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Accommodations
You wouldn't know it by walking around, but Geneva has a fairly large student population, which explains the number of hostels and budget hotels. The other 80% of the population seems to be bankers and oil princes, which explains the plethora of kingly priced four and five star hotels as well.
The tourist office offers a brochure of all 25-plus hostels in town and can direct you to hotels in your price range as well. Note that some of the hostels only offer dorm rooms during the summer and many of the budget rooms are taken up during the school year. Any guidebook (see below) will list the usual recommendations and Geneva is small enough that nothing is more than a nice walk from city center.
Restaurants
Geneva has a huge number of restaurants for a city its size, and the international community means there's more variety than you'll find in most Swiss cities. On the downside, Geneva is probably the most expensive city in an expensive country.
Budget:
Most budget spots are located around the train station and in the nearby Paquis district.
Cafe d'Arts, rue Paquis
Limited menu of salads and pasta dishes, but all around or under 15 CHF and service is non-stop all day. Closed Mondays.
Boky, rue Des Alps
Small Chinese hole-in-the-wall around the corner from the train station. Not a culinary triumph, but 20 CHF will get you pretty far with your standard noodles, soups, and stir-frys.
Expresso Cafe, rue Paquis
A tiny bar and three tables mean this little local spot is usual packed with people who know where to get the best pizza, salads, and pasta dishes in town, all under 20 CHF. A nice spot for a cafe and newspaper afternoon as well.
Le Parfume de Bayrouth, rue de Berne
The best of the dozen or so kabab & falafel joints in the neighborhood. A la carte 'sandwiches' go for 7-10 CHF and full, filling, plates for 17 CHF.
Mid-range:
Cafe de Paris, rue de Mont-Blanc
Vegetarians beware, this Genevois favorite serves one dish only - steak, chips, and salad. But I've been told they do it very well.
L'Europa
A little hard to find, but worth it for the fresh, hand made pasta dishes and generous portions. A favorite for lunch among the UN crowd.
Cafe Universal
Friendly spot with a fantastic selection of starter plates and good main dishes with quite a few vegetarian options. Wonderful decour and unusually helpfull staff.
Maison Rouge
Hidden across the Arve just north of Carouge, this big red house is unique and friendly. All the dishes are cooked by the owner himself who occasionally finds time to come out and chit-chat with his guests. The menu can be a bit limited, but a fun change from the usually stuffy Swiss dinning experience.
Splurges:
Cafe Centre, Place Moulard
If your credit card is feeling neglected, this is a great place to give it a work out. Seafood is the specialty, though the meat and veggie dishes manage to keep up. Cafe Centre is known for its heaping three-tiered platters of assorted shellfish - everything from oysters and mussels to sea snails and periwinkles. Outdoor seating in the summer is a real pleasure, and the inside is cozy all winter.
Cafe de Negociations, Carouge
Wonderful hip restaurant with wonderful hip food and a wonderful hip wine cellar where you can wander around and choose from all the wonderful hip wine on the racks. I'll let you guess what the desserts are like. Everyone wants a piece of this place, so plan to reserve up to a week or so in advance.
Bars & Cafes
Les Brasseurs
A Geneva classic just across the street from the train station. One of the few brew pubs in Geneva, Les Brass serves three flavors of home brew in the usual half pints, pints, and liter glasses or you can go for one of the giant plastic tubes filled with three to five liters. A small menu of pub food and a full restaurant in the back makes it a good spot to waste an evening.
Cafe Maruis
A small wine bar, with a tiny back room and a tiny patio in summer. A wide selection of wine, from the cheap to the foofy and a few Swiss snacks (usually a plate of assorted meats and a cheese based dish) make it a simple but cozy spot.
Le Comptoir
Retro-chic cocktail bar and fusion restaurant sporting white leather sofas and the occasional local DJ. Not a cheap choice, but the food is unusually interesting and the crowd friendly.
Pickwicks
One of the dozen or so British pubs. Usually full of football watching ex-pats eating fish and chips while sipping Guinness. Saturday night has low-key dancing to sometimes cheesy disco and pop music. A laid-back, friendly spot.
Flannagans
Another Brit-pub, this one with a downstairs dance club and usually a cheerfully rowdy crowd. At closing time the party moves across the street to Shakers, a meat market of a dance hole and destination for everyone wanting to keep going til dawn.
Alhambar
If Flannagans isn't your style, this swankier cocktail bar might be. Pretty people in a pretty room, usually with a DJ. A small tapas menu early in the evening and a nice brunch on weekends until 2pm.
La Clemence
Taking up most of the the central square of Geneva's old town, Le Clemeance is packed from evening on during warm summer nights. Not much to offer except for beer, wine, coffee and a fantastic atmosphere.
L'Usine
There are punks in Geneva! Well, a few anyway, and they all hang out at the bar upstairs at this well established artist squat. When you're sick of rubbing elbows with bankers, politicians, and their lackeys, head over to the smoky interior of L'Usine for a cheap beer and interesting people-watching. Downstairs is one of Geneva's only alternative venues which occasionaly features such random acts as The Residents, Bad Religion, and French Death Metal festivals.
Nearby
Lausanne
Fun college town just 45 minutes up-lake from Geneva, features several great museums (especially the Musee Photographic and unusual Musee d'Arts Bruts), an atmospheric old town, and extensive lake-side complex originally built for the Olympics.
Montreux
Mostly known for it's world-famous month-long Jazz Festival (the name is a bit of a misnomer, you're just as likely to catch David Bowie or Beck there as James Brown or BB King). Montreux is worth a wander through, if only to get to the scenic Chateau Chillion.
Salave
Actually across the border in France, this high ridge has a stunning view of Mt. Blanc and the Lake Geneva area and miles of walking trails. It's easy to get to via the number 8 bus and a funicular a short walk over the border. Don't forget your passport.
Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Europe Insiders page.
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