SOCIAL MEDIA

Wednesday 10 April 2019

Travel Diary: And So It Ends, In Beautiful Geneva

 These are a series of posts covering my 5 weeks in Europe, and each country I see in bite sizes. Or as my best friend likes to say, “speed touristing.” I visited most places for 4 days, with the exception of Germany and some day trips. This is my way of taking you guys on my adventures through Europe, giving you guys my thoughts on each place and any tips I’ve picked up!

And So It Ends, In Beautiful Geneva


Alas, we have reached the end of my five week trip … that happened almost a year ago. Yep. Guys I am back to complete my bitesize travel posts. 

Five weeks of flying through Europe made me really appreciate ending my trip in the beautiful city of Geneva. It was the perfect opportunity for me to wind down before heading home. I had 4 days to discover Geneva, which, thankfully, was enough time as the city itself is quite small. I was also grateful that I had a friend to stay with, making it a lot more convenient to visit different sites in the city and learn how to access public transport. We spent our days walking around the city, seeking out look out points and having picnics in the local parks. Geneva isn’t a cheap place to travel to though, much like the rest of Switzerland. I barely ate at restaurants, instead accompanying my friends on her grocery trips and grabbing local cheese and bread, coupled with fruits and other cold meats. Look, if there’s cheese involved I cannot complain.


Geneva being crazy expensive also didn’t help when I wanted to do a final shopping trip. I picked up a bottle of perfume for almost AUD$250, eeeep. Luckily, Lyon is just a two hour bus ride across the border. I booked myself a ticket and spent a day in France, planning to just eat and shop to my hearts content before I left. The amount of croissants I consumed could be considered alarming, but we’re not going to go there. I found a really cute restaurant for lunch, which changes their one item menu daily. There’s a communal feel that, despite eating alone, I felt welcomed and comfortable as everyone in the restaurant was sharing the same meal and experience. If you’re not up for dining in, there’s also a takeaway option that’s packed into a lunch box as well! I walked and window shopped, finding a shop with an immense amount of French wines, before picking up some more skincare I didn’t get the chance to buy whilst in Paris. Lyon itself is also quite pretty. I found that I liked being there more than when I was in Paris.


Both Geneva and Lyon are quiet cities, perfect for spending some alone time or just wanting to relax and enjoy the scenery. Places do close super early in Geneva, with most shutting just after 5 or 6 and on Sunday being closed - just to keep in mind. Public transport is easily accessible but walking is also a great option to take in your surroundings. Even flying into the city is breathtaking with the Alps and Lake Geneva is in full view through the plane’s windows.