Art and opera
Get an early start from your Geneva hotel to beat the crowds to the cavernous
Art and History Musuem, where the stellar collection shifts from Egyptian artefacts to Monet's impressionist landscapes. The star attraction is Konrad Witz' 15th-century altarpiece
The Miraculous Draught of Fishes.
MAMCO is a 1950s factory turned contemporary art gallery with an exciting programme of temporary exhibitions. History buffs can follow the steps down from
St Peter's Cathedral to an archaeological site with late-Roman mosaics. Dress up for an evening opera or ballet at the graceful
Grand Theatre.
Eclectic dining
The
Pâquis district packs a world of flavours into its streets, from unassuming Indian and Thai curry houses
to Portuguese
patisseries and great-value
pizzerias. Nearby
Quai du Mont-Blanc attracts well-to-do locals, serving French and pan-Asian cuisine in design-driven restaurants with sweeping lake views. Explore the
Old Town's
cobbled lanes for wood-panelled bistros and brasseries
serving Swiss-French fare like fondue and stuffed pig trotters with local Chasselas wines. For fresh fish in intimate surrounds or alfresco dining, try low-key
Carouge. Don’t forget to take home some melt-in-the-mouth
pavés glacés, cobblestone-shaped truffles, for a lingering taste of a Geneva city break.
Lakeside relaxation
A promenade skirts
Lake Geneva's shore, flanked with flowery parks and shingly bays. Stroll through the fountain-dotted
Perle du Lac park to the
Botanical Gardens, where pink flamingos strut, or the
Ariana Park where peacocks fan their feathers. Seagulls wheel above the laid-back
Bain des Pâquis boardwalk, recognisable by its white lighthouse, where urbanites cool off in the lake in summer and warm up in the hammam in winter. For Swiss-style pampering, head to the After the Rain Spa to bathe in chocolate before a cocoa bean oil massage. The Floral Clock grows with time in the
English Garden, a prime picnic spot with views to the French Alps and 140 metre-high Jet d'Eau fountain.
