It’s 10 years since the passing of Anita Brookner, author of ‘Hotel du Lac’, set on Lake Geneva’s glorious shores. This iconic 1984 novel inspired thousands to step into the protagonist’s footsteps and visit Geneva. The Swiss city remains as magnetic today, with many using their European single trip insurance policy to back a visit to Geneva.
Not every visitor to Geneva has read the novel, so Europesure Travel Insurance has taken a look at its general allure. Of course, Europesure has many British expat travel insurance clients who actually live in Geneva, thanks to this being the European headquarters of the United Nations.
Getting to know Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva is called Lac Léman in France and the 224 square-mile lake straddles the Swiss and French border, with 40% of this deep lake being in France. Geneva lies to the west of the lake, apart from what is known as the Swiss Riviera – a location comprising towns such as the iconic Montreux and Lausanne.
Enjoy pleasure trips by boat on the lake and be sure to get the camera at the ready to capture the Jet d’Eau, a 140-metre-high water jet that handles 500 litres of water per second, shooting this skywards at a rate of 200 km per hour. Originally devised to supply power to jewellery makers, it is now just a massive attraction for tourists. One great place to capture the best shots of this feature is the Bains des Pâquis, a locals’ hangout on the lake shore.
Exploring Geneva with your single trip insurance policy
The Old town (Vieille Ville) is defined by its alluring alleyways and captivating squares, nestled between historic buildings that either accommodate or rub shoulders with boutiques, cafés and museums these days. If it’s the oldest places you wish to explore, head to Place du Bourg-de-Four, for the most historic square, or Geneva’s oldest residence, Maison Tavel.
Geneva’s Cathedral is sure to attract your attention. Even if not a lover of religious buildings – with this one dating back to 1160 – you will probably love the view that a climb of the cathedral tower offers to you. After all, there are only 157 steps to contend with, if you want to enjoy that bird’s eye, panoramic view of the city and lake.
Museums also abound, including the Musée Rath (fine arts), the History and Science Museum and a museum that highlights the deep connections between Geneva and the world of watchmaking – the Patek Philippe Museum. If you love your ceramics too, check out Musée Ariana, housing 12 centuries of ceramic art. MAMCO is the place to which to head for contemporary art, whilst the International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent offers a moving experience.
At Maison Rousseau et Littérature, there is a Rousseau Trail to explore, covering seven themes that interested the philosopher.
Park highlights
Geneva played a major role in the Reformation, as a meeting place for Reformation leaders, so Parc des Bastions is home to a monument celebrating this fact – the impressive Reformation Wall. This features giant statues of Jean Calvin, Guillaume Farel, Théodore de Bèze and John Knox and was created between 1909 and 1917.
Parc des Bastions, with its giant trees and glorious green space, lies just below the Old Town of Geneva and offers a lovely relaxing outdoor environment, even if you just watch locals enjoying a game of chess on giant chessboards.
In Jardin Anglais, on the other hand, you will find another famous feature of Geneva – the Flower Clock. It has been situated in a corner of the garden since 1955 and features 12,000 flowers and plants, as well as telling the time with absolute precision, thanks to satellite technology. It also boasts a ‘world’s largest’ accolade, having the largest seconds hand, which measures 2.5 metres.
This is not the only record-breaker in Geneva, however. On Promenade de la Treille, you will also discover the world’s longest bench.
Head to Ariana Park on the banks of Lake Geneva and you will find the workplace of some of Europesure’s expat travel insurance customers – the Palais des Nations, or UN Headquarters as it is more commonly known. Guided tours are on offer of this building but don’t forget to also check out the sculpture in front of it. This is The Broken Chair, which is a reminder of the traumas caused by landmines. The 12-metre-tall chair, sculpted by Daniel Berset in 1997, only has three full legs, with the fourth broken in half, as a symbolic reminder of the fate of many landmine victims.
Carouge
You might not expect to find Sardinian influences in Swiss Geneva, but that is the case in the Carouge district. A little bit of Sardinia is sprinkled throughout the area’s architecture and squares but also found in the creative nature of many shops. Lovers of handmade jewellery and independent fashion creations will relish a visit to Carouge’s streets, whilst the walk along the River Arve – a natural boundary between the city centre and Carouge – is a delight in itself.
Exploring Swiss stereotypes
When in Geneva, you have to throw yourself into some of the things for which the city is renowned, namely chocolate and watchmaking. Chocolate shops abound in the city, whether you opt to visit the store of a famous name like Lindt, or a more local chocolatier such as Favarger, which has been a family-run business since 1826 and which makes fantastic nougalines – a nougat and praline treat combined.
You can also take advantage of a Choco Pass, available for either a 24-hour or 48-hour period, giving you access to either just five chocolate shops or all chocolate shops that participate in the scheme, for 40 CHF or 75 CHF respectively. This will allow you to enjoy a tasting plate of chocolate at shops like Auer, famous for Amandes princesses, Arn (known for black truffles and traditional Marmites) and Michele, with its scrumptious pralines.
As for watches, why not attempt to put your own watch together by visiting Initium and learning the art of watch construction? In a hands-on way, you can assemble and disassemble a Swiss watch, learning all about its mechanical functionality as you go. Otherwise, opt for a jewellery workshop. The price of these workshops is 350 CHF for watchmaking and 490 CHF for jewellery but, if you can afford them, are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn from masters.
Border hopping
Keep your passport close at hand in Geneva, as there is a fair amount of border hopping involved in day trips you might wish to take. This could be to Chamonix to visit the Glaciorium, dedicated to glaciers. Or how about the highest attraction in Europe – the Aiguille du Midi Skywalk – Step into the Void. From a glass-floored walkway on a 3km-high peak, you can see 1000 metres of free space beneath you! Annecy is another French town close at hand and is known as the Venice of the Alps, thanks to its charm. Even local mountain Mont Salève is in France and you can take a cable car up it from Le Pas de l’Echelle (Veyrier), for a stunning view over Geneva and right the way to Mont Blanc on a clear day.
Other day trips might take you to Charlie Chaplin’s adopted home of Montreux. At nearby Les Diablerets, you can take a cable car to Glacier 3000 and walk a suspension bridge connecting two peaks. You might visit Zermatt and the Matterhorn, or maybe indulge in a hot-air balloon flight over the lake. Just check that your travel insurance policy would cover you for this experience and anything else that might present itself, whether that is a glacier walk or husky ride. Of course, if you are suddenly given a chance to ski, you must make sure you have winter sports travel insuranceprotection in place.
Visit CERN
Partial to a particle? If so, you should register to visit CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, home to the 27-km-long Large Hadron Collider. The centre has immersive multimedia exhibits and suggests you can journey to the heart of the matter on a Proton Express. Hands-on laboratory sessions and interactive shows make this a great experience for those who love STEM subjects. There’s also a LEGO Robotic Challenge workshop that no LEGO fan should turn down.
Essential travel insurance advice for Geneva and Switzerland
Anyone travelling to Geneva, even if that is just from another country in Europe, should never just rely on the EHIC or GHIC health cards to pick up the cost of any treatment that is required. Taking one of these cards with you, is a good idea, however, as it does allows some aspects of healthcare cost to be picked up via these schemes.
You must note thought that these health cards will not provide any refund for the costs incurred through private healthcare facilities and some providers in Switzerland offer both public and private care. That means you could find yourself being treated privately, even if you believe you are in a public hospital.
The costs of treatment in Switzerland are eye-watering. A bed in a basic ward can cost 4000 CHF per night and a four-night stay can easily lead to a bill of 30,000 CHF. These are some of the highest healthcare costs in the world. Even a doctor’s consultation can lead to a demand for €170-€425 (£148-£370). If you have no travel insurance, you could also find yourself having to pay high five-figure sum as a deposit, before you can receive any treatment. The general rule is that tourists pay upfront and then reclaim what they can on a health card or travel insurance. In smaller towns, such payments might have to be made in cash. Payments for ambulances are also required and an ambulance will only transport a patient, not those accompanying them.
This is also a mountainous region, so slips, trips and accidents in the mountains can be commonplace. If that is the case, you again need travel insurance to get you the transportation you need to a treatment facility. The EHIC and GHIC cards just will not cover this sort of airlifting, transportation or medical repatriation to the hospital or centre that needs to administer care. Again, paying personally for such a service can be financially devastating.
Summing up
If you wish to visit the Lake that inspired Hotel du Lac, go for it, but make sure you have travel insurance behind you. Europesure Travel Insurance can provide you with comprehensive travel insurance cover, in English, whether you live in the UK or are resident in the EU or EEA. It also covers residents of Monaco and Gibraltar.
Buy your single trip insurance policy or your annual multi-trip travel insurance today, to get full-round health protection – and numerous other benefits – when visiting Switzerland. Whether you’re a British expat or other European-country resident, Europesure can have you covered.
