Geneva - Three day Train Pass - The Swiss Flexi-Pass

This just came in from Laura, an adventure seeking crew member who just returned from Geneva, Switzerland a few days ago. She sends us valuable information on the Swiss Flexi-Pass, a three day train pass that covers unlimited travel trough Switzerland on trains, buses and boat lines. All this, for a flat fee of 216 Swiss Francs per person. It sounds pricey, but it's not if you compare the price of individual train tickets to any destination in Switzerland by train. With The Swiss Flexi-Pass, if planned carefully, you can travel extensively throughout Switzerland for a more economical price.

The Flexi-Pass can by purchased at the Office of the Train Station. Bring your Passport to show that you are a non-resident, since these passes are only available for non-residents. Laura and her friends took a train to Luzern, a boat ride from Luzern through the Interlaken, had lunch (not included) along the way and then took the train back to Geneva through part of the Golden Pass route (which is the scenic route through Switzerland). She still has a day left in her pass to use when she returns to Geneva before the end of the month.

Thanks Laura! Now I can't wait for my next trip to Geneva!

Geneva - The Patek Philippe Museum

This, my friends, is a visual luxury we can not afford to miss. A visit to the eye-popping, hand crafted, bejeweled, exquisite, historic Patek Philippe watch collection in the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva, Switzerland.


I was fortunate enough to receive stellar recommendations for this museum from the hotel concierge in Geneva, so I decided to make the trip and check out the place once and for all.


Well, it's all he said and more. Let me tell you. A tiny museum with several floors, housed in what looks like a refurbished historic town house in downtown Geneva, the museum houses a collection of blindingly beautiful, historical time pieces.


I'm not big on watches, but anyone with any knowledge of fine watches, is probably already familiar with the exclusive Patek Philippe Swiss watch brand.


Since the late 1800's, they have outfitted royal families and world leaders with fine time pieces as they journeyed into new territories in the design of fine time pieces and jewelery. During their reign, they broke all molds in terms of shapes, quality, beauty and creativity of these fine time pieces. This, you will be able to appreciate clearly when you view the collection.


Do yourself a favor and visit the museum next time you're in Geneva. You will not be sorry. I promise. It's a relatively easy (free) ride on the tram from the hotel to the Grand Plaze - if you use your complimentary tram pass - and a two block walk from the tram stop at the Grand Plaze to the museum. On a nice day, it's also very walkable. Please get clear directions from the hotel Concierge before you leave the hotel, just to be sure. I believe the museum closes around 5pm.



Here are just a tiny sample of the amazing pieces I saw and photographed in the collection before I was told photographing was not permitted. Ooops! Enjoy the photos and the video I've enclosed.


For more information on the Patek Philippe Museum - I'ts history, hours of operation, price of admission, etc. please click on the enclosed (blue) link below and enjoy the show!


The Patek Philippe Museum

Geneva - Mont Saleve - Awesome Day Trip!

I just returned from the most fantastic day trip outside of Geneva to Mt. Saleve - A scenic mountain that is part of the pre-Alps mountain range that is located on the border with France. It's only a 15 minutes bus ride away from downtown Geneva by public bus #8.



On a clear day, you will get the most amazing view of Geneva from the top of Mt. Saleve. It's also a very popular launching spot for colorful kite/wind surfers and a well known starting point for hikers and mountaineers.

To get to Mt. Saleve, walk from our hotel to the main bridge that crosses to the downtown area of Geneva. Before crossing the bridge, locate the bus stop for the #8 bus right on the corner before the bridge. For the bus, use your complimentary hotel tram/bus ticket and make sure you're going in the right direction. Your bus should be heading towards the old town in Geneva and should cross the bridge after you get on. Ride the bus to it's last stop. You will now be in France. Get off the bus and look towards the mountain in front of you to orient yourself and you will see the cable cars that climb up the mountain in the distance.

Follow the street signs posted to guide you to the cable car station. Once there, you can purchase your cable car tickets at the booth. Tickets run around $12 dollars per person for a round trip ticket. Have your camera ready. It's a pretty cool ride up the mountain.


Once you reach the top, you can either hike around the mountain on it's many well marked trails or you can simply relax in the scenic lodge or veranda overlooking Geneva. If you're feeling adventuresome you can hire the services of one of the many Kite surfing outfits that launch from the mountain and literally "jump off a cliff". (with a guide, of course). This is exactly what our brave Captain Fritz did to celebrate his birthday when we went to Mont. Saleve. Bravo Fitz! I'm still mad at myself for not going for it like you did!


