Holidays to Switzerland Travel Podcast Episode 54 Transcript
Fun and Free Things to Do in Geneva
You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.
Intro
Are you dreaming of visiting Switzerland? Planning a trip to Switzerland is very exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. How do you choose which are the many scenic cities, towns, and villages to visit? Which mountaintop excursions should you take? And what’s the best way to get around Switzerland? And of course, how much of the country can you realistically see within your time frame? If you’ve asked yourself off any of these questions, this is the podcast for you. This is the Holidays to Switzerland Travel podcast. And in each episode, your host, Carolyn Schönafinger, chats with Swiss travel experts to answer your most commonly asked questions, provide practical tips and take you on a virtual visit to the most popular destinations, and of course, some hidden gems to help you plan your dream trip to Switzerland. And you’ll hear plenty of conversations about Swiss cheese and chocolate, too. Are you ready to plan your trip to Switzerland? Well, let’s get started.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Welcome to episode 54 of the podcast. Today, we’ll be learning all about Geneva, the second largest city in Switzerland, and one that is truly international, thanks to it being home to many international organisations such as the Red Cross and the United Nations. Geneva is situated on the southwestern end of Lake Geneva, or Lac Leman, as it is known in French, and it’s a beautiful city with the lake at its feet and the Alps in the distance. Whilst I’ve visited Geneva a number of times, my stays have always only ever been for a day or two. So I’ve asked Geneva resident, Chris Ricchiuti Dubin, to share all her tips for visiting the city with us. Although Chris has only lived in the city for around 18 months, she must know more about Geneva than most folks who have lived there for a lifetime. Chris regularly posts ideas on things to do in Geneva on her Instagram page, PackedSuitcase. And amongst all the usual sites you’ll find in any guidebook, she shares lots of hidden delights that only a local would know about. Geneva has a reputation for being expensive, but Chris’s mission is to hunt down free and of the most inexpensive things to see, do, and eat in the city.
Carolyn Schönafinger
And she’s going to share all her discoveries with us today. Before we hear from Chris, I’d like to say thanks, as always, to the podcast sponsor’s Switzerland Tourism. You’ll find plenty of tips for planning your visit to Geneva and hundreds of other Swiss destinations on their website, myswitzerland.com. So go and check it out. If you need a vacation, you need Switzerland. Now, let’s hear from Chris. Hi, Chris. Thank you very much for coming onto the podcast. I think you’ve got quite an interesting story about how an American like yourself ended up in Geneva. So would you like to start by introducing yourself and telling us your story?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Carolyn, Thank you so much for having me on the podcast today to talk about Geneva. It’s a city that I really love and I’ve fallen in love with in the past year and a half since I’ve been living here. And so it’s really great to get to share everything that I’ve learned with your audience. So I actually had never been to Geneva before moving here. My husband had gotten the opportunity to come here on business a few years ago. I had small kids at the time, and I looked online and I was really not so inspired with what I saw as the things to do here. So I actually I actually ended up staying home, even though I could have come here, had a free place to stay with his hotel through work, and had a few days to just explore on my own. But I actually ended up staying home instead of coming, which for me as a traveller was a really weird predicament to be in. When we had the opportunity to move here, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I had never been to Geneva, and with COVID, I hadn’t been able to come and explore a little bit before we made the decision to move.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
So It was really an interesting situation to move to a city you had never been to before. But I came here and immediately I fell in love with Geneva. It is a beautiful city. It’s a very international city, and it’s a really accessible city for families and people who like maybe a little bit of a quieter city life. But it’s beautiful, and I really have fallen in love with it completely.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Great. What do you think it is about Geneva that has made you fall in love with it?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Well, it’s a very beautiful city. The waterfront is just very charming and it’s very well maintained. You get into the city and it looks so clean and so pretty. You have the Lake with the Jet d’Eau. It’s just a very inviting city for walking around. It’s a great wandering city, and I love to walk. And immediately I was walking 10,000 steps a day easily without with any effort, because I just wanted to keep walking and explore even more. There’s a great Old Town and there’s great food. And it’s a very international city with all of the United Nations and all of the people who moved here for work. And I love the French-speaking side as well. It’s a really unique aspect to Switzerland that you don’t always get to experience in other parts of the country.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, certainly. So if someone was visiting Geneva for the first time or you were welcoming some family or friends who were coming to visit you, what were the things that you would say to them they must do and see when they come to Geneva for a few days?