If you are looking for a place to relax after a day of work or shopping, I can definitely recommend this place. It’s also great for a quick lunch.

I love this terrace mainly because of its perfect location: it’s right on the Rhône. It’s a bit hidden but when you are crossing the lake on your way to or from Bel-Air make sure to take a small detour and stop by. It’s really worth it. It’s in front of Mandarin hotel, just opposite from Brasserie des Halles de l’Ile.

The name is the right fit: it’s paradise on earth. If you need a break, you can chill out on their deck chairs. Be careful as you will quickly get a suntan!

I usually have the ‘orangeade’, the best in town, it’s really refreshing. Otherwise they make very good mint tea. And if you are hungry they have some decent sandwiches and paninis.

It’s open everyday, but only when the weather is good, as they don’t have an indoor room. 

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La Terrasse du Paradis | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks | Sandwich CHF 10
Quai Turrettini | City center
09:00 – 21:00 daily

Summer is here! The ‘Geneva boat’ has just re-opened after some renovation. This is the best place to relax on the lake in a very laid-back atmosphere. The boat is located just off the Jardin Anglais (English Garden park), it is definitely one of my favorite hangouts. You can see the Jet d’Eau from it. You really feel like you are on holiday when you are there.

They offer main dishes at lunch time and tapas in the evening. Chilling out with just a drink is also an option.

They often organize some special events and parties. Dancing on there or listening to some live music is simply great. 

The ‘boat’ is an association that helps people in need by providing breakfast to them and assisting them in building some projects of their own. So going there you would be doing a good deed as well

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Bateau Genève | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants | Main dish CHF 15.00
Quai Gustave-Ador | Eaux-Vives | +41227864345
Tue – Fri 11:30 – 14:30 & 17:00 – 21:00

I usually go to L’Auberge du Cheval for their Sunday brunch, which consists of a buffet with a wide variety of yummy things. And it’s all you can eat. It’s better to make a reservation, as it’s quite popular. They now have it on Saturday as well! 

I also go there from time to time for a drink and some tapas. They have good quality wine and there is a wide range of tapas. They always serve fresh food and products from the season.

L’Auberge du Cheval Blanc means the Inn of the White Horse. It’s a real tavern full of treasures. The place is a bit hidden in Carouge. It’s not only a cozy place to have a drink or a meal, but they also organize concerts in their downstairs room (Le Box) on Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays.

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L’Auberge du Cheval Blanc | Bars, Music, Restaurants | Brunch CHF 30
Place de l’octroi 15 | Carouge | +41223436161
Tue – Wed 11:30 – 01:00, Thu – Fri 11:30 – 02:00, Sat 12:00 – 02:00, Sun 11:00 – 01:00

I first visited this bar for a quick drink with friends between work and the airport, and it has since become my venue of choice when time is of the essence: situated as it is directly behind the station, it is certainly one of the best options if you are changing trains in Geneva or want to relax just before you set off for your next destination, and by far outstrips some of the more visible but decidedly less enticing establishments which the station area has to offer.

When the weather allows, early-evening visitors enjoy the outdoor terrace, often spreading out along the path which leads to the bar itself-testament to the favor which this seemingly makeshift watering hole has curried among Geneva’s more adventurous after-work crowd. The empanadas, available with a number of different fillings, meaty and otherwise, will transport you to the Southern Cone and keep you chatting happily until dinnertime, while the interesting range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic thirst-quenchers is a welcome boon at the end of long week.

Keep an eye on your watch, but fear not: in two and a half minutes (suitcase time not included), you’ll be on the platform.

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La Petite Reine | Bars, Snacks
Place de Montbrillant | City center
Mon – Thu 07:00 – 11:00 & 17:00 – 01:00, Fri 07:00 – 11:00 & 17:00 – 02:00, Sat 17:00 – 02:00

Not every European city offers natural downtown swimming opportunities, though Switzerland hosts a number of those that do: the city centres of Basel and Bern boast swimmable rivers, while lakes become oversized baths in cities like Zürich and Luzern once summer arrives.

Geneva is no exception, and, along with sites such as the Bains des Pâquis (check the Bains des Pâquis article), I love dipping into the bather-friendly stretch of the Rhône, because it encourages you to forget that this is a city at all, particularly if your floating position affords a view of the sheer cliffs and verdant trails on the Right Bank. I recommend going late on a summer’s afternoon, when the water is so clear that the sun seems to cast the riverbed’s every pebble into crystalline relief.

Swimming here used to be rather an informal affair; a leg up and over the metal railings usually did it, or a short walk along the Right Bank to one of the beaches which skirt the river there. The authorities recently decided to make things more official, installing a welcome series of ladders and jetties by the water’s edge.

Further downstream enter the icy mountain waters of the Arve, carrying more intrepid swimmers around the river bend towards France; innovation is in no short supply in these parts, with all manner of water-tight receptacles being drafted in to transport personal effects across the border. One party has even been spotted escorting a floating fondue. Welcome to Switzerland.