Be sure to keep track of time. There is a last cable car to the bottom. Be sure to make it, or else you're gonna have to hike it down. Enjoy the fabulous views from the top of Mount Saleve, have a beer at the veranda's outdoor restaurant and take in the fresh alpine air. You will be awed by the amazing views - the spectacular green valleys, the snowy mountains in the distance and a clear view of Lake Geneva from the top.

For more information about Mt. Saleve, please check the enclosed link from Wikipedia.
Sal�ve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bon Boyage!

PS- Dress in layers and with comfortable shoes. It gets cooler up there!

Geneva - Coo-Coo Clocks for Kids

On my last trip to Geneva I discovered a Longines watch store that sells very reasonably priced coo-coo clocks (photo enclosed). From the window displays, their prices seemed much lower than the ones I was quoted in Germany, so I decided to investigate.

The Geneva store had a small selection of colorful, wooden coo-coo clocks for sale. Not the Black Forest, fine-carved wood, collectors style, art pieces one can find in Germany that start at 300 Euros and go up to the thousands. These are small, souvenir style clocks with the traditional birds coming out of the house singing "coo-coo", plus other colorful details as part of their decor. They would make a lovely gift for a child.

I chose a small coo-coo clock with a blond maiden dangling from her swing from the bottom of the clock for $30.00 US dollars (photo enclosed). A perfect gift, for my six year old niece so she can learn, in a fun way, some world geography (where clocks are made) and how to tell time.

If you're interested in visiting this store ,

it's an easy find. It's located in Ave. Mont Blanc, right next to the Hotel Bristol (on the right of it, if facing the hotel).


The hotel Four Seasons is across the street, in the corner of Ave Mont Blanc and the Lake. I'm enclosing a photo of the store front so you will know what to look for. Their Coo-coo clocks and prices are in full view on their window displays.

Do you have a favorite store in Geneva? Write to postcards@me.com and let us know.
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Geneva - The Ariana Museum

On my last trip to Geneva, Switzerland, I visited the lovely Ariana Museum. The museum is located right next to the Palais des Nations (United Nations of Geneva) and the Parc de L'Ariana, right across from the Red Cross Museum.

For those who have never heard of this small museum, it was Gustave Revilliod's (1817-1890) private collection of kilncrafts, donated to the city of Geneva upon his death. Today, it is considered one of the most important collections of it's type in the world containing around 20,000 historical artifacts. It is a collection that reflects the last seven centuries of glass and ceramics developments, including early Chinese and European porcelain as well as Roman, and European Glass.


The museum is housed in a splendid two floor neo-clasical mansion surrounded by lush gardens. There charge no entry fee to view the main collection and there are pre-recorded tours (highly recommended) available for a fee. Trust me, once you go through the collection while listening to the recorded tour, you will never look at a set of dishes or glasses in quite the same way again. So much human effort and intrigue went into the development of porcelain and glass around the world throughout history. It sounds more like an international spy novel with all the crucial elements like lying, stealing of secret recipes, betrayals and killings, all in an effort to protect secret recipes from other nations. Riveting stuff, I promise.


If you wish to visit the Ariana Museum, you must first walk to the main train station a few blocks away from our hotel. Right in front of the station, you will catch the #15 Tram in the direction of the airport to it's last stop in front of the Palais des Nations. This is the same square where the "Broken Chair" statue is located - a huge chair with a broken leg. Look for the signs that say "Ariana Museum" and walk a couple of blocks away from the square in the directions of the arrows. The museum will be on your right. To return to the hotel, retrace your steps and take the #15 Tram from the same stop where it dropped you off. Get off right in front of the train station where you began, about 5 stops down from where you start. Use the courtesy free Tram ticket the hotel gives you with your room key. It's good for 24 hours.

Check with the concierge before leaving the hotel for museum hours of operation. They open from 10am to 5pm and they are closed on Tuesdays. The museum also has a cute small coffee shop in it's second floor with a veranda open deck for sunny days. A great place for a coffee and a small break.

Enjoy and if you go, let me know what you think of the Ariana Museum!

Geneva - Broken Chair Monument

Have you ever noticed as you drive in from the airport to the layover hotel in Geneva a monument of a giant chair with one leg missing in a small square? (photo enclosed). Ever wonder what it means?

On my last trip to Geneva I took a city tour that finally explained the meaning of the mysterious three legged chair.