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Well, there’s definitely a few things that visitors have to do when they’re here. Of course, you have to go to the Jet d’Eau. That’s like a beacon calling all visitors because it’s a beautiful fountain. It’s actually the world’s tallest water jet. It’s 140 metres tall. And there’s actually a pedestrian bridge that goes right out to it. So you can walk on this really cool old stone bridge all the way out to the Jet d’Eau. And on a day where it’s not so windy or if the wind is just right, you can actually walk past it. So you’re like out far into the lake and you have this great view looking up. Of course, some people like to run through it when the wind is blowing through, which is also really fun. And it’s great because it’s on so much during the day. It’s not on all the time, but there are these volunteers, and I love this. There are these volunteers that actually work for the city of Geneva. I think they do it for free because they love it much. And they’re actually responsible for turning the Jet d’eau on and off. And they monitor the weather throughout the day.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
So sometimes you’ll look over and it was there a second ago and then it’s off because it’s too windy or something, whatever their measurements that they’re looking for. But it’s a really great landmark in Geneva. Then, of course, if you’re at the Jet d’Eau, you should just walk along the waterfront. You can walk from the Jet d’Eau all the way around across the Mont Blanc Bridge into the Bon de Paquis, which is, I don’t know what as the term is, but it’s a man-made, almost like a peninsula that has a man-made beach on it. So you’re out in the water really far, and it’s also a really cool way to see the Jet d’Eau from another angle. Of course, you have to stroll through Old Town. Geneva’s Old Town is not as large and elaborate as a city like Zurich, for example, but it’s a really beautiful way to experience old Geneva. There are really cute boutiques, and there’s watchmakers who actually have these really old workshops that you can peek in through the window, which is so fun to see. And there’s so many restaurants, like the Place du Bourg-de-Four is Geneva’s oldest square. And there are so many restaurants where you can sit outside on this really old, beautiful square with flowers and fountains and statues and just relax and enjoy Geneva’s beauty.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Of course, there’s the Cathedral, which I think I’ll get to in a little bit about what you can do there, but it’s really beautiful from the outside. There’s one other spot that you should definitely check out if you’re up in Old Town. It’s the Maison Tavel. It’s the oldest private house in Geneva, and it was once owned by nobility. And today, it’s the Museum of Urban History and Daily Life. And there’s this really old relief, like a model of the city before 1850. And it shows Geneva in detail in this historic way. And it’s actually the largest historical relief in Switzerland. And it’s free to enter, which everyone thinks Switzerland is so expensive. But in Geneva, there’s actually quite a bit you can do for free. You just need to know where to look.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, well, pretty much all those things you’ve just mentioned as the must do is that they’re all free. Yeah. How good is that?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Yeah. Switzerland in general and Geneva. A lot of feedback I get from people is like, oh, it’s so expensive there. You have to have a lot of money to have a lot of fun. And yes, a lot of the restaurants are a little bit pricier, but there are plenty of options for more reasonable spending and a lot of sight seeing you can do for free.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, great. And I love how you cover that on your Instagram and you show those different options, that there are free things that you can do. So people can go and have a vacation without spending a heap of money all the time.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Exactly. That’s definitely one of my guiding principles is how to share the fun and inexpensive side of Geneva, for sure.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, great. You mentioned earlier that when you moved to Switzerland, your two children, two daughters, I think, and they were quite young. But do you think Geneva is a child friendly city? How have you found it?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Yeah. So I have two young daughters. They’re two and five, so very small. And they were even smaller when we first moved here. And honestly, I’ve really been blown away by all the things that there are to do here as a family and with kids. First, there are the parks. There are so many parks all throughout Geneva, and they’re all really well maintained, and they’re in interesting locations, and they have really great great play structures, and they’re all different. Each of the parks has their own vibe. There’s an Old Town all the way up at the top. There’s this great park that has a beautiful view up at Old Town, and Bastions Parc, which is really a beautiful park below Old Town. They have another great playground with sandboxes and things. And there’s also the Bois de la Batie which is maybe a little bit more of, I guess, not a local hidden gem because a lot locals go there, but I don’t know if a lot of visitors would think to go there. It’s a really… It has a cute and a free animal park. So it has a lot of local Swiss animals, and they’ve got goats, and they have peacocks, and birds, and a lot of smaller animals, but it’s a really cute area to walk through.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
