Cosmopolitan Geneva is one of the world´s foremost international cities, but most of the time it´s far too busy working - and saving the world - to enjoy itself.   

 

Clean, stylish and businesslike, Geneva is too boring and too expensive to warrant spending longer than a couple of days.

 

Set on the shores of glistening Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman in French), Geneva is framed by the snow-capped peaks of the Savoy Alps and the Jura ridges. While the city would make no fool of itself in a beauty contest, superficiality is not Geneva´s strong point.

 

As the home of the International Red Cross, the European headquarters of the United Nations and the nerve centres of the World Health Organisation and UNICEF, Geneva isn´t shy about carrying the weight of humanity on its handsome shoulders. Two of Geneva´s most popular tourist attractions include the guided tour of the United Nations building and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, which traces the history of the world's first humanitarian organisation.  

 

Geneva´s most notable landmarks are the Romanesque-Gothic Cathédrale de St Pierre as well as the tireless Jet d'Eau (the world's tallest fountain), which shoots  water 140 metres into the air at a speed of 200km an hour.

 

Geneva has plenty of green space and one of the city´s finest parks, Parc des Bastions, can be accessed behind Geneva´s cobblestone Old Town. As well as having free WiFi access throughout its tree-lined grounds (does anyone in Geneva ever stop working?), you´ll also find the liberal arts campus of the University of Geneva, statues of the city´s Calvinist founding fathers and a giant chessboard.

 

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire and the Baur Collection will give museum buffs further cause to linger in the city, while outdoor types might want to use Geneva as a base from which to explore the French and Swiss Alps.

French is the official language in Geneva, but with 40% of the population born outside Switzerland, it´s not unusual to hear English (among other European languages) spoken on its streets and in its office buildings. 

  

Geneva international airport has frequent links with other European and North American cities. Geneva is also a major departure point for lake cruises to France.