Going to Geneva

What to do in Geneva

by Gigi Ragland

In a country lauded for clockwork precision, Geneva can feel like a theme-park parody of itself: Witness the monumental clocks on either side of Lake Geneva, the tick-tock parade of luxury brands along Rue du Rhône, the elevator ride to glimpse the inner workings of the world’s tallest pendulum clock at the Hotel Cornavin … This famously buttoned-up city of diplomats, bankers, and multinational business folk does, however, let its hair down. Grungy venues like L’Usine on the banks of the Rhône bring some counterculture programming to Geneva’s neat facade, while the Italianate enclave of Carouge has witnessed an influx of bohemian fashionistas and foodies. Head to Rue de Berne for a taste of Geneva’s multicultural hodgepodge, where Arabic teashops mingle with the burlesque cabarets and hipster bars of the city’s red-light district.

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