I've been going on day trips throughout Europe for the last 10 years.
If you just go away for the day you only have to buy one days worth of meals, theirs no overnight accommodation, no meals the next day and no need to check in any luggage.
I love to travel and only live about 20 minutes from Luton Airport. One of my favourite places to get away to is Geneva in Switzerland.
We go to Geneva a few times a year, we get the first flight out in the morning and last flight home at night.
The morning flight with EasyJet usually leaves about 6.30am and gets you to Geneva around 9am. The flight home usually leaves Switzerland about 9pm.
The cost is averagly between £35-£50 each return including all fees depending on what time of year you travel.
We have got such a great deal sometimes it has been cheaper to fly to Geneva then its been to get the train to London!
I've visited Geneva throughout all the different seasons... its a great place all year around. My favourite time of the year to go is September time because the weather is still nice and its always the time of year when I'm ready for a break! Another great time to go is November/December because everything gets Christmassy! There are lights in the streets, snow in the mountains, you can pick up great gifts and even bring home delicious Swiss chocolate advent calenders!
So here is what to do when you've arrived...
When you leave the airport arrivals hall head for the train station, you want to purchase return tickets to Geneva Central (Gare Cornavin). I can't remember exactly how much this is but its about £5 return.
The trains run very frequently literally every 10/15 minutes.
When you exit the train at Geneva Central follow the exit signs, they lead through a little underground shopping precinct (which has Yendi and an Yves Rocher) onto the Rue Du Mont Blanc. This road will lead you directly to Lake Geneva.
Every time I go there I think this is only an hour and a half away.. why don't we do this more often!??
From March till October the Jet D'Eau runs on the lake (the famous fountain in the pic above)
If your wanting to do the tourist thing from here you can get boat rides around the lake.To the right of the lake there is the English Gardens which is nice to have a little wander around. There is a beautiful clock which is completely made of flowers.
If your looking to shop... cross the road by the flower clock and walk straight forward, you will then see the main shop street on the right. Its a lovely cobbled street with both high street stores and little boutiques!
You get a cable car up Mont Salève.. its amazing! You get to the top and have views all over Geneva.. the Alps and Mont Blanc.
To do this trip take yourself back to the Rue De Mont Blanc.. on this road you will see a tourist information centre! Go in and talk to one of the reps and they will tell you exactly what buses to get (I wont post any bus names or times because I'm sure this changes very often)
You get a short bus ride out of the centre (only about 15 minutes) and then your dropped off at the cable cars and you go up from there. You can even hire bikes to take with you! This is the summer is beautiful and a great way to spend the afternoon.
or even take a trip to Lusanne! Lusanne is beautiful and only about an hours train journey from Geneva. Theres lots to see and Do;
Some other websites with ideas and trips worth checking out are;
Have a Google before traveling and see whats around that interests you!
Ok im going to be honest here... We don't keep returning to Geneva for the trips. I usually come here with my Mum and we spend the ENTIRE day shopping!
There are all of the usual great shops Mango, Gap, H&M etc and a lot of different shops that we dont get at home like... Promod, Pimkie and Tally Weijl.
And guess what shop they still have in Switzerland? C&A's!
As well as the more high street shops there are also some lovely boutique shops. I especially recommend checking out the shoe shops... I've brought some of the most amazing winter boots and shoes from here, Switzerland is so close to Italy they seem to be mainly made from Italian leather.
Don't be scared to hunt through the bargain bins too, I've picked up leather boots for £30 before that were originally priced at£140!
*One thing to remember if your planning to shop is that you will need a large bag with you because your only allowed one bag as hand luggage :)
This is mine.. :)
If you head to the top floor theres a buffet lunch. There are chefs at counters cooking everything... pasta, chicken, veggies, wraps, soups.. you name it!
If the weathers good theres a balcony you can sit on and it overlooks one of the mountains, its stunning!
We usually tend to eat dinner before heading back to the airport... it's always quite a bit cheaper although the airport does have a nice selection of restaurants. We usually leave the centre around 7pm just so theres no big rush to get back. We always check in online before leaving home so when we arrive at the airport we have nothing else to do but head to a cafe or bar for a nice drink to end the day!
So that's how to do Geneva in a day!
Its a great experience, a cheaper way to see a new place and brilliant if you want to travel but have limited time!
I hope you enjoyed this post, if you did check back soon, I will be posting "A day in Amsterdam" at some point in the next few weeks.
See you next Friday:)
