Laila Rodriguez
The free guided walks of Geneva
GENEVA, Switzerland – Get moving on Sundays thanks to GenèveRando, which with the financial support of the city of Geneva, organizes 2-3 hour walks to discover the city.
Fourteen guided walks are offered every third Sunday of the month, free of charge from April to October 2012.
This Sunday 20 May there are two great walks:
Architecture and Urbanism in Geneva during Rousseau’s era. A time when the city was experiencing an architectural revival of great public buildings and patrician houses. It starts at 10:00. Head to the Molard Tower and meet the group there. The walk ends at around noon at the Promenade Saint-Antoine.
From Parks to Gardens. The tour departs at 14:30 from the parking lot of the magnificent Penthes Castle (Ch. de l’Impératrice 18) and ends at 17:00 in Petit-Saconnex.
For more information contact: dimancheapied@geneverando.ch, visit the Dimanche a pied website, or call +41 (0)76 224 8407. The next tour is in June.
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Laila Rodriguez
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – If you are an architecture buff, this one is for you. The UN in Geneva has added a third, thematic tour of the Palais de Nations, including an exhibit of original design sketches and models for the UN compound.
Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room at the UN features a ceiling decorated by Catalan Miquel Barceló - Photo UNIS Jean-Marc Ferré
The tour also includes seeing fine artwork on display at the Palais, including the large fresco by José Maria Sert in the Council Chamber and Miquel Barceló’s ceiling in the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilisations Room.
Additional details and info on the architectural tour can be found under the city’s guide to International Geneva.
The UN also offers seasonal guided tours of its pristine gardens. Click here to read more.
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Laila Rodriguez
Must-see processions and activities on Good Friday
The pleureuses, or Good Friday mourners, in Romont - Photo Laila Rodriguez
These are some of my favorite Good Friday and Easter activities around Lake Geneva and beyond.
Laila Rodriguez
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Here’s an excellent idea for when you run out of ideas for what to do with your out-of-town guests: guided walking tours of Geneva.
The Geneva tourism department offers guided walks that range in price from CHF10 for students and seniors, to CHF15 for adults. Free for children under 14 years of age.
Explore Old Town, Carouge, the financial district, or take one of the themed-walks: watch-making history, Calvinism and the city, parks and residences, tales and legends, Rousseau, Henry Dunant & the Red Cross, and in December only, the Escalade with its famous hot soup and hidden trails.
Squeeze through the Passage de Monetier opens only once a year
Exiting the Monetier dressed as back in the day
Tours are offered in French, English and German; Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and other languages available upon request.
Enjoy Geneva in winter!
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Laila Rodriguez
View of some of the trails at the UN Park - Photo Jean Marc Ferre, UNIS
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – If you are one of the few still left in Geneva during the summer holidays, or have guests this month, consider a visit to the beautifully manicured lawns and gardens of the United Nations.
The tour of the Palais des Nations Park takes place every Tuesday and Thursday during the summer, at 11:00 and 14:30, and lasts about an hour-and-a-half.
For more information on the guided tours in English call: +41 (0) 22 917 4894 or email ndawe@unog.ch.
Other UN tours
If you are interested in visiting the UN buildings, including some of the rooms where international policies are created, remember that from September to April tours operate on weekdays only.
For more information on those tours visit the UN website. Remember valid identity documents, such as passports, may be required.
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Laila Rodriguez
Annecy castle one of the places to visit in town (enlarge)
Annecy, France – One of the most quaint and beautiful cities in surrounding France, Annecy at less than 50 km from Geneva now has one more reason to make it a must-visit this summer.
This city, full of history and located on the Lac d’Annecy, boasts a captivating medieval center, picturesque -although sometimes much too crowded streets- and crystalline blue waters in its lake.
Laila Rodriguez
The Ariana museum in Geneva, guided tours
Geneva, Switzerland – Here’s another bargain I found to add to my list of “free or low-cost” Geneva resources.
Free English-speaking guided tours are now available at the Art and History Museum, one of the oldest in the city of Geneva as well as at the Rath Museum, which recently reopened and at the beautiful Ariana Museum.
The 2010 sessions have been scheduled as follows: Read more…
Laila Rodriguez
PostBus for those wanting to see Switzerland and not worry about parking
Geneva, Switzerland – Now that the weather is nice, the questions for many would-be explorers are where, when, and… how, if there’s no car involved.
Leave it to the Swiss – masters of planning – to help you pick a region, a date, and a bus (CarPostal) to take you there while enjoying the beautiful scenery.
Pick any sort of holidays: hiking, swimming, bicycling, or other family oriented activities.
The PostBus Switzerland website allows you to interactively pick a region, an activity, and a date. My pick? The Ticino, with family, in the Summer. The result: 23 suggested itineraries.
Laila Rodriguez
Sightseeing Geneva by foot
Geneva, Switzerland – Here’s a great resource for exploring Geneva on foot, a virtual guide of the city and suggested walks.
“Geneva at a walking pace” is an initiative to motivate tourists, and residents alike, to explore the city and the canton at a leisurely pace.
The walking plan incorporates pedestrian routes approved by the city council in 2001 and by the canton in 2004, ranging from the pragmatic – Geneva airport to the stadium, to classic city tours – the Jet d’eau to Carouge.
Walking times shown on the map are based on a 5 km/hour pace.
Happy walking
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Laila Rodriguez
Voltaire's salon
Geneva, Switzerland – Here’s an idea for a lazy afternoon: visiting the Voltaire’s museum, his one-time residence in Geneva.
Les Délices de Voltaire is the name of the beautiful chateau located in the heart of the city of Geneva where the French philosopher lived from 1755 to 1760.
The chateau is today a museum dedicated entirely to Voltaire’s work, including a library with 25,000 books related to his work and to the 18th Century.
Some items that once belonged to Voltaire or that decorated the house while he lived there, such as those shown in the picture at left, have returned to the chateau to be part of the exhibit.