And it has an incredible playground. And it’s brand new. It opened last year, and it’s huge, and it’s great. It’s a great place to bring a picnic spend a nice morning with kids. Also, the Natural History Museum is a great one here. And there’s carousels all throughout. I think there’s maybe three or four carousels all throughout the main touristy area. So make sure you bring some money because your kids are definitely going to want to go on that. I will say that the restaurants in Geneva may not be the most child friendly. A lot of them open around seven o’clock. And while many of them, I would say most of them have children’s menus and children’s chairs, just sometimes the vibe isn’t as child friendly as maybe what I’m used to in the States, I guess. But there’s one restaurant that is great for kids. It’s Luigia, and it’s a a local chain here. They have several locations in Geneva, and they’re known for being incredibly kid friendly. And also one of their locations, I believe it’s in Petit Sacconex has a little cinema where your kids can go in and into this little room and watch movies while you eat your dinner, which is The person who invented that is very smart, I’d say.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Very smart. I know. Where should we go? Okay, that’s where we should go.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Fantastic.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
That is really good, too. So luckily it’s got bit of everything.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, great. Okay, so what are some of the perhaps quirky or the places that people wouldn’t find in a tourist guide that they should see when they’re in Geneva?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Well, I will say one place that if you’re on Instagram and you look at Geneva, that you may see a lot, that you may not really know what it is. It’s like the Pont d’Joction, which is basically where the two rivers merge together, the Arve and the Rhône. And it’s a really cool natural wonder because the Rhône is this beautiful aquacolor, and the Arve has a brownish milky, café au lait colour. They merge together, and when they come together, the two distinct colours are still there, and they swirl together gently, like right at the meeting point. You can actually walk to the Bridge, the Pont d’Joction, and look down and see that beautiful view. It’s actually barely accessible from downtown Geneva. You just take the seven bus and you can just take it maybe like six stops or something and do a little walk by another great park for kids. Actually, when you do that, you can continue up to the and the animal park that I said. That actually is a nice route. Also, I’d say biking along the lake. A lot of people in Geneva like to bike and have really nice bike paths.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
You can actually go to neighbouring towns. You can have a nice long bike ride or a short bike ride. And visitors can rent these orange bikes that are all over the city. They’re run by a company called Donkey Republic. So you can rent them by the hour or such and via an app and have a nice bike ride. Also, one place that I really love is I love to go to breakfast at the Banda Paki. That’s that peninsula, the manmade peninsula, the jet fat into the lake. For For 10 francs, you can get this really… It’s a simple and rusty breakfast, but it’s so tasty. It’s 10 francs and you get two tartines spread with either honey or butter or jam or Nutella. You get a Bircher Muesli, a nice big bowl of it. You got a coffee or tea and fresh press juice. And you’re sitting out there and you’re basically on the lake. They’ve got these great picnic tables. And it’s just such a great experience. I recommend it to everybody, but I think it’s something maybe visitors might not know about. But it’s one of my favourite things to do. And I have a a lazy morning kid free.
Carolyn Schönafinger
That sounds fantastic. And probably the best value breakfast you get anywhere in Switzerland, I’d say.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
It’s a great value For sure.
Carolyn Schönafinger
And should people reserve ahead for that, or is it okay just to show up?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
You just show up, and they have just show up. And yeah, very short queues for sure. And they open really early.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Okay, great. I’ll I’ll get the name of that and I’ll put that in the show notes so those people that are interested can definitely look that up when they’re in Geneva. So what about places to go for great views? Because you have some beautiful photos on your Instagram. So obviously you’ve sussed out quite a few places that provide excellent views of Geneva. Could you share those with us?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Yeah, I’m a sucker for a good view. I definitely search them out for sure. Like the absolute favourite one is at the top of the Cathedral in Old Town. This one requires a little bit of effort because I think there’s 157 steps to get to the top. And through this really old staircase. But for seven, you pay seven francs and you have access to both towers. So you actually get to go up two of them. And it’s the highest spot in Old Town when you get up to the top. And it’s almost like 360 views because when you get up there, you can walk around a little bit and see behind you and see in front of you. But you can You can see the Jet d’Eau and the lake. You can see the mountains. It’s pretty magical. And you’re also in this beautiful setting with these old to inspire you. And it’s great. It’s really super. I’ve done a lot of these like, cathedral climbs in Europe. And I will say this one really is special because you’re already up so high in Old Town, so it’s just even higher.
