One of the largest museums in Switzerland, the Art and History museum of Geneva presents its archeology, fine art and applied art collections in four different locations. Archeology, watchmaking and jewelry, paintings, sculptures and other fine arts are on display at the musée d’art et d’histoire; the Middle Ages Maison Tavel focuses on Geneva history and domestic life; the Rath museum hosts only temporary exhibitions; the art and archeology library keeps a large collection of books, catalogues and multimedia resources. Starting in 2012, the musée d’art et d’histoire is rethinking the presentation of its collections: it will gradually change the hanging of its paintings to highlight new trends and exhibit work never seen before, starting with Swiss paintings from the second half of the 19th century. Check the websites for kids’ programmes.
The French company UCPA is well-known for its energetic sport oriented summer and winter camps. They’ve been around for nearly five decades and have built an impressive catalogue of activities for kids, teens and adults ages 6 to 39. Specific programmes are also available for handicapped children and young adults. The all-inclusive camps are offered in hundreds of locations in France and abroad. Website is in French with a UK section for the adult programmes only.
The official website of the city of Geneva has a very convenient section in English that offers a complete cultural directory to concerts, shows, exhibitions, movies and more. Scroll down the different sections on the left and find a gold mine of practical information and useful links.
A tip for those with ittle time to shop for food: thiriet.com (if you live in France), lets you select quality frozen food from a large online catalogue with great pictures. Pick out your items and your shopping will be waiting for you a couple of hours later at your local store. Thonon les Bains is the closest one in the Lake Geneva area.
Home delivery is also possible throughout neighbouring France, but only once a month. You need to first enter your postal code to access Thiriet delivery services and create your account.
Canton Vaud started a new service called La Chaise Rouge (red chair) in October 2011 to provide handicapped persons with a trained volunteer assistant who can help them get out to concerts, exhibits or activities. The service is opened to handicapped people who live at home. It’s a project developed by Pro Infirmis Vaud and the Swiss Red Cross, which trains the volunteers. The web site is in French only.
Artbootik opened its doors 17 November 2011, with inexpensive and fun art for your apartment. Just up from the lakefront at 19, rue du Nant.
The Know-it-all Passport book, which comes out every two years, provides a substantial collection of addresses and information about where to find things in the Lake Geneva region. It’s now part of a larger offer, with the web site providing information and calendars for activities, events, and local businesses, with companies invited to submit their own information.
The book began life as a guide for mothers in the area, written by Lisa Cirieco, who grew up in Geneva in an American family. It has been expanded over the years and a special strength, also reflected on the web site, is some of the smaller community groups and activities that are hard to find elsewhere.
The English Forum is Switzerland’s largest social network, with forums/discussions on numerous topics.
Use the search engine to find what you’re after. A strength is that it is active in all parts of Switzerland, although this can make it harder to find information for a particular region until you’re used to using the site.
The site is managed by a company based in Sweden. It added news, thelocal.ch, in 2011: this is part of a chain, based at the same company in Sweden, managed by a business staff rather than an experienced independent editorial team.
Geneva-based Laura Moser makes beautiful classic cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more, but her specialty is custom designed cakes.
All ingredients are fresh, not frozen.
Most items need to be ordered in advance but a limited number of baked goods can be ordered with 24 hours notice.
The Swiss postal service, La Poste, bissued the Basel Carnival commemorative stamp 5 January 2009. You can order them online, in English. Great for collectors, or even as easy gifts for non-philatelists: these are particularly charming stamps. Background story on GenevaLunch
Check out Nextstop‘s brilliant list of all the trendiest night spots in Lausanne! (from Rambling Epicure, Jonell Galloway-White, on GenevaLunch)
The Swiss know about this and anyone planning a trip around Switzerland or spending six months or more in the country should as well: over a million people hold the Swiss Museums Passport and get free access to more than 450 museums. The passport also gives a 50% discount to the hugely popular (and excellent) Swiss Transport Museum, in Lucerne. The cost is CHF144 a year for an adult or CHF177 for an adult and up to five children. A family pass is CHF255. Do check the list of museums, as a couple that have very large, major exhibits are not covered.
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“Charming bed and breakfasts” is likely to be the next must-have book for foreigners who live or travel in Switzerland: in French and English, good photos, the guide is a hand-picked selection of 120 charming places to stay in Switzerland. Don’t expect all of them to be cheap – CHF65 for a delightful bedroom in Zurich might not break the piggybank, but the CHF485 starting price for Chateau Rosey in Bursins could make a dent. On the other hand, you can expect all of them to be charming and some of them to offer that and more. This book definitely plugs a gap in the information about where to stay for the perfect weekend trip in Switzerland. The three authors are all experienced travel professionals and writers: Christine Ferrari, Isabelle Ferrari and Valerie Solano. This promises to be the first in an interesting series on B&Bs, published by Gîtes de Suisse Publishing. Price: CHF32/euros23 Available from booksellers throughout Switzerland. Can be ordered online, from Switzerland or abroad.
Patrick Chappate, whose cartoons are carried by GenevaLunch, has just published his latest book, a collection of International Herald Tribune cartoons that are likely to be appreciated by young and old alike: see Shirley Curran’s book review. The books, CHF23, can be ordered directly online (three currencies) and are also sold by Payot. 116 cartoons, 120 pages, useful index. Serge Schmemann, editor of the IHT editorial pages, says “It is critical to our well-being that
Patrick Chappatte continue to make us laugh, and it is critical to Chappatte’s craft that vanity reign in high
places, thus supplying him with the raw material of his craft.”
Group combining award-winning theatre with fundraising for HIV/AIDS charities, with a strong dose of Irish theatre in its history. Visit the GLAS site for details of upcoming events.
English-language amateur theatre group based in Lausanne.
British adult education and distance learning university. Has around 200,000 students around the world. Dozens of courses available in the Geneva region.
English-language writer’s workshop open to all library members. Meets once a month in Geneva.
Geneva based theatre company and academy. As well as putting on plays in English, they also offer courses for children and adults.
Portal site for Irish music and dance in Switzerland.
Organizes professional theatre performances in English at various venues across Geneva.
Paint-your-own studio in Coppet. Activities and workshops for kids and adults.
A guide to events in the Lake Geneva region. It includes options for families, children, outdoor events & the arts. Updated daily.
Staffed by volunteers and amateurs, GEDS puts on English-language theatre performances and readings several times a year. Playreadings are open to experienced or aspiring actors who just need to register to experience life on stage!
Puts on English-language theatre performances, including musicals, cabarets, and the pantomime. Staffed by volunteers and amateurs.
English-language website which encourages people to write. Includes various activities and inspriational tactics to get the writing flowing.
French-language website of the photography club of Geneva. Members can use the dark room and participate in all activities. Meetings are in English and children are welcome.
