Geneva: A not-so-Swiss Experience

Any good guide book on the subject of Switzerland will spend a good ten pages explaining why Geneva is absolutely not to be missed if you are visiting the country. With a plethora of excellent museums — largely due to Geneva’s own fascinating cultural and political history, several prestigious art galleries, breathtaking scenery and an incredible atmosphere — it is one of the most important Swiss cities.

Being so close to the French border, French cuisine dominates over the Swiss, but the Germanic influences of Switzerland are also there to be found. However, if you ask any Swiss native, whilst they are always in agreement as concerns Geneva’s many merits, they will always tell you that ‘Geneva isn’t really Switzerland’.
There are several reasons for this. Firstly, it is one of the most international cities in the world, which has caused it to lose any strong national identity of its own. For example, the stunning United Nations building in Geneva, represents the neutral and multicultural atmosphere of the city perfectly. Just across the road from this is the home of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, as well as the Red Cross museum — presenting a fascinating and moving history of global humanitarianism. Clearly Geneva is host to many an international organisation, promoting peace and justice and creating an entirely unique personality for this beautiful city.

The fact that Geneva holds some of the largest and most spectacular celebrations in Switzerland on August 1st, the Swiss National Day, might be seen to demonstrate a surprising amount of patriotism, but the fact is Geneva loves a good festival. Outside of the US, Geneva presents the biggest Fourth of July celebrations in the world and when Kosovo declared its independence, huge parties dominated the city with the Kosovan flag and large banners reading ‘Merci Suisse’.

There are also many ways in which Geneva offers a different experience to travellers in comparison with the rest of Switzerland. In a country which is notoriously expensive, Geneva boasts 12 free museums, all of which are worth a look, and public transport around the city is excellent value. There are also several good quality youth hostels, well maintained and well organised, available at bargain prices. The ‘Auberge de Jeunesse’, for example, is an HI hostel, and its dormitory rooms are on offer for as little as 25 Swiss francs per night (around GBP12.50). It also has its own bar with reasonably priced drinks – a real bonus in a city where the nightlife can get rather pricey while Lastminute.com comes as recommended for cheap hotels that are a little more upmarket. For both flights and accommodation fitted neatly into your holidays, look to a comparison site like Travelzoo, who gather such package deals from the internet.

So what else is different about Geneva? Its international spirit makes it incomparable to any other city and it is hard to define Geneva itself other than describing it as a very cultural and elegant city with a lot of very multicultural tourists and inhabitants. The old phrase comparing cultural integration in Canada and America comes to mind – ‘whilst America is a melting pot, Canada is mosaic.’ Rather impressively, and possibly oxymoronically, it seems Geneva is both.