Carolyn Schönafinger
So that’s definitely money well spent.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Yeah. And I will also say a tip is that you can get a combined ticket for 12 francs and also go down to the archaeological site underneath the cathedral. The site dates back to the fourth century. And basically, it was really amazing. I walked by it a bunch of times. I didn’t even know it was there, to be honest, as a resident. It’s really hidden under there. But when you get your ticket, they’re like, Do you want to upgrade? I was like, Okay, sure. I’ll check it out. It’s just really interesting to see basically where the cathedral currently set was a religious site on top of a religious site, on top of a religious site. I mean, just The layers go back to the fourth century, and it actually really does a good job of showing you all those layers. Sorry, I digress, but it’s great fun.
Carolyn Schönafinger
That’s great to know.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
But also up in Old Town, if you’re up there already, you can go to see the world’s largest park bench. This is a French word that I’m… I think it’s the Promenade de la Treille, I believe it’s called. It has a beautiful view over Bastions Parc and the mountains. You can see where the planes take off from the airport back that direction. But that’s also a really fun spot and the great view as well. And then there’s one hidden spot, which I will try and explain it a little bit in a easy to find way, because sometimes the best spots are worth a little effort, right?
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, absolutely.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
So if you leave downtown, the Bel Air is the main downtown tram line, you can walk along the Rhône River away from the lake, and you’ll see about 10 minutes, you’ll see a little elevator sign. You take the elevator up to the sixth floor at the Quai de Sege, and then you step out and you see this incredible view of the river. You can see the Jet d’Eau in the distance. You can see Old Town, and you can see, if you’re lucky, the Mont Blanc mountain behind it. So it is one of these hidden gems, but it’s really very accessible for tourists. I have a video about I got it on my Instagram that has done very well because people want to find this secret spot. And I will say it’s a not so secret spot because really, once you find the elevator, then you’re golden. But I forget the address, but maybe I’ll send it to you so that you can include that in the show notes.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, absolutely.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
That would be great. Because you just put the address on your phone and there you go, up to sixth floor. And it’s pretty stunning, to be honest.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, sounds wonderful. Now, you mentioned before that the favourite restaurant that you go when you’re going out with your children. And I guess you’ve sussed out a few other restaurants in Geneva as well. But are there any local specialties that visitors to Geneva should try?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
I hate to say, because I’m sure you get this a lot, but fondue and chocolate There’s not a tonne of specifically Geneva specialties, but there are a couple. So obviously, if you’re looking for fondue, which I highly recommend, the Les Amures restaurant. It’s a hotel restaurant. They have great fondue. Cafe Soleil is an old local favourite place. And the Bains des Paquis, where we were talking about for breakfast, also has really good and more affordable fondue option. So a lot of locals love to go there for their fondue. Also, in terms of chocolate, Geneva has run through Geneva tourism. They have something called the Choco Pass.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, I heard about this. This sounds amazing.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Yeah, I’ve done it. I really would love to do it But what this is, it’s for 30 francs. You can basically do a DIY chocolate tour, and you go to seven different chocolate tiers. Once you activate the pass, you have 24 hours, so you can do it over two days if you want. And you just stop by the seven different chocolate tiers. They give you a little rundown about what they do. And then when you’re done, you leave with a little bag or box of chocolate. And by the end, you actually have a really big selection of chocolate. For our family, four, it lasted about a week and a half, and we really like chocolate. Oh, wow. Yeah. So every night we’d all have a little something, right? So that I definitely recommend. It’s a really cool activity, and you can pick up… I think you can reserve it online, or you can go to the Geneva tourism offices, and you can pick up your past there. And it’s only when you activate it does it begin. And it starts. Yeah. But there’s two other chocolate things I like to share, because chocolate is a big part of living in Switzerland and in Geneva.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
