It’s fair to say that certain places in the world really can feel different depending on the weather…

Having just come back from my 4th business trip this year to the delightful Swiss-French speaking city of Geneva, I can safely say that like London, when it is overcast and/or rainy the city really feels miserably different compared to a sunny and clear day.

This was my 2nd time staying overnight and this time I chose the Best Western Century as it’s close to the office I was working in and affordable. To be honest, my personal definition of affordable would have been somewhat less, but Geneva isn’t really a cheap city – I’d say it’s as expensive as London, if not more so. While basic the accommodation was acceptable and certainly a step in the right direction compared to the room I’d previously stayed in at l’Hotel Churchill, which despite it’s 4-star listing, the room was clearly falling apart…

While my daily working conditions were far from easy and pleasant, my evening were certainly worthwile and included relaxed dinners with colleagues at various restaurants around Geneva. Think my favourite must have been the Cafe-Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville as we had traditional Swiss fondue… Loving chese as much as I do and enjoying the shared approach to the dish just added to the experience…

Most styles of food are covered for with Swiss, Japanese, Thai, Italian, French and Brazilian being just but a few of the tastes catered for.

Geneva is akin to London in many ways but much smaller, certainly less crowded and with mountains in the background… Similar to London the architectural styles vary with age across the city but a trip up the hill to the Old Town is well worth the walk and will remind you of the history of this magnificant European city.

Lastly no trip to Geneva would be worth it without taking in the view of the Lake and the Jet d’eau. Please be aware that the Jet d’eau is dependant on the wind, time of day and time of year and personally I think looks much better on a bright sunny day as the Lake will be a deep clear looking blue…

So, do I recommend a trip to this city near the Swiss Alps: Oui and Bon Voyage should you decide to enjoy that which is Geneva.

Note : As stated above, Geneva is in the French part of Switzerland and despite there being four official languages and the general predominance of German in the country as a whole, you may find German is not spoken as much as you might expect…