site. It costs 8chf.
You can buy a combined ticket for the towers and the archeological site if you are planning to do both, and that costs 12chf.
If you want a free museum in the area that would be Maison Tavel.
Here you can find a big model of Geneva city and learn some of Geneva's history.
To finish this day you can go to Place du Bourg-de-Four, you have some nice cafe's and bars there.
If you want to try swiss cheese, you can eat Raclette in one of the best restaurants in Geneva. Since they sell the Raclette by portion is not too expensive to taste it!
Day 3
Go to Bain des Pâquis to have a nice view of the Jet d'eau and have breakfast or lunch, the usually have cheap options. You can also swim there.
Next you can walk the Quai Wilson and go to Parc Mon Repos.
If it's too far away you can go by train to Secheron station.
If you are interested in seeing the United Nations this will be the time.
Remember the public transport ticket lasts for an hour and you can use it with any transport. So if you find this places are far, use public transport and take that into account.
Another option
If you aren't interested in some of the places I've listed above I would recommend looking for the following places.
Carouge
This is an italian neighbourhood, you can find pretty nice cafes and restaurants here. On the weekend's there is a market, it's a nice place to have a walk.
Pont de la jonction
Place to see where the river Arve meets the river Rhone. Since both rivers have different colors, the view is stunning.
That would be all.
As you see most of the places/activities are free. So I hope you can enjoy Geneva without worrying about money!
If you have any questions you can email me:
travellingwithinbooks@gmail.com
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Extra
If you want to feel like a D’Aplièse sister (Seven Sister's book by Lucinda Riley), you can cross the lake by boat and even though it wont take you to Atlantis, the views are worth it.
You can use a Mouette Genevoises, it's a yellow boat that is public transport and crosses from one side of the lake to the other.
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