It might be hard to drag yourself away from Geneva’s ritzy lakefront, knockout Mont Blanc views and rainbow-kissed Jet d’Eau fountain, but you’ll be glad you did – trust us. This sophisticated polyglot of a Swiss city is just a day trip away from vineyards, Alpine peaks, medieval castles, and towns with cultural cachet. Moreover, given that Switzerland has truly nailed slow travel, most places can be reached by boat, rail, or cable car. Here we bring you eight of Geneva’s best day trips.
Take a Cable Car to the Top of Mont Salève
For dress-circle views of Geneva and Lac Léman to the Alps beyond, make the quick hop over the French border to 1379m Mont Salève, where a cable car hauls you to the summit in minutes. On cloudless days, the view reaches all the way to the Jura Mountains and pearl-white Mont Blanc massif. In summer, there’s lots of action at the top, with hiking, climbing, and paragliding, while winter attracts sledders and cross-country skiers.
Watch this space: the cable car is set to relaunch with a new panoramic restaurant, museum, botanical garden, and climbing wall.
How to reach Mont Salève: It’s a 20-minute drive east to Étrembières, where the cable car rises to Mont Salève. Alternatively, take bus 8 from Gare Cornavin to Veyrier-Douane, a 10-minute walk from the cable car base station.
Explore the Art-Inspired Château de Chillon
A medieval castle that captivates, Château de Chillon makes visitors gasp with its riot of towers and turrets, and ravishing backdrop lifting the gaze from the lake to the oft-snow-encrusted Alps. If the scene looks like a painting, it is: Turner captured it in 1836, and Gustave Courbet did likewise in 1874. Moreover, it inspired Lord Byron to pen The Prisoner of Chillon, recounting the story of François Bonivard, incarcerated here for his seditious ideas.
Highlights of the visit include the frescoed Chapelle St Georges and the Gothic dungeons.
How to reach Château de Chillon: It’s a gentle 3km walk along flower-draped shores from Montreux to Chillon, or take bus 201. CGN boats chug here from Lausanne (1¼ hours), Vevey (50 minutes), and Montreux (15 minutes).
Vibe Out in Bohemian Carouge
When you tire of the crowds, take time out in nearby Carouge. Although it’s just a 10-minute tram ride from Geneva, this village-within-a-city moves to its own laid-back, bohemian beat. Architecturally, Carouge is a one-off, with plane tree-lined lanes and pastel-painted, shuttered houses overlooking courtyard gardens.
Carouge brims with appealing bars, boutiques, artists’ workshops, and bistros, some of which spill out onto the pavement when the sun’s out. You’ll also find the Musèe de Carouge, focusing on the neighborhood’s 19th-century glory days.
How to reach Carouge: Trams 15 and 18 connect Geneva’s Gare Cornavin to Carouge in just 10 minutes.
Get a History Lesson in Lausanne
If you’re culturally minded, you won’t be able to resist the allure of Lausanne, whose medieval historic center, crowned by the weighty Gothic Cathédrale de Notre Dame, tumbles down to the lake in a maze of steep lanes and gardens. Lausanne’s sizeable student population lends the city a vibrant party scene. Therefore, factor in at least a day, if not a weekend, to do the city and its staggering location on the lake justice.
Lausanne’s appeal has risen recently with the opening of PLATEFORME 10, a thrilling new arts district born in train sheds, gathering the city’s three flagship museums together. For more post-industrial cool, nose around the Flon district, abundant with cafes, bars, boutiques, and galleries.
How to reach Lausanne: Regular trains zip along the lakeshore from Geneva to Lausanne (40 minutes), or it’s a 50-minute drive via the A1.
Explore the Fairy-Tale Architecture of Nyon
Reclining serenely on the lakeshore, midway between Geneva and Lausanne, petite and pretty Nyon punches above its weight culturally. The town features a nautically themed museum, the ruins of a Roman basilica, and three châteaux. Its 12th-century crowning glory is the whimsically turreted Château de Nyon, where you can roam the town’s historical museum, savor views of the lake from the terrace, and taste local wines in its brick-vaulted basement.
Nyon truly shines in summer with its lakefront lido, alfresco dining, and proper Italian gelato. In July, the town rocks during Paléo, Switzerland’s largest outdoor international music festival.
How to reach Nyon: Frequent trains connect Geneva to Nyon (15 minutes) or it’s a 30-minute drive north along the lake via the A1.
Retreat Lakeside in Montreux
With an uplifting panorama of lake and mountain, flower-rimmed shores for a promenade, and a microclimate so mild that palm trees flourish, Montreux is irresistible. Romantics from Lord Byron to the Shelleys have celebrated its views. If you’re going to fall hard for one town on the lake, this is likely it.
To enjoy the view from above, take the cogwheel train up to the 2042m peak of Rochers de Naye, surveying Lake Geneva and the Alps from on high.
If jazz rocks your boat, you’ve surely heard of the summer Montreux Jazz Festival, where many legends recorded albums at the Mountain Studios over the years.
How to reach Montreux: At the eastern tip of croissant-shaped Lac Léman, Montreux is an hour’s drive or train ride from Geneva.
Wine Down in Lavaux
Rising north of Lausanne, the World Heritage-listed Lavaux vineyards are stunning. The gravity-defying slopes are intricately scaled with terrace after terrace, vine after vine, dry-stone wall after dry-stone wall, creating a breathtaking landscape. If this is your first learning about them, it’s because the wines here are so select and small-scale that many of them never leave Switzerland.
For the full Lavaux experience, allow time for a walk and wine tasting at local caveaux (cellars). A great starting point is the medieval village of Lutry, where you can embark on the 5.5km Grandvaux trail, before a small tasting at the Domaine du Daley, going strong since 1392.
How to reach Lavaux: Trains run at least twice hourly to Lutry (one hour). Or it’s a 50-minute drive east of Geneva via the A1 if you’re driving.
Eat Like Royalty in Vevey
Sitting smugly on Lake Geneva’s northern shores, with an alley-woven center and views rippling across glass-blue water to the Alps, Vevey is the kind of town that invites you to indulge in culinary delights. The terraced vineyards that rise boldly make sure there’s plenty of excellent wines like crisp, flinty Chasselas whites, paired perfectly with sensational cuisine.
Vevey has certainly earned its place on the global gastro map with a total of five Michelin stars. For molecular wizardry and remarkable tasting menus, consider dining at the fabulous Denis Martin.
How to reach Vevey: Vevey is an hour’s train ride or drive east of Geneva, offering a beautiful journey skimming the shores of the lake.
