Free musems in Geneva

While I was searching for some of the best places to visit in Switzerland, I found this interesting article on free places to visit in Geneva. As you may know, Geneva is a cosmopolitan City, packed with old and new, where large brands like Rolex can be found all over the city, where tourist attractions are endless and where people are calm and peaceful. So, if you find yourself in the city just for few days, you should not waste time searching for free places to visit, because the most important attractions can be visited for free. But today, I want to talk about 3 museums that are free and that should definitely be visited if you find yourself in this city! I will also provide a link to their official website

Musée d'histoire des sciences (Museum of History of Science)

This museum is really large and you should be prepared to walk for about 3 hours if you want to see everything. It's probably one of the biggest free museums in Europe.

Muséum d'histoire naturelle (Natural History Museum)

Espace Lullin

Institut et Musée Voltaire

Maison Tavel

Musée d'art et d'histoire (Museum of Art and History)

Sphinx Observatory in Switzerland - gazing the stars from the 'roof of Europe'

You might say that the image above was edited into a special software, since it's hard to believe that a such place can exist on our planet. Well, for those who doubt the authenticity of this image, they have not yet made acquaintance with 'The Sphinx', the observer that allows you to gaze the stars from an altitude of 3,571 meters.

This viewing structure was places on unfavorable environment and rocks and everything about it produces awe and admiration. Sphinx is a building placed at the highest altitude in Europe, and the main purpose of the Centre is to explore the stars.

If you ever find yourself in Berne, you can take a 45 minutes train ride to the mountains, and from there you should take a few hours road to the observatory. Such viewing platforms offers superb memories that will last forever.

On 13 December, 2001 the UNESCO declared the Jungfrau-Aletsch-Bietschhorn as the first monument in the Alpine Region of Switzerland. Most of it is not accessible to tourists, but they are still allowed to watch the stars (or the surrounding) from the terrace of the observer.

image sources: guardian.co.uk, kuriositas.com, flickr.com/photos/fukagawa/78409403
source: Travel Places

Zermatt, the dream city

If you get yourself mesmerized by the beauty of the Swiss Riviera, it's time to visiting one of a kind resort, Zermatt, starting from Tasch and ride with the train for approx 5km north. When you're on the road, you should enjoy the mountain dream landscapes, each snowy peak or a valley after a shorter leash curve, the sun and green road "painted" with mountains of stone, everything combining into a divine arrangement.

Zermatt is the Ski Paradise, amongst the best of Switzerland, the perfect place to see, with torn landscape of our everyday reality and so trivial. Swiss will not ceased to surprise you even here, as well as in all the places you may visit in your Swiss holiday.

In Zermatt, the most impressive "temptation" of natural beauty, is the highest peak of Matterhorn, with its dizzying height of 4478 m. Zermatt is breathtaking, with its villas, hotels only 4 and 5 *, pensions. Everything is decorated in abundance with flowers. It's practically a symphony of flowers masterful arranged in pots. Red and pink flowers are pretty common here