Geneva, Switzerland

 Geneva, Switzerland

The land of the Rich (or those who enjoy paying 15 euros for a meal at McDonald's)

What should one do when they arrive in a city that is overwhelmingly expensive yet gorgeous beyond belief? BUY A GENEVA PASS! For 24, 48, or 72 hours you can enjoy 47 Geneva attractions with free entries, gifts, or special discounts including bus tours, train tours, hour cruises, museums, and much more! This little pass is definitely worth your money! We bought a 24 hour pass for 25 euros and the attractions we visited added up to a total of 100 euros a person if we wouldn't have had the pass! We saw so many things! I would highly recommend this to anyone who is going to Geneva! Buy it online before you go and save money!
Check it out here!

The first thing we did on this pass was take the little solar powered red train to see all of things along the lakeside! We learned valuable information about each thing we saw!

This train even took us by the famous flower clock (which was in Ashland University colors just for me I believe). This clock is amazing and a site that is not to be missed!

On one of the bus tours it took us to the beautiful park and past the university of Geneva! Such a gorgeous park to stroll around in for the day with your family! This wall below is inside of the park!

The park is very green and shaded. Perfect place for a picnic with the family or friends!

Close to the opera side of the park there is a restaurant with lifesize checker and chess boards for anyone to play on! Spend your day playing checkers or chess with the family!

Next, the geneva pass took us on a beautiful hour long cruise of the lake. We went up close to the "Jette d'eau" or the huge water fountain on the lake, passed houses, the world trade organization, the united nations, and so many other famous buildings.

After having been on a bus tour, we found things that we wanted to further explore throughout the town that our Geneva Passes got us into for free including the reformation museum, the cathedral, and many others! We now knew exactly where to head to find these things!

The view from the top of the tower of the cathedral is not to be missed and is included in the Geneva Pass! The hike to the top isn't terrible and you won't even remember how tired you are once you catch a glimpse of the view!

Finally, make sure you walk out to the Jette d'eau and be full prepared to be hit by the powerful water if you plan to walk all of the way out! From here you have a beautiful view of the city and the famous jette d'eau. This fountain was originally 30 meters high and was used to test the water pressure in the city. It now has a crazy amount of horsepower engine that makes it shoot over 50 meters high when there is no wind! Some days, the wind will be too strong and the fountain will not be running... hopefully you aren't that unlucky to be there on one of those days!

Overall, Geneva is a very expensive town where you should expect to pay no less than 30 euros at a sit down restaurant or 15 euros at McDonald's. However, this city is definitely doable with the Geneva pass and heading to the grocery store to provide food for yourself. Make sure to save up enough to go out to eat one night and try their famous fondue and other wonderful foods! Also, remember to pack nice clothes. The locals dress extremely nice with the men wearing a suit and tie almost everyday and the women looking like they just stepped out of a business fashion magazine. This is a town where you will almost never feel overdressed even if you're just touring around the city. Do NOT wear sweats and T-shirt around the city unless you want to be stand out as an American tourist! =]

Keep it Classy America!

-Lexi