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Rhône Banks | Relaxing | Free
Pont de Sous-Terre | City center
24 hours daily

Visitors to Geneva sometimes express their disappointment that, despite its proximity to France, the city’s pâtisseries somehow fall short of the standards achieved across the border. I imagine they’ve never been to Castrischer.

The speciality of the house is a black forest gateau which lures in passers-by from pole position in the heart-stopping window display: locals from all over the city flock here to furnish their dining tables with a weekend treat. The Castrischer version is a cherry-free one, as is often found in Switzerland, and as light as a feather. No calories here, I promise.

My personal weakness, meanwhile, comes in a slightly smaller package: the chocolate croissants, lovingly made here every morning, are simply divine. Ask for at least two or you’ll be heading back over there before the morning’s out. There is also a tea room, if a longer stay doesn’t sound too dangerous, and a full range of chocolates-the place is officially a confiserie too. They also do sandwiches, apparently, but priorities oblige.

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Castrischer | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Chocolate croissant CHF 3.00
Boulevard du Pont-d’Arve 44 | Plainpalais | +41223293022
Mon & Thu – Sat 08:30 – 18:30, Sun 08:30 – 17:30

Two things keep me coming back to this wine bar in the heart of Geneva’s shopping district. The first is the wine: Swiss wine isn’t often found abroad, with most of it being drunk before it makes it to the border, so it’s well worth taking the opportunity to fill your glass with something local. Every wine served at the Tour du Molard is from within the canton of Geneva, and I find that they go down pretty nicely. The helpful and cheery staff seems pleased to make gentle recommendations and tell you more about what you’re drinking if you’re so inclined. The kitchen also has a range of pricey but delicious treats on offer-more snack than meal, but copious and mouth-watering all the same.

The second pull is the setting: the tower which houses the bar has stood on the Place du Molard since 1591, by some accounts, and the interior oozes charm: I love the two bar rooms if I’m in the mood for a lively evening drink, but for more intimate chats the staircase-bear with me!-offers a series of small landings, each with two or three chairs and enchanting views of the sea of pavement lights on the square below. Magical.

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La Tour du Molard | Bars, Snacks
Place du Molard 2 | City center | +41223100202
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 00:00

Anyone seeking to escape the fray for a few moments in Geneva would do well to make the lake their first port of call: this most renowned of the city’s landmarks concocts beauty whatever mood the day’s weather imposes upon it, and always offers some welcome breathing space from the stresses of the office (or the strain of more intensive sightseeing).

My favourite way to get close to the lake on days when I haven’t the time or the constitution simply to jump in is to take one of the little yellow boats which ferry commuters, families and the occasional tourist to and fro year-round, treating them to a few moments’ calm along the way.

The trip is always worthwhile in its own right, but I also love finding ways to work the Mouettes into my daily travel arrangements: I can leave work behind by boarding ‘ship’ at De-Châteaubriand to zigzag peacefully across the lake to Place du Molard (change at Pâquis), while many commuters jump on by the Jet d’eau in Eaux-Vives to make their morning journey to the Rive Droite. It’s not often that public transport is so conducive to quiet reflection. And best of all, it’s all for the price of a short hop on the tram.

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Mouettes genevoises | Relaxing | Single journey CHF 2.00
Quai du Mont-Blanc 4 | City center | +41227322944
See website for schedules

Runners have no shortage of options in Geneva, with the lakefront, the banks of the Rhône and ample green spaces to go at in the centre and various countryside spots just a ten-minute ride from the city.

One of my favourite routes takes in the city’s second river, the Arve. I’m certainly not the first to have noticed it: the loop in the river which encircles the sports centre at Bout du Monde is often teeming with runners of all levels, and they are here for good reason: unlike many city-centre jogging spots, this one has the double pull of no interruptions whatsoever-the circuit just keeps on going if you want it to, as circular things tend to do, I suppose-and a beautiful natural setting, with soft ground underfoot and the energy of the Arve at your side. For those who prefer something firmer, there is also an open running track, along with the sports centre proper (site in French).

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Bout du Monde | Relaxing | Free
Bout du Monde | Carouge
24 hours daily

Close your eyes, imagine a salon de thé and you’re probably thinking of La Vouivre, though nor does this Pâquis gem take itself too seriously, as the opening times on the door suggest. La Vouivre has it all: dainty china (are any two cups the same here?), marble-top tables serviced by squishy chairs and discreetly smiling ladies in hushed voices, a clientele that ranges from suited and booted to blue rinse with enough variety in between for almost anyone to feel comfortable, classical music wafting over from behind the counter… To top it all, each table bears some kind of curiosity, and if all other sources of entertainment or conversation run dry, you can spend a while wondering about these objects’ former functions.

I come here for coffee if I manage to escape for a few minutes in the afternoon, and rarely resist the temptation of trying one of their delicious pastries; that said, they’re even better in the morning, when the chocolate is waiting to ooze out of the croissants with the first bite.

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La Vouivre | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Chocolate croissant CHF 2.90
Rue des Pâquis 21 | Les Pâquis | +41227318712
Tue – Fri 07:07 – 18:33, Sat 07:33 – 18:33, Sun 08:01 – 18:18