Two layovers in Geneva in the space of two weeks

As you may recall, my first visit to Geneva in June last year was a pleasant surprise! When you know little of a destination and there are no great expectations, it is easier to be surprised. This second time I went with a forecast of rain and knowing that two weeks later I would return.

With no big plans I decided to go with the crew this time. The plan was to just go to the city center, take a little walk while it did not rain, have lunch, and return. The city is super nice, the water always very present and this time we found the city decorated everywhere with beautiful flowers! Saint Peter was nice and we still managed to have a good walk, until the first dripping matched with the hunger and so we started looking for a restaurant. After lunch we happened to be in front of Maison Tavel, a museum about the evolution of the city of Geneva and that had an interactive exhibition that caught the attention of the purser. This exhibition was already sold out until October, but the rest of the museum was free to visit so we decided to enter and it was indeed super interesting!

For the second visit I already had a plan since before the first one. The truth is that for some time then I wanted to visit the city of Annecy, known as the Venice of France, just 50min away from the Swiss city. I checked the buses for the first layover, but the rain forecast did not make the idea so appealing. I then decided to buy the bus tickets for two weeks later, not knowing how the weather would be. Luckily it was a fabulous day!

I went with a fellow crew and we even took a walk around Geneva before taking the bus. The mountains, some still snowy, looked especially well on that day. The city of Annecy looks like a fairy tale. We started by the lake, supposedly the one with the clearest waters in Europe, and then we decided to rent a pedal boat for half an hour to see the city from the water, an activity that paid off! After we passed the Pont de l’Amour, where we saw the first canal, we continued to the most picturesque part of the city, where the houses of medieval aspect touch the low waters of the canals that cross the city.

When we start getting hungry we decided to make a picnic on a huge lawn that was near the lake and then continue exploring the city. This time we decided to go up the hill to visit the Castle of Annecy but it was Tuesday, the only day of the week it doesn’t open. The day ended with a beer in one of the cafes by the canals, before we returned to Geneva.