The Broken Chair monument, represents the terrible destruction caused by land mines and cluster bombs on human lives (and limbs) all over the world. It measures 12 meters (or 39 feet) and it sits right in front of the main entrance of the United Nation's office in Geneva, Switzerland in the Place de Nations Square.

For more information on this amazing monument, check out the Wikipedia entry for The Broken Chair here :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Chair

Bollywood Restaurant in Geneva

If you're up for some tasty Indian Restaurant, there's this great restaurant in the Paquis area near the layover hotel in Geneva. The Paquis area, by the way, is a the area filled with ethnic restaurants located between the Geneva train station and the Grand Hotel Kempinski Geneve by the lake.

Back to the Indian food, the restaurant's name is Bollywood and it's located right across the Migros supermarket on the corner of Rue des Paquis and Rue de Leman. Ask the concierge for more specific directions before you head that way and look for the life-size elephant statues right in front of the restaurant.
Bollywood has great Indian food, wonderfully attentive service and English speaking servers. They also have an outdoor area to eat under the stars during warm summer nights.

When we ate there, we ordered delicious mango lassis (a refreshing Indian drink made of mango and yogurt) to start, plus some amazing creamed spinach dish plus some chicken Tika. mmmm, memorable! Our bill was about $30 dollars each (we had no alcohol).

Geneva Flea Market by "Geneva Spotted by Locals"

Word by word, this is what Geneva locals are saying about their Plainpalais (weekly) Flea Market held in the center of town.

"...You might ask yourself why there is this huge deserted place, in the heart of the city.- The Plaine de Plainpalace - Historically, it was the place sick people were brought to – strategically located outside the city to avoid any epidemic... thanks to modern medicine, it is nowadays used for episodic events, like circuses or a Luna Park twice a year..it’s not Rome’s Porta Portese, but on Wednesdays and Saturdays, rain or (shine), you’ll find a good number of stands, forming a walking tour around the plaine, selling almost anything, from old CDs or DVDs – and many old VHS to be honest… – to dubious 80s furniture..."

For more information of this flea market, click on the following link published by the "Geneva - Spotted by Locals Blog". Plaine de Plainpalais – Flea Market | Geneva Spotted by Locals

Plainpalais Flea Market Schedule : Tuesdays,Fridays and Sundays from8am to 5pm, rain or shine. Take tram 12 or 15 to Plainpalais.

Geneva's Restaurants in the Paqui's Area - recommended by locals!

Here's a very helpful list of affordable restaurants and cafes in the Paquis Area of Geneva, Switzerland, an area close to our downtown layover hotel. Next time you're in Geneva, check these recommendations posted by Geneva locals in the "Posted by Locals" blog - Geneva city guide section.

The list includes Lebanese, Japanese, Italian and Chicken restaurants, popular neighborhood bars, cozy breakfast spots, artsy cafes with reading areas and scenic places along the lake for an "al fresco breakfast". For more information on this informative list with includes maps with the locations of these places, click on the following link and enjoy the feast! Geneva Spotted by Locals | Les P�quis Geneva – All our local tipsAll tips by our Geneva locals in the Les P�quis area. To narrow down further select an activity (bars, restaurants, etc) on the left (‘Spots – by area’)

Le us know what you think of these recommendations, and if you have any place you would like us to write about, let us know!

Enjoy Geneva!

GENEVA - Day trip to Mont Blanc and Chamonix

I wanted to tell you about one of my best layover's in Geneva, Switzerland . We rented a car and drove to Chamonix/Mont Blanc. You can rent a chep car for 75.00 SF at a hotel called the Balzac, located behind the Hotel Kempinski, across the street from a COOP Market (ask your concierge for directions) You get 300 free KM, more than enough to get to Chamonix and back, the drive is quick and easy. It is about a 45 min. drive, on a well indicated highway. You park the car in the French Village of Chamonix, and then you take the "Telepheric" up Mont Blanc. You can actually go across a glacier which separates the French and Italian Alps. So in one afternoon, you can hit all 3 countries, pretty cool. There are several levels and stops on the Tramway. The highest level/platform is called L'aiguille du Midi, (needle of the Midi), it is a weather monitoring device, and at that point you are about 12,000 Ft. above sea level. You are above the clouds, and the view is spectacular! . The tram ride is 24 Euros, and to go to the top,"L'Aiguille.." (which is a must!) is an additional 18 Euros.

Be sure to take a camera, and a jacket and we took bread, cheese and wine, and of course Swiss Chocolate for our ride on the Tram.
One of my best Layovers!

