Geneva is a metropolis with a human scale

Geneva is Switzerland's second largest city but also the nation's most international city. At once cosmopolitan and people-friendly, the city is home to the UN, the Red Cross, CERN and other international organisations. Water is an important presence in Geneva. It overlooks Lake Leman, usually called Lake Geneva (the largest in Europe), at the point where it meets the Rhone. But that's not all: the symbol of the “world's smallest metropolis” is the jet d'eau, a fascinating fountain on the lake, whose jet creates a 140-metre high water column. Due to its height and grandeur, this aquatic monument is also called “the Eiffel Tower of Geneva”. The link between the city and luxury watches is renowned, and it is no coincidence that the exclusive International Haute Horlogerie Fair is held in Geneva every year. Another city icon is the Flower Clock, the largest work of its kind in the world, at 5 metres in diameter, lying on the edge of the Jardin Anglais, and composed of no less than 6000 different plants that change with each season.

The Rhône River divides the city into two parts. On the left bank is the old town, dominated by the Cathedral of St-Pierre - although the real heart of the historical core is the Place du Bourg-de-Four, the oldest square in the city. The boulevards, the streets bordering the lake, the countless parks, the picturesque alleys of the old town and the elegant shops invite you to take a leisurely stroll. One of the old city streets that has best preserved its charm is the Grand-Rue, where Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born. In addition to the historical and best-known aspects of Geneva, it is important to highlight the presence of one of the most innovative quarters in Europe: the Quartier des Bains. It is not only home to MAMCO, Switzerland's largest museum for contemporary art, but also to numerous galleries, bars and trendy shops. The Quartier des Bains is located in the southern part of Geneva, and until a few decades ago was home to watchmaking workshops, precision mechanics factories, garages, warehouses... In the 1990s, young artists and gallery owners filled the voids left by the disused workshops and began a process of transformation that even led a giant like Sotheby's to move its headquarters here from Paris. Towards the end of the millennium, contemporary art became fashionable, and more and more people began to discover the new area. Some gallery owners then decided to organise a joint vernissage and created the 'Nuit des Bains', an evening when galleries and museums stay open together with the nightclubs of the Rue de l'Ecole-de-Médecine. This event has now become a tradition and is one of the unmissable events in the city.

You can easily reach Geneva from Italy by train, thanks to a joint promotion by Trenitalia and the Swiss Federal Railways, whereby if you travel as a couple you only pay for one of the two 1st or 2nd class tickets. The offer, valid from 9 March to 16 April, connects the main cities of Northern Italy, (Milan, Genoa, Bologna and Venice), with several Swiss centres: Basel, Bern, Lausanne, Lugano, Zurich, Geneva.