My take-
Geneva- go if you have
money to throw away
Grenoble- add to bucket
list
Annecy- nice to stop if
on the way to your destination
During my short but
sweet visit to Europe earlier this month, I touched upon a few new places. The more
I see of Europe, I more I search for something to awe me. Grenoble did! Annecy-
maybe a little. If you have been to places in Europe, you can expect them to be
comparable. Geneva reminded me of Zurich. Grenoble was cute and charming-
reminded me of Ghent in Belgium. Annecy is called the Venice of France. I think
that’s debatable 😊.
Day 1- Half a day in Geneva, and the rest in Grenoble
We had a few hours to
spend in Geneva after our arrival at the airport. Geneva is a global city, a
financial center and a worldwide center for diplomacy due to the presence of the
highest # of international organizations in the world, some of them being the
UN and Red Cross. It is also known to be the seventh most expensive city in the
world 😊.
Geneva, just like other
places in Switzerland, has great airport facilities and public transport options.
We were able to snug our luggage in rental lockers, and board a bus to the city
center in a matter of less than 30mins.
Since we did not have a
lot of time, I didn’t really have an itinerary that I wanted to cover. I just had
a few places in mind, a map in my hand, and was going to go with the flow. We got
off near the Palais des Nations which is the home of the UN office. We took a
quick peek (You will need a ticket with a guided tour to go in. Ticket price
was around $18 Swiss Francs, and tours are offered in various languages). Near this
building is a neo- baroque palace which houses the Museum Arianna (ceramics and
glassware). As you walk around here- don’t miss spotting the International Red
Cross building.
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| Palais Des Nations |
We then started walking towards
the city center. Most of the places can be covered on foot- depending on where
you want to go. We covered a lot of the new and old town in about 3 hours.
Once we got near the pretty lake (Lac Leman)- we strolled around to see Jet d’Eau, probably the most popular attraction in Geneva. This is a fountain that propels to over 100meters in height, and is in function 24x7, 365 days a year (except of course for maintenance).
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| Jet d’Eau |
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| Brunswick Monument |
Our next stops were Jean
Jacques Rousseau Island/ Ile Rosseau- a small park and island, on the way to
old town, English Garden (Jardain Anglais). Look for the Horloge Fleurie, a
tribute to Geneva’s watchmakers from 1955, in the form of a clock with a
flowerbed for its face.
Once we hit the old town/
Ville Ville- we saw the St. Pierre Cathedral and the Tavel house. The old town
brings back memories with its cute cobblestone streets and stairways. It is packed
with full of history in every nook and corner- a great place to just keep
walking in awe!
I was travelling with a
person who did not like to walk much 😊, so we skipped Quartier des Grottes and Reformation
wall.
We had lunch in old town
in a street cafe (I don’t remember the name!). there is no dearth of places to eat
in this city- do make sure you eat in old town or one of the street cafes for
the experience!
We then head back to the
airport and started our 3-hour drive to Grenoble. You could stop at Annecy on
your way there, but we decided to do that on our way back.
Grenoble was a pleasant
surprise for me. If it didn’t happen by chance, this was not on my list to see. It’s
history goes back to over 2000 years, where it started of as a Gallic village
(Gaul is a region in Europe dating back to the Iron age, which was inhabited by
the Celtic tribes). It is ringed by mountains in France’s Northern Alps.
We visited the fort in
the powerful Bastille mountain range. It’s a steep hike and you have the option
to take a bumpy ride in a cable car to get to the top 😊. Either
way, don’t miss the visit to the top, else you will miss out on the
breathtaking views.
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| View from the top |
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| On the way to the Bastille |
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| Palace I'lle |
We stopped at this old-
fashioned but very touristy and very crowded town on our way back from Grenoble
to Geneva. It’s known for its Vielle Ville (old town), with cobbled streets,
winding canals and pastel-colored houses. It’s “almost” like a fairy- tale,
except for the crowds!
Once you hit the town,
you can cover all of the following places on foot in less than an hour- Annecy
Cathedral, Vielle Ville, Palace I'lle, Old Town of Annecy, Chateau d'Annecy, Lake
Annecy.
The Palace I’lle looks
like it was taken right out of a fairy tale and dropped into this stop. This complex
has been rebuilt several times since the 1100's, and used as a residence,
prison, warehouse etc. Today, it houses a museum showing Annecy’s heritage, and
you can walk around to see the old courtroom, cells and chapel.
Part of the cathedral
(also known as St. Pierre) sits on a canal and is a lovely renaissance building
from the 1500's. You can make the steep walk up to the Basilique de la
Visitation, high to the south of Annecy.
The Chateau d’Annecy
dates to between the 12th and 16th centuries, and there are a few good reasons
to climb the steep hill up to this building- highest being to admire one of the
definitive views of Annecy from the terrace.
We had dinner in one of
the street cafes. Food in almost all the places we ate was delectable 😊.
Time to fly back!
Plan before you plan-
- Summers in Europe are crowded
and can get hot.
- Travel agent- N/ A. I did my
own thing.
- Hotels- Grenoble- Hotel Mercure Grenoble Centre President (loved the place- great views of the mountains), Geneva- Crowne Plaza (nice, conveniently located right next to the airport)
- Flight- United.
Know before you go-
- What to eat-
- Fondue and Schnitzel
in Geneva. And of course- how can you go to Switzerland and not get some
of its mouth-watering chocolate. My favorite is the local brand Laderach
(you can find stores in many locations all over Switzerland). It is freshly
made, and is pricey, but totally worth it. Cailler is a cheaper option
and come wrapped (can be found in any supermarket).
- Sardines in a can
with bread, in Grenoble
- Soupe à l'oignon, chocolate
souffle in France 😊
- Dress code- Should I
bother?
- Currency- Swiss
Franc in Switzerland, Euros in France. Almost all places take credit card.
Keep cash for local markets.
- Bargaining- only
applies in local markets.
- Tips- they don’t
believe in tips! I love it!
Other places to see-
- Geneva- Cern, museums,
Mont Salève, Conservatory and Botanical Garden, Parc de la Grange, Carouge.
Plainpalais Market- Wed, Sat and first Sun of the month, Quartier des
Grottes and Reformation momument.
- Grenoble- Paul Mistral
park, Vercors Massif
- Annecy- Pont Des
Amours bridge, to get sumptuous views of the lake and mountains, Gorges du
Fier- a few minutes from the city, Château de Montrottier, Jardin de
l’Europe
For travel tips or more
information- do not hesitate to reach me at melonseeds@gmail.com
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