Uncovering 2000 Years of History on an Excellent Day Trip to Geneva, Switzerland

IS GENEVA WORTH A DAY TRIP?

I saw this question pop up several times on Swiss travel forums while planning our day trip to Geneva for the One Year: 26 Canton project and, I must admit, the grim answers made me a bit eager to check the Canton of Geneva off our list…

I think many of the negative comments floating around come from a less than subtle rivalry between Geneva, in the Romandie (French speaking Switzerland), and Zurich in German speaking Switzerland. The reality is, Switzerland’s two biggest cities are both quite urban, very international, and probably have a lot more in common than they have differences.

Our day trip to Geneva in February completely blew me away! The city has exceptional history that really is hidden in plain sight and plenty to keep you entertained (at least for a day or two), even if you are on a shoe-string budget!

Arriving in Geneva

The view of the vineyards over Lake Geneva and the French Alps on the train between Bern and Geneva

When we arrived in Geneva, the main train station was bustling and an immediate reminder that we were back in urban Switzerland. Stepping out onto the street, we were assaulted by a long strip of American fast-food restaurants clearly catering to the international crowd. Unfortunately, things didn’t immediately get better from there… As we took our first steps down that McDonald’s and Five Guys lined street, we were greeted by the thick smell of pot smoke and a homeless man waving a needle at people as he asked for change. At that moment, I must admit that my heart sank pretty low. Perhaps what I read about Geneva had been right after all…

We live in the Berner Oberland so the trip to Geneva takes a bit of doing. There are a few beautiful options for getting there but, to make the most of our day in the city, we chose the most efficient and slightly less scenic trip through Bern.

Heading to Bern and changing trains gets you on the fast train passing through Fribourg, Lausanne, and, about an hour and a half later, the city of Geneva. If you can, you will want to get a seat on the left side of the train heading from Bern to Geneva. At some point in the trip, you will pop out of a tunnel and be thrust headlong into a dreamscape of a view over Lake Geneva, the vineyards of the Lavaux, and the French Alps.

Thankfully, you can’t always judge a book by its cover. A few minutes later we were away from the train station and on the up and up for the rest of the day.

Your first view of Geneva as you leave the train station

To the Jet d'Eau

As you make your way from the Geneva train station towards the lake front, you get your first glimpse of Geneva’s iconic Jet d’Eau. If you have ever seen a picture of Geneva, then, more than likely, you are already familiar with this emblematic Swiss water feature which sends 5000 liters of water a second up to 140 meters or 460 ft into the air above Lake Geneva.

Looking at the Jet d'Eau, Geneva's iconic water feature, from a water taxi crossing the lake

While you can easily walk along the lake edge to get an up-close look at the Jet d’Eau, we made the most of our Swiss GA passes and took one of Geneva’s yellow public water taxis straight across. Lovingly referred to as Mouettes or seagulls, these boats are fairly cheap (even without the Swiss Pass) and make regular trips all around Geneva. I think getting on the water gives you the best view of the Jet d’Eau and helps to understand its scale a bit better. It is actually quite large.

By the time we made it across the lake and out onto the free pier where you can get exceptionally too close to this massive jet of water, the allure of spraying was starting to wear off and I was ready to see a bit more of the city.

Looking down the pier at the Jet d'Eau

Into Geneva's Town Center

Geneva's fairly plain stone Medieval Town Center

To get into the old town from the Jet d’Eau, we backtracked a bit, walking along the lakefront to Jardin Anglaise and Geneva's over-photographed garden clock. From there we headed up into the City Center, Geneva's main shopping district. In the morning when we got to the hundreds of stores hawking expensive watches and jewelry, things were pretty quiet but when we left in the afternoon, the streets were absolutely packed.

Not being ones to linger in shopping districts, we moved up the hill and into Geneva’s quite sizeable old town. As far as Medieval Swiss town centers go, Geneva’s is pretty plain. While most would be quick to dismiss this as just another detractor, knowing a bit of history here goes a really long way.

In the 16th Century, Geneva, home to John Calvin, became the veritable Rome of the Protestant Reformation. In rejection of the Catholic Church, Protestants called for, among other things, simplicity and the cleansing of frivolities like fanciful building facades that might detract from God. To be honest, things were pretty grim in Geneva at this time... fun was pretty much banned, public executions were commonplace, and residents realistically had two options: work hard or worship God (preferably both).

Today’s Swiss capitalism can, in part, trace its roots to Geneva and the Protestant Reformation, as can the famous Swiss watch industry. While the Protestants outlawed most jewelry, timepieces were considered a necessary evil to maintain productivity and efficiency (so Swiss of them). As a result, the Swiss watch industry swelled as one of the lone outlets for personal expression.

While the hills in Geneva don't seem like much at first glance, they are actually pretty steep and get grueling quickly. As soon as we were in the midst of the old town, we had worked up a decent hunger and decided to pop into a café for some rest and a late breakfast.

From my perspective, the French speaking Swiss take after their French brethren when it comes to their wonderfully diverse selection of delicious pastries and I am really unsure how they remain so incredibly fit while being confronted with such an endless array of sugary goodness. I guess some parts of life are just a mystery...

All I can say is, it is probably good that I live 3 hours away or the Pain de Chocolat would likely send me to an early grave.

After a caffeine and sugar fix, we were back on the town, this time headed for the pinnacle of the old town and the Reformation, St. Pierre Cathedral.

