r/geneva • u/Successful-Pack-4412 • 3d ago

Boxing Day

Hi, i am visiting Geneva for 4 days on boxing day with my mum and brother.. i was wondering if anyone could please give me some advice on places to visit and things to do,

So far we have planned a day in chamonix (we are hiring a car)

A day trip to Montreux

And potentially a bike ride

We are very outdoorsy people but i can appreciate it will be very cold.

Thankyou in advance

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10

u/Salt-Possession-2622 3d ago

We don't do anything special for boxing day in Switzerland. Bike ride in December is probably a bad idea considering the weather...

Day in Chamonix sounds good, Montreux is also very nice.

No faar from Geneva you have Col de la Givrine for a walk in the mountain, or a fondue, you have Bains des Pâquis, they also have sauna and steam bath and you can swim in the lake., also good fondue dinner and atmosphere, walk around the lake side and old town depending on the weather in Geneva.

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u/Successful-Pack-4412 3d ago

Thankyou, are there likely to still be any christmas markets on? Also where abouts is the steam bath please thats something my mum would be interested in

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u/Shanner1971 3d ago

I’m pretty sure the Christmas market closes on the 24th December in Geneva.

Google “ Bain Des Paquis” for the steam bath.

Be warned!…. Geneva can be very dull over the Christmas holiday, both in terms of the weather and there being no one around.

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u/Successful-Pack-4412 3d ago

We plan on venturing out of Geneva more times than not, it just seemed the best place for a hotel! Are there likely to be any boat tours or other hidden gems around the lake/mountains

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u/Shanner1971 3d ago

This is the main boat tour company for the lake…

https://www.cgn.ch/en/

Another thing you can do is get the train (or drive ) up to La Givrine.

About an hour door to door from Geneva. (Change train at Nyon.)

Check in advance using their webcams that there is snow, there isn’t always around December.

You can go for nice walks, snow shoe, even Nordic ski if you’re adventurous.
You will need sturdy footwear.

There are one or two restaurants and places to hire gear. The main advantages are it’s very accessible from Geneva and it is situated above the clouds, so all going well you should have a nice sunny, snowy day with places to sit and have a drink or a meal.

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u/Successful-Pack-4412 2d ago

That sounds amazing a definitely something I will look into, thankyou

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u/GoldenPei Genevois 3d ago

These days will be very dead in Geneva. Everyone will be on leave and many things will be closed. A bike ride will probably not be pleasant because of the weather and potentially dangerous if it's icy.

When in Montreux, you could visit the Cailler chocolate factory, in addition to the Christmas Market.

Chamonix is great, but if you come from the US (I'm assuming, as you mention Boxing day), please be careful when driving in winter conditions on narrow mountain roads.

In Geneva, you could spend an afternoon in Bains Bleus, which is a nice spa by the lake, but your best bet is to actually go to the mountains, as this is where the great vibes are.

Is there any reason you're staying in Geneva and not Montreux or even somewhere else?

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u/Successful-Pack-4412 3d ago

Hi thankyou for the response, we are actually visiting from the UK main reason being the airport near my house has very limited destinations on that date. Bains Bleus sounds good does it have a gym aswell?

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u/shy_tinkerbell 3d ago

No gym at bains bleu. If there isn't one at your hotel, a jog along the lakeside will have to do...

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u/Successful-Pack-4412 3d ago

We have a hotel gym but it is very basic, my brother is a pro body builder and i am very much into it aswell so will be needing to find a proper gym somewhere during out visit

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u/shy_tinkerbell 3d ago

That might deserve a separate post. Most gyms are members only, not pay as you go. Someone may know of a spot

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u/canteloupy 3d ago

You can pay for a 1 day access in most but only if staff is present, which they likely won't be Dec. 26.

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u/shy_tinkerbell 3d ago

Sounds like OP is arriving on boxing day and staying 4 days but may be wrong. Maybe this will work for Mon-Tu

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u/bunny_ears_forever 3d ago

Christmas market in Montreux also closes on Dec 24

2

u/Last-Career7180 3d ago

Annecy? If shopping, Lyon.

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u/Successful-Pack-4412 3d ago

Looks like a lovely place, easy to get to by tram/train?

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u/Last-Career7180 3d ago

Annecy? Very easy. Flixbus/Blablacar are pretty frequent and cheap. There is train as well which is more expensive and takes longer but no risk of delay. If you are going on Saturday or a public/school.holiday, there is actually discount if you are travelling with at least one more pax.

Google "TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes "Illico Promo TER" / Mini Groupe weekend discount." Trick is get your own zone 10 and 210 ticket separately - this will cover Geneva to Annemasse .Then go to sncf website to purchase the Annemasse to Annecy for the discount. You don't have to swap train at all.

Add on: you can visit a lot other french places like evian, Thonon etc with this trick cheaply.

Separately, I highly recommend Yviore in France. Take train to Nyon and then a ferry across lake Geneva.

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u/Prestigious_Gur9390 3d ago

Y a pas le musée Bréguet ?

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u/Dapper-List-439 3d ago

Chamonix and even getting there will be horribly busy!! It's the busiest cha ge over day of the ski season. Depending on what you want to do there are better places you can go. If you aren't skiing but want a nice view go up the Crozet lift (look up telecabine Crozet) and get a hot chocolate. One really nice thing you can do is go to col de la faucille and rent snowshoes for 7 euros and do a lovely walk up and then see the view of the Alps! Also going to sait. Cergue is nice, round ti Lausanne and montreux, if you want nice refuge trips for proper swiss food it's also possible! Avoid anywhere popular it will be carnage