Geneva, Switzerland – quick stop

Last year in November, I was invited to participate at a European Seminar on Youth Policies and post EVS opportunities within the framework of Youth in Action programme. The seminar was held in a small city in Provence called St. Cyr sur Mer. And…. I decided to take the train to get there! :)

In between train rides, I had just enough time to stop in Genève, change some euros in Swiss Francs, grab a coffee and venture around the train station.

Here are some photos I took on my little trip:

Views over Quai Gustave-Ador and Lake Geneva

The “Jet d’eau” (Water fountain)

Early Christmas decorations…The Swiss flag

Like any other major European city, Geneva is very bike friendly: in the little bit of time I spent around the bay, I saw lots of people – business men, students, kids and elderly, all biking. Quite nice! It reminded me a lot of Austria…

Geneva is the home of Red Cross International, CERN, UN and many other international organizations. It also hosts a plethora of festivals, museums and art galleries, which makes it a friendly and young city.

It is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, and the second biggest city in Switzerland after Zurich. If you speak French or English, and if not, some Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, you should be fine when traveling around (since there are a lot of people speaking these languages in the city).

No surprise there! Geneva is also the main European center of diplomacy and a very important financial center. It is ranked as being the third in the world at providing the best quality life for its citizens! The elegant and very well preserved architecture, the safe and orderly public transportation system, the efficient infrastructure, the clean-neat overall look of the city, as well as the numerous opportunities for cultural and educational growth reflects it.

Other fun facts and info about the city here and here!