So I want to make sure it gets its proper due. One place I particularly love is La Bonbonniere. It’s a local chocolatier here, and they are part of the chocolate path. But say you didn’t want to do the full chocolate pass, but you wanted something special and a chocolate experience. You can go and go to… I think their location down by the water. They have something called the Instant Choco, where you can go to their tea room, order the Instant Choco, it’s 10 francs, and you basically get four chocolates and a Grand Cru hot chocolate, which they have a menu of 20 hot chocolates you can choose from. And they’re all rated and they’re very authentic to different regions throughout the world, even. So you actually can go and have a nice little chocolate tasting. And I think technically, when I went, I got five chocolates because you get the four chocolates and then you get the chocolate with the hot chocolate. So I’m like, okay, I don’t know why they don’t advertise it with five. And it was really good. And it was just the right amount. I can imagine if you go with a friend, it would be a really fun thing.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
But the one last thing that actually is a real Geneva special team is in December, there’s a really special chocolate experience that’s only found in Geneva during Escalade, which is the big celebration in mid-December. It happens around December 11th. You’ll see throughout Geneva, all the chocolatiers have these little cauldrons, it looks like. They’re made out of chocolate, and they’ve got really elaborate decorations on it. What this is, it’s called the Marmite de l’Escalade and it’s a chocolate cauldron that’s filled with marzipan vegetables. It’s only in Geneva, and it represents a boiling pot a vegetable soup that was once poured on invading troops in 1602. Basically, the story goes that this lady poured out this boiling soup to help deter the invaders. It caused such commotion because the troops were getting poured with scalding hot soup that it alerted the rest of the town that there was invaders. And so they were able to mobilise and stop the invasion. And so now it’s this big celebration. During Escalade, they have these cauldrons, and you can buy them even at the supermarket. But all the chocolate artisans make them, too. And the kids, there’s a game where they break the cauldron and the marzipan vegetables come out.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
And that’s definitely a very unique situation into Geneva, but it’s fun how so many things tie back to the history.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, that’s definitely very unique. Now, what tips do you have for getting around Geneva? What’s the best way that people should get from place to place?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
As I mentioned earlier, Geneva is a very walkable city, and that’s one of the things that I love the most about it. You really can get around most places by foot. And I would encourage, if you’re able to walk around a lot, I would encourage to explore by foot because there’s so many little discoveries you’ll find along the way. But I will also say that if you stay in a Geneva hotel, you’ll get a transport pass when you arrive. That gives you access to all the trams, all the buses, and a really special attraction/transportation option that I haven’t shared yet. It’s the Mouettes. If you look at the Geneva waterfront, you’ll see these little really happy boats crisscrossing the lake, these little yellow boats, and the Mouettes. And they’re run by the Geneva public transportation. They’re included in your transport pass. And there are four routes that help you get across the lake. They’re like little water taxi. But I actually just like to ride on them just for fun because most of them get you really close to the Jet d’Eau, so you get a great view of the Jet d’Eau. It’s almost like a little boat tour.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
But they range about five minutes long to, I think the longest is like 15 minutes. But there’s four routes. And it’s definitely, I’d say that’s a must do as well.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah. Okay. So you can just hop on and go from one place to another and have a look and go on the unique public transport.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Yes. And I will say, though, make sure you have your transport card with you, and on all public transport. They don’t check it when you get on. But if you don’t have your ticket, there are very high fines. And I think that’s the case with most places in Switzerland but definitely make sure to keep your ticket with you.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Great tip. Is there a particular area in Geneva that people should look to stay when they’re booking their accommodation?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Yeah. So when we first moved here, we were in temporary housing. And we stayed right at the base of Old Town in this little hotel called Hotel Central. And they had an apartment. I mean, it’s more affordable, like little apartments and stuff. So it was great for a family. But it was right at the base of Old Town, around the Molard area. And it It was a great location for just exploring the waterfront, getting over to the other side, and getting to Old Town. It was really the perfect place if you only had a couple days to stay. I would also stay over in the Paquis area on the other side, basically anywhere around the waterfront between the Jet d’Eau, all the way to the Bains des Paquis and a few blocks back. I think those are all really good areas. And also even around the train station, towards the Lakeside. A lot of times staying in your train stations in many European cities may not be a desirable thing, but in Geneva, it’s very safe. I would say that would also be a great place to stay, especially if you’re looking to do some day trips, which I would recommend.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Okay. Now, you’ve obviously seen a lot of Geneva, and you’ve got lots of fun things that you’ve done, but how would you spend a perfect Sunday in Geneva?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
So it’s funny. When I first moved to Switzerland, they were like, I remember reading, Oh, Sunday, there’s nothing to do. And you’re going to be bored, and everything is going to be closed. And it’s the day for rest. And I would say it is the day for rest. The grocery stores are closed, and the shops are closed, but the bakeries are open. So for the most part, the bakeries are open. And for me, that’s everything. As long as I’m well-fed and the restaurant, as long as I’m well-fed, I’m happy. So between the views and everything and the in the restaurants and bakeries, I’m in good shape. But for me, we have a family walk that we like to do, where I’ll wake up and we’ll grab a cup of coffee at our local coffee shop, and then we’ll walk to the market in PlainPalais, which is a big open air. I don’t even know what to call it. It’s just a giant area where they sometimes have festivals and events and like Cirque de Soleil, put up a huge tent there. But along the sidewalks around it, they have a big market on Sundays, and it’s bustling.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
So it’s always a good place to go for food, or they have ready to go food, or they’ve got produce and stuff like that. It’s a really nice market. And then we’ll go over there. There’s a great bakery I love called the… And I always pronounce it wrong, so don’t come for me. It’s Aux Merveilleux de Fred and so it’s not a Geneva bakery. It’s a European chain, I’d say. I think there’s some in Paris, and there’s a couple in Geneva. Just open one in Lausanne. But they have these incredible Belgian cremeques, these giant brioches that are studded with chocolate, or I love the sugar ones, and they’re so good. And they’re open on Sunday, so that’s a nice… At that point, we’ve had a bit of a long walk. And then we’ll walk through Bastions Parc and see the Reformation Wall. Kids will play, walk up to Old Town from there, stroll through Old Town, and it’s really quiet on Sundays. It’s beautiful. You really feel like you’ve stepped back in time. And then I go down to the water. It’s amazing how quiet the bustling business district is on Sunday. But it’s really, really special to get to see it like that for sure.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
And the water is just as beautiful. So it’s just really nice, to be honest.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Sounds perfect. And that bakery sounds like a must visit. Absolutely.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
It’s so good.
Carolyn Schönafinger
So before we let you go, what is your best tip for a first time visitor to Geneva?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
I think I would say, just come here and be ready to just be delighted. I think, as I had in the very beginning, I had these preconceived notions about Geneva. But I think that if you come and you just are prepared to… If you’re prepared for a little bit of a simpler city where it’s not so many people and not so many bars, it’s just nice. And if you can just come and enjoy these special places I’ve mentioned, I think you’re going to have a really wonderful trip.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, it definitely sounds like it. Now, where can our listeners find you online?
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
So I’m on Instagram and TikTok on Packdsuitcase. So it’s Packdsuitcase without the E, so Packdsuitcase. And there I share my favourite places in Geneva, a lot of restaurants, This is on more inexpensive places, do some hotel tours. And also I’m about to start a YouTube channel with the same name where I’m hoping to do some walking tours of the Geneva waterfront and things like that. And just so people can see Geneva through my eyes because I feel like I have a nice lens.
Carolyn Schönafinger
Yeah, what a fantastic idea. Well done. Thank you. Thanks very much, Chris, for joining us and for sharing everything that you know about Geneva with us. It’s been wonderful.
Chris Ricchiuti Dubin
Thank you for having me.
Carolyn Schönafinger
After hearing from Chris, I can see that I definitely need to include a few days in Geneva on my next visit to Switzerland. I’m not sure what I’ll do first, though. Will I head to the junction where the two rivers meet? Enjoy a ride across the lake on a Mouette. Try the instant Choco experience at La Bonbonnière. Have breakfast at the Bains de Pâquis, right on the lake, or perhaps visit one of the best viewing points in Geneva. I definitely want to do them all. If you’re still eager to learn even more about Geneva and all the fantastic things to see and do in the city, you should definitely head on over to Chris’s Instagram or TikTok page at packdsuitcase without the E, I’ll include links to both accounts and to a new YouTube channel, as well as the names of all the places she chatted about today in the show notes for this episode. You can find the show notes at holidaystoswitzerland.com/episode54. Thanks so much for joining me today. Until next time. Tschüss.
You can see the full show notes and listen to this episode > here.
