Weekend Getaways: Zurich

As you might have seen in our homepage, we have a new section called Weekend Getaways, where we will post some of our suggestions where to go for the weekend from Geneva.

Our first post has been on Zurich! Check the link or read below all our tips and suggestions!

Zurich

We spent a couple of nights there and totally fell for this Swiss city. Its pedestrian old town area, the restaurants, museums, the lake… It is truly a place where I wouldn't mind living for a while! Take the Circle Tour to get a better idea of Zurich with the trolley tour and then enjoying a relaxing boat cruise on Lake Zurich. Also, don't miss the Kunsthaus museum and go inside the Fraumünster church to see Chagall's stained glass windows… amazing!

Restaurants

There are tons of restaurants you should try, but we specially liked the following:

Café Henrici
Drop for breakfast at this cute café, on Sunday's they have small brunch specials!

Lily's Stomach Supply
A delicious informal Asian restaurant, good price, close to the train station. Our friend Alberto's favourite Asian restaurant in Zurich. We were so hungry, there's a springroll missing in the picture!!!

Zeughauskeller
A typical Germanlike restaurant set up in an old arsenal, always crowded by tourists and locals alike. Also a recommendation by our friend Alberto. You must order the Mayor's Sword with rösti… delicious!

Hotels
We stayed at the Platzhirsch Hotel and we totally recommend it. Super friendly staff, cannot be more central and you even have the option of cheaper accommodation if you choose the rooms with no toilets. There is a toilet in each floor to share between two rooms, not bad for the great discount it offers! Room 20 where my mother stayed was specially nice, though I'm guessing it was also specially expensiver!

Café de Grancy at Lausanne

If you are strolling around the beautiful town of Lausanne, drop for a coffee or to grignoter quelque chose at the relaxed Café de Grancy. You will love the atmosphere, their comfortable sofas, the super nice waiters and their food!

Café de Grancy
Avenue du Rond-Point 1
Lausanne

Brocante at Versoix

Tomorrow, on April 26, you can go for a walk around Versoix and enjoy their borcante at the Place du Bourg, with more than 40 second-hand exhibitors. For sure you will find something nice!

Opening hours:
From 9am to 5pm

CATS by the Geneva Amateur Operatic Society

From May 16 to May 24 you can enjoy at Nyon the amazing musical show CATS, with music by the all-times-famous composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on the Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot. Special mention to the outstanding performance of Rumpleteazer… keep an eye on that cat!

Tickets are already available at Theatre in English for Sfr 36.-.

Don't miss the show!

CATS
Aula de Myon-Marens
Route du Stand 5
Nyon

Martel

My favourite chocolate store in Geneva: Martel. They have big sleets of chocolate of different and original flavours that you can ask to be cut in sizes of your choice to prepare nice packages to offer as gifts. A 100g costs around Sfr 7.-, a good deal for Geneva!

Some of this Martel stores also have charming tea-rooms where you can grab delicious treats, like mini tuna or saumon sandwiches accompanied by a fresh orange juice.

My favourite central location is at Rue de la Croix d'Or 4 where you can both buy chocolate and enjoy their tea-room, though you can also find one of their tea-rooms near Cornavin at Rue Rousseau 29 or one of their chocolate store at Carouge at Rue du Marché 8.

A must in Geneva!

CERN: Microcosm

Through this free exhibition at CERN, you will be able to understand the secrets of matter while deciphering the Universe and discovering the accelerators and detectors used by physicists during their work.

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday from 8.30pm to 5.30pm
Saturday from 9am to 5pm

Lebanese pleasure!

You MUST try this Lebanese with Mediterranean flavour restaurant. Last Thursday, my friends Ana G, Ana D and Laura took me to celebrate my birthday to Yomo. I love the place! Maybe a bit expensive, around Sfr 60.- with no wine, but so worth it! If you go, you must try the labneh and zaatar, of course the hommos and moutabbal with their delicious pitta bread, and their beef skewers.

I was so hungry that by the time I remembered I wanted to take a picture, we had eaten everything! So I could only take a picture of their not-so-Lebanese-looking cookie!

Enjoy!

Yomo Lounge
Rue Pierre Fatio 1
T. 022.735.30.76

7th Hot Air Balloon Festival at Geneva

If you are staying in Geneva for Easter holidays, from April 18 to April 21 the 7th Hot Air Balloon Festival will be taking place in our adoptive home city. Pilots from Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, the U.S., and, of course, Switzerland will meet at Geneva's skies to make us enjoy the colorful show!

If the weather allows it, we will be able to enjoy five hot air balloons going up from the five most important parks in the city. A giant caterpillar, and old joker pilor, a very large duckling, Darth Vader and a blow-up roster will also be part of the show.

Enjoy!

Horse Show

If you are a horse lover, drop by Fnac to buy tickets for Sacha Houcke's show La magie du cheval, which you can enjoy at Onex until April 21. The Houcke circus was founded in 1834 and since then, six generations have been working in the family business. In this show, 16 horses, trainers, comedians and acrobats share the stage so that you can enjoy a show unlike any other!

Tickets:
From Sfr. 30.- to Sfr 49.-

Address:
Chapiteau d'Onex
Place du 150ème
Onex

Paleo 2014

As my friend Nagore has kindly reminded me, today at noon you can start buying the tickets for the Paleo festival!!! This year you will be able to enjoy days with Placebo, Elton John, Vanessa Paradis, The Prodigy or Thirty Seconds to Mars. Check their site www.paleo.ch and get your tickets today!

Paleo takes place at Nyon from July 22 to July 27 and the price of the tickets can go up to Sfr 65.- for one day to Sfr 365.- for a six day pass.

Have fun!

CERN - Universe of Particles

Through this permanent and free exhibition in the CERN's Globe of Science and Innovation, visitors can learn more about the work that's being done at CERN at the moment and the questions they are trying to answer.

Find out more about the Universe at CERN!

Opening hours:
Monday to Saturday - 10am to 5pm

Objectif Penthes - Tintin

The Museum of Swiss in the World has from February 13 to May 3 an exhibition on Tintin, with work from lovers and haters of Hergé's work.

It is also a great opportunity to visit this curious museum, where while strolling around the different areas you can learn about what Swiss nationals that had to leave their country for a short period of time or forever, have been doing around the globe.

The first Sunday of each month there is a free guided tour.

Le Mus ée des Suisses dans le Monde

Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday - 10am to 5pm.

Address:
Château des Penthes
Chemin de l'Impératrice 18
Pregny-Chambésy

Le coup de girafe

A great place in Eaux-Vives to go for a cup of tea and pie, for a light lunch or dinner (as they only have quiches or salads) or for brunch on Sundays.

Last weekend I went with my friends to try the brunch, as I hadn't gone yet, and I really liked it! In the neighbourhood I still prefer Tout simplement…, which you can find in another post, but it is true that for Sfr 20.- they give you all you can see in the pic below!

Toasts with butter and jam, a boiled egg, a piece of quiche (they don't let you choose, but if you really don't like what they are offering you, they are quite nice about it and let you pick something else) and pie. And to drink a tasting of orange juice and coffee. You really don't leave hungry!

Place: Le coup de girafe
Address: Rue du Maunoir 18

Be careful, they do not accept credit cards!