For additional information on Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in the Alps and the 11th tallest in the world, click on the following Wikipidia link - Mont Blanc - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Story and photos by Laura Courty (IADSW)

Fondues, Raclettes...Swiss Food - Geneva, Switzerland

If you're interested in trying typical Swiss food, there's a nice Swiss restaurant near our downtown hotel, on Rue Des Paquis 20. It was highly recommended by the concierge and it was not as pricey as one would think. The name of the place is The Auberge de Saviese and they serve typical Swiss dishes like "raclettes" (melted cheese with potatoes) and "fondues".

The night we went to this restaurant, it was still warm outside so we were able to sit outside in a small side patio/garden. While there, we had some wonderful food and drank some local beer.

Between three of us, we sampled a couple of raclettes (each, can be easily shared by two). We also ordered a half an order of snails (six - a 1/2 portion) plus a Beef Fondue for two ( which is raw sirloin in chunks, plus a fondue pot of boiling oil where one cooks each piece of meat with the aid of your individual long, thin forks to dip the meat in the pot, at leisure ). This portion was so large, we couldn't finish the meat. It could have easily been shared by three.

We also ordered a large tomato and mozzarella salad (they have 1/2 portions too) and we shared it between the three of us. Portions were large and the food was nice and fresh. The fondue came with the best fries I have eaten in a long time! All this food, 6 beers and a large bottle of water, came to about $50 dollars each - not too bad, considering it's Switzerland since we drank alcohol, and ate like little "couchons" (piggies)!

If interested, please get directions from the concierge. It's located across from the Patisserie La Vouivre in 20 Rue des Paquis.

As you walk there, take a look at all the other small ethnic restaurants in the area. The Paquis area is famous in Geneva for its quirky, ethnic cafes, shops and restaurants. It is a safe area to walk, even at night, so feel free to explore and to share with us what your discover.

There is one street in this area, about a block away from the Train Station, that is the "red light district" - kt's only about two blocks long - If you happen to find it, you won't miss "the gilrs". No problem, just turn back and you'll be back in the safe cafe neighborhood again.

Bon Appetite!

Remember to submit comments and recommendations of places you discover to our email - postcards@me.com. We'd love to hear from you!

Breakfast? Coffee? Pastries? - Geneva

Coffee in our downtown Geneva layover hotel, even with our discount, is nine dollars a cup, ouch!

So, if you're like me, and you need a little fuel to wake up at 2-3 am (USA time) before you depart for the airport, here are a couple of cute and affordable places within walking distance of our hotel that serve "take out" breakfast for a more reasonable price.

Walk to Rue des Paquis to The Cafe Art's (opened for breakfast only on week ends) - my favorite.

Along the same side of the street, at 21 Rue Des Paquis, you will find the lovely Patisserie Voivre, open early, every day. Great pastries, breads and coffees.

Get a scrumptious pain du chocolate "pour emporter" - to take away- from either place plus a hot beverage of your choice in either place. Both are fast with service and friendly and I promise, much better priced than the hotel, A better way to get your morning start.

Bike for Free!!! Geneva, Switzerland

Last week I spend a whole afternoon biking around the scenic main lake in Geneva, Switzerland. The best part, aside from the amazing water views and the impeccable weather? the bike was totally free!! Yep, in this city famous for its sky-high prices, this may be the only cheap (free) thing in the whole city!! so take note!

Rent (of borrow, as they call it) a city bike from Geneve Roule - It's free for the first four hours. Go to one of their five Geneve Roule bike rental Stations around the city. The location I chose was Bains de Paquis, located right across the Hotel Kempinski on the boulevard along the water, on the Quai du Mont-Blanc. (tip - get there early, they run out of bikes by afternoon and look for the white tent to find the bike booth along the waterfront boulevard).

When you finish with your bike, you can return it to any of the five Geneve Roule bike stations during operating hours - check the Geneve Roule website for more information.

To rent (or borrow) a bike, you'll need to bring your passport and 20 Francs in cash for a deposit. If you go over the four "free" hours, they will charge you an additional nominal fee per hour - about 1 more Franc per hour or something like that - check out their website for more details before you pedal away.


Don't forget to ask for a bike lock before you leave just in case you want to stop along the way. Helmets are also available, upon request and all bikes come with a basket where you can store a small backpack or place a bag of purchased goods.

For more information, go to www.geneveroule.ch. and have a blast! like I did!!