Geneva 🇨🇭& Annecy trip

[mumma24]

I’ve just booked flights to Geneva. we have 6 nights

1. 6 nights in Grneva?
2. 2 centre holiday? For eg Annecy too
3. budget friendly accommodation recommendations please it’s for 2 adults in June thank you. Around €150‘ a night

Bla-bla car and flexi bus run daily to Annecy from Geneva airport. Annecy is definitely worth a visit. If you book now it shouldn’t bee too pricey for an Airbnb or hotel as the schools don’t break up until the beginning of July.
If you like nature a trip up the mountain for a hike/ mountain biking is always great. Or a bike ride around lake Annecy is beautiful.
Annecy is a bit cheaper than Geneva but both £££.
Annecy is well connected by buses to all the neighbouring towns so if you don’t stay in the centre it’s not a big problem.

@Downbadatthegym thank you really helpful. Would you suggest we stay the whole time in Annecy or maybe first 4 nights there and final 2 nights in Geneva to explore?

Just be aware that Geneva is eye wateringly expensive, even by Swiss standards.

@Cyclistmumgrandma thank you,

Geneva is really dull and really expensive

Annecy (and surrounding area) is delightful. Base yourselves there, maybe one night in Geneva on the way there or back if you’re keen.

ps there are a lot of nice campsites near the south end of lake Annecy which are worth a look if you will have a hire car. Though with limited time you may prefer to stay in the town.

In will say, traffic around the lake at peak times is horrific

I spent a week in Geneva 13yrs ago. Still haven't got over the shock of the cost. A simple pasta lunch and a coke for 4 people can easily cost a couple of hundred. Not much to do in Geneva unless money is literally no object. We went across the border into France a few times as much cheaper to eat out.

I went to Annecy last year.

Flew into Geneva. Had a day there, got the bus to Annecy (flex bus).

I stayed in a chalet / static caravan for a week. It was beautiful. 5 min walk from the lake. Camping Le Ferme. Would recommend. Very reasonably priced, wonderful amenities- I’d go back.

There are busses that go around the lake and there is a full path / cycle track around the lake. There are lots of places to hire bikes from (the camp site had them for hire).

At the end of lake Annecy opposite Annecy there’s a beautiful beach bar we visited. Would recommend.

There’s also boat taxis available that take you from side to side. I’d go back tomorrow. I loved it.

Definitely spend most of your time in Annecy. We spent a week in a flat high above the canal and absolutely loved it (quite a while ago so can't specifically recommend as do not remember details). Hired a car from Geneva airport and had a couple of days out (including a massive, gigantic thunderstorm).
Agree about Geneva: ok but Annecy so much better for a holiday.

@Clearinguptheclutter thank you

Brilliant thank you @Sweetiedarling2024

Geneva is fine for a few days, various museums, lake, old town and Annecy lovely. Would you have a car?

You could investigate Chamonix, Saint Gervais les Bains and Les Contamines. St G & LC will have cheaper accommodation, Airbnb will have great deals. Lots to do, the new telecabine from the train station at Saint Gervais Le Gayet is €2.50 for a great trip. Visits to goat farms are free, Tramway de Mont Blanc is reasonable, Aguille de Midi in Chamonix is eye wateringly expensive. Maison de la Burger is very good value in Cham, avoid evening meals, lunch is better value.

We did a couple of days in Geneva pre-Covid and they had a free bus travel pass thing available at the airport which we made the most of used boat & tram & buses in the city . We bought food in one of the big supermarkets but even then it was £50 for a picnic of bits super expensive. I’d prefer Annecy tbh but we had a heat wave it was 40c then a thunder storm massive hail and dropped to 20c in two hours was quite cool though in July

Spend more time in Annecy. Geneva is nice for a day trip but I wouldn’t spend much more time there.

Annecy is lovely - swimming in the lake, cycling around, going for walks, Annecy shops, the villages around etc. Chamonix is an hour’s drive away if you fancy a day trip also.

https://www.annecyfestival.com/en

The Annecy International Animation festival is on in June. There’s lots of visitors to this, so it may increase prices then and/or make accommodation harder to find. However, you do also get to see famous people attending, and there’s exhibitions, film showings etc.

Looks like they still do the travel card we made great use of it www.geneve.com/en/plan-stay/getting-around/free-geneva-transport-card

Staying in Geneva is for millionaires. So get a room on the French side, for example in Ferney, and get the bus into Geneva. We stayed for a few days in this "apparthotel" — the "appart" bit is a bit rubbish (a tiny cooking corner right next to the bed) but the rooms themselves are very nice and there is a bar and restaurant, and as you can see on Booking dot com, the prices are very reasonable. Plus Ferney is a decent small town with places to eat and a pedestrianised centre, and the whole history-of-Voltaire thing. The bus is frequent, about 6 times an hour, and costs about £3 one way for the half-hour ride into the middle of Geneva. You might also be able to get multi-day passes — see www.tpg.ch/en.

You will need to up your budget per night for Geneva as it’s eye wateringly expensive.

@LIZS no car so relying on buses or trains

@samarrange thank you for the recommendation

The NH hotel on the outskirts of Geneva can do reasonable deals on occasion so worth looking at.

My DD was a student in Geneva and didn’t find it dull. Cheaper accommodation might be found around the university. The transport system is good so go a bit further out of the centre. I haven’t checked if it’s still open, but the Patek Philippe watch museum is world class. Beautiful timepieces!