Geneva's St. Pierre Cathedral, adopted seat of John Calvin and the Protestant Reformation

2000 Years of History on the Hill

Most of St Pierre Cathedral is as plain on the inside as you would expect for a Protestant Swiss Canton, but the redecoration of one chapel in its original gothic revival style really gives a sense for the regal adornments that the Reformation culled in much of Switzerland. Of course, you can still find this type of decoration across most of the Catholic Cantons, but it is still quite interesting to get the direct comparison here. While the Cathedral itself is certainly worth a visit, what makes the spot especially engaging is what lies directly beneath your feet.

From 1976 to 2006 Geneva’s Cathedral was the site of one of Switzerland’s most ambitious archaeological excavations. Opened to the public in 2006, the excavation is now a fantastic archaeological museum tracing religion on the site back over 2000 years to pre-Christian times. Now I should forewarn you, I am an absolute nerd when it comes to archaeology. I think it has something to do with growing up in a place where evidence of ancient culture is fairly sparse. That being said, even Corinne, who has been force marched to historical sites her whole life, was pretty impressed by this one.

Three earlier Cathedrals have been uncovered at the site along with ample evidence of pre-Christian life and the funerary mound of an Allobrogian (or local Celtic) Chieftain. Countless animal sacrifices and shards of broken pottery speak to the site's important religious position in pre-Christian Geneva. While the archaeological museum is generally light on morbid history that no doubt once permeated church crypts, the skeleton of the Allobrogian Chieftain is partially excavated and on full display as you walk through a trench dug into the funerary pile.

The main nave of St. Pierre Cathedral on the left in properly plain Protestant style in contrast with the redecorated gothic-revival side chapel on the right.

While the museum plays up the mysterious coincidence of a Celtic burial site directly below the nave (or center) of the modern Cathedral, this makes perfect sense to me. How do you convince a fairly religious population to convert to Christianity in the 4th Century? You ease them into the idea by adopting their holidays and building a Church in the same place that they already go to worship. Every year on the 25th of December, we chop down a tree, put it in our house, fill it with miniature candles and hand out gifts. Yet, there is never any mention of Christ’s birthday in the Bible. Mysterious coincidence? I think not.

Something I did not really appreciate before going to this museum is the challenge archaeologists face interpreting overlapping history. To get additional information about the past, you must partially destroy what lies above. There is no real getting around it. The museum does a nice job of describing the decision-making processes and efforts to be as minimally invasive as possible while still presenting the history of the site in high fidelity.

To me, this museum is a triumph. More than just some artifacts in a box, it makes history accessible and really demonstrates the multi-faceted field of archaeological study. We spent many hours exploring the maze of underground rooms, listening to the audio guide, and reading all the signs but you don’t have to spend as much time as we did to get an appreciation for this humble hill and the 2000 years of history that are hidden in plain sight here at the Protestant heart of Geneva.

Archaeological excavations of three churches and an Allobrogian burial mound directly beneath St. Pierre Cathedral.

A Late Lunch and Chocolate that Brought us to Tears

When we finally emerged back into the light after hours in the dimly lit excavations under St Pierre Cathedral, I was ecstatic and was ready to continue marching thorough the old town. Corinne kindly reminded me that it was 2 pm and the only meal we had had for the day was a single pastry. Maybe all this history to explore is why Geneva is so fit? That must be it…

To be honest, as soon as we sat down in the little Crepe shop off the Place du Bourg-de-Four, Geneva’s oldest square, I was glad Corinne had reigned me in. The food was delightful, and I had a bit of time to process everything we had just seen. When I travel on my own, eating often becomes an afterthought but that is not always the best move. In some cases, you might find as much to love about a place by finding a comfortable seat in a café and letting life unfold in front of you.

After our meal, we were content with our trip. Rather than spoil it by doing too much more, we decided the best solution would be to wander the town a bit and make our way back to the train station. We passed the Reformation wall, meandered through some narrow alleyways and eventually ended up back on the, now packed, Rue du Rhône where we popped into Zeller Chocolatier for a bit of desert. We bought a bar of dark chocolate and a couple of truffles then continued our wander finding a magical view of Mt. Blanc, Europe’s highest peak, from a small island where Lake Geneva flows into the Rhône.

About halfway to the train station, we broke into the chocolate and nearly fell to the ground weeping. I can say, beyond the shadow of a doubt, this was the most divine, smooth, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate that I have ever had in my entire life… If you have a chance, make Zeller a stop on your trip to Geneva (totally unsponsored, by the way, this chocolate is really just that good).

Exceptional crepes at Crêperie du Bourg-de-Four on Geneva's oldest town square.

A Fairy-tale Sunset over Lake Geneva

I thought the chocolate was the cherry on top of our trip to Geneva as we climbed up into the train taking us back to Bern but there was one more surprise to be had. Timing was on our side. We reached the vineyards of the Lavaux just as the sun was setting over the Alps and Lake Geneva. The perfect way to end an excellent day in Switzerland’s French speaking metropolis, Geneva.

If you are looking for other ideas for day trips from Geneva, consider heading over to the stunning shores of Lake Neuchâtel, up into the mountains of the Valais, or to Avenches, the captial of Roman Helvetia.

If you enjoyed hearing about this trip, check out the other articles in our series One Year: 26 Cantons and, until next time, gute Reise, and feel free to share your suggestions in the comments below!

Lovely sunset views over Lake Geneva from the train back to Bern