One would be forgiven for expecting Geneva to be a big city; in fact, its fame is far larger than its size. With a population of only 170,000, Geneva punches above its weight in importance as the headquarters of many international organisations thanks to its history as a haven for thinkers and artists.
Known as the City Of Refuge, Geneva has a humanitarian tradition of welcoming those persecuted in their home countries; given its multicultural population, Geneva today is one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, a busy little place with an abundance of cultural attractions and social activities complemented by a well-developed gay infrastructure.
Many people think Geneva (and Switzerland in general, for that matter) is spelled b-o-r-i-n-g. I beg to differ. With banks on its banks and hotels in its hôtels, Geneva is a city where business as usual often includes many digits and no decimal points, whether it be for buying watches, selling investments, or purchasing the villa of one’s dreams…and where money goes, the arts follow.
Switzerland as a nation has one of the world’s richest cultural endowments; several outstanding and unique institutions are found in Geneva, which is home to the notable Baur Collections of Far Eastern Art and the Barbier-Mueller Museum, renowned for its collection of so-called primitive art. More impressive still is the extraordinary Martin Bodmer Foundation located on a hill in the city’s Cologny district. Martin Bodmer was a collector of books, but not just any books; he amassed a collection of the most highly prized tomes in the world and built a museum to house them.
The fact that the books are artfully displayed in chronological order delivers a striking impact as visitors walk the rooms following the history of civilisation through works starting with writings on ancient Egyptian papyrus through to 20th-century classics, with a compendium of the world’s literary masterpieces in between.
Surprising to most people is the revelation that Geneva has a lively, bohemian section; it called Carouge and is a most charming part of the city, with artsy galleries and quirky shops not there for tourists, but for locals and artists themselves. Carouge is a favourite place for drinks and lively dinners in such eateries as Café des Négociants, the Carouge location of Michelin-starred chef Philippe Chevrier, whose Domaine de Châteauvieux in Satigny is already a favourite dining spot among les Genevois. This part of the city was once part of a separate kingdom under the Sardinians, which may explain its Italian-like joie de vivre. Wine connoisseurs will enjoy quaffing the excellent local product, unknown outside the country since the Swiss buy up the entire production themselves. A foretaste of what awaits, however, comes on board SWISS International Air Lines, which serves a variety of Swiss wines on its flights from Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Shanghai, and (from February) Beijing. Once in Geneva, it is easy to get around thanks to the free transport card issued to every hotel guest in the city that grants unlimited public transport within the region, including the airport (where there is a machine in Baggage Claim that issues tickets for free trips to the city centre). Very civilised, don’t you think?
Geneva’s biggest attraction, seen from almost every vantage point in the city, is the Jet d’Eau, a spray of water shot upward from the surface of Lake Geneva to create one of the highest fountains in the world. The city’s Old Town evokes centuries of history and provides a fine balance to the many avant-garde art exhibits and festivals that take place throughout the year. Geneva is the European headquarters of the United Nations, the World Health Organisation, and the Red Cross as well as many other organisations seeking to improve the lives of people around the world. Some of them are open to the public.
The Pâquis District is considered Geneva’s red-light district, tame as it is in comparison to more rambunctious such areas in other cities of the world. Pâquis is the location of Eastwest Hotel, a gay-welcoming establishment where style and panache are matched by fine foods in the restaurant and fine spirits in the bar. In a city endowed with many five-star hotels catering to bankers and diplomats, it is refreshing to find a human-scale establishment where friendliness usurps formality without sacrifice in quality. A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Geneva’s Eastwest is a surprise package in this buzzy district between the train station and the famous lakefront. Eastwest brings a light and airy Asian aesthetic to an otherwise reserved Geneva hotel scene, and does so with verve and style that have yielded impressive results. Eastwest attracts an unusual blend of clientele who love the Casa del Mar/Buddha Bar vibe that accompanies the eclectic setting and appealing food and drink. The two one-bedroom duplex suites, unusually equipped with two full bathrooms, are perfect for friends travelling together.
Just down the street from Eastwest is the office of Elite Rent A Car. Owned by a woman who took on the male-dominated world of cars and succeeded on her terms, Elite Rent A Car offers more than just the coolest automobiles in the world for hire (think gullwing Mercedes Benzes and Aston Martins as well as Mini Cabrios); it also organises driving holidays for car enthusiasts who revel in the challenge of Alpine curves. Or maybe you just want to make a statement as you pull up in front of the newly revamped Bains de l’Est, an establishment where Geneva’s finest bodies come together literally and figuratively. Just because the discreet Swiss don’t flaunt their muscles in public doesn’t mean they don’t have them for the squeezing in private.
MORE INFORMATION
Text and images by Robert La Bua
***
