Canton of Geneva · Switzerland
Where to stay in Geneva
Geneva is a city in Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, home to about 209,000 people. This guide covers 1 hotel and 1 aparthotel in Geneva, with about 104 rooms between them.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 2
- Nearest airport
- GVA5 km · Geneva International Airport
- Currency
- CHFSwiss franc
- Time zone
- Europe/Zurich
- Language
- French, German, Italian
About
About Geneva
Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône leaves Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.
In 1536, a young man named John Calvin, fleeing the persecution of Protestants in France, spent a night in Geneva. As it turned out, he was to do a lot more there than sleeping. After being expelled from Geneva for nearly three years, Calvin returned triumphantly in 1541 to help elevate the city to the rank of a Protestant Rome. The intellectual influence of the Reformation extended to all realms of Genevan life: politics, economy, and administration. Geneva was an independent republic from at least the 16th century until it became a Swiss Canton on 31 Dec 1813.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Geneva
See
- Jet d'Eau
- Cathédrale St-Pierre and Calvin's auditorium
- Old Town
- Palais des Nations
- Quartier des Grottes
- Monument Brunswick
- Île Rousseau
- L'Ile
- Place Neuve
- Eaux-Vives
- Carouge
- Jardin botanique
Do
- Salève cable car
- Association Genevoise des Amis du Salève
- Genève Plage
- International Geneva Motor Show
- Caves Ouvertes
- Bol d'Or
- Fête de la Musique
- Fêtes de la Batie
- L'Escalade
- Parc des Bastions
- Parc des Eaux Vives
- Parc de la Grange
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Geneva
2 places to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Adina Apartment Hotel Geneva aparthotel | |
| MEININGER Hotel Genève Centre Charmilles hotel | 104 |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Geneva to stay in
There are a lot of hotels in Geneva, but very few of them are actually in anything like the budget range. Hundreds, many right around the central Cornavin train station offer a pretty standard rate of Fr. 135 per night for a single. If you arrive late and are willing to spend that it makes sense to look at the automated hotel board in the train station to find the nearest vacancy. It's hardest to find lodging during large international conferences, and trade shows. The latter, of which the prime example is the Salon d'Auto are usually held at Palexpo. It's worthwhile to do a bit of research to see if your arrival is likely to coincide with one of these events.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Geneva
117 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata; the 40 best known are shown, by the number of Wikipedia editions that cover them. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Beau-Rivage Geneva | 1865 | 1.0 km |
| hôtel Cornavin | 1932 | 1.2 km |
| Le Richemond | 1863 | 1.0 km |
| InterContinental Geneva | 1964 | 2.9 km |
| Bristol Hotel Geneva | 0.9 km | |
| Hôtel des Bergues Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts | 1834 | 0.8 km |
| The Ritz-Carlton Hôtel de la Paix, Geneva | 1865 | 0.9 km |
| Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneva | 1.1 km | |
| Hôtel de Russie | 1869 | 0.8 km |
| Hotel Eden | 2.4 km | |
| Hotel Suisse | 1.2 km | |
| Tiffany Hôtel | 0.9 km | |
| 9Hotel Paquis | 1.2 km | |
| Ambassador Boutique Hotel | 21.5 km | |
| Aparthotel Adagio Genève Mont-Blanc | 1.1 km | |
| Auberge Communale de Carouge | 2.2 km | |
| Auberge de Confignon | 5.8 km | |
| Auberge de Duillier | 24.0 km | |
| Auberge de la Tour | 24.2 km | |
| Auberge de Prangins | 22.9 km | |
| Base Nyon | 21.6 km | |
| Calvy | 0.6 km | |
| Château de Bossey | 16.6 km | |
| citizenM Geneva | 0.4 km | |
| Crowne Plaza Geneva | 4.3 km | |
| Design Hotel f6 | 1.7 km | |
| Domaine de Châteauvieux | 8.6 km | |
| Drake Longchamp Swiss Quality Hotel Geneva | 1.7 km | |
| Eastwest Hotel | 1.1 km | |
| Fairmont Grand Hotel Geneva | 1.2 km | |
| Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva | 0.8 km | |
| Fraser Suites Geneva | 0.5 km | |
| Hilton Geneva Hotel & Conference Centre | 2020 | 4.7 km |
| Holiday Inn Express Geneva Airport | 4.7 km | |
| Home Swiss Hotel | 1.2 km | |
| Hotel Admiral | 1.2 km | |
| Hotel Adriatica | 0.5 km | |
| Hôtel Astoria | 1.1 km | |
| Hotel Auteuil Manotel Geneva | 1.5 km | |
| Hotel Bernina Geneva | 1.2 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Geneva
Geneva has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 25 °C; November is the wettest, with about 100 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Geneva: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Geneva International Airport (GVA), about 5.3 km from the city centre in a straight line; Annecy Meythet airport (NCY, 30 km) and Chambéry Aix les Bains airport (CMF, 66 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Geneva is the transportation hub for the French-speaking Switzerland and the western access point to the Swiss Alps.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
GVA · Geneva International Airport
NCY · Annecy Meythet airport
CMF · Chambéry Aix les Bains airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Geneva
Eat
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 possibly the most expensive city in an expensive country. Additionally, it can be quite difficult to find food on Sunday night, so it might be worth planning ahead or just visiting the more touristy region near the train station. If you have the possibility to cook your own food, self catering is a good idea to save money. If you are staying for a longer period, it's a good idea to make shopping trips to supermarkets in France where many foods cost less than half of what they do in Geneva.
Stay safe
Geneva is by and large a very safe place. Violent crime was almost unheard of, although it's important to keep an eye on your belongings in public, as petty theft is a fairly common occurrence. Do report any such activity to the police, you will probably find them much more interested and helpful than police in many other Western cities, especially if you speak a little French. Since 2013 an increase in violent crime was reported, especially during the nighttime and near party areas. Alcohol & aggressive behaviour led to fights between the multicultural mix in the city.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Geneva: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Geneva?
Geneva has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 25 °C; November is the wettest, with about 100 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Geneva?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Geneva International Airport (GVA), about 5.3 km from the city centre in a straight line; Annecy Meythet airport (NCY, 30 km) and Chambéry Aix les Bains airport (CMF, 66 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Geneva?
Swiss franc (CHF).
Nearby
Destinations near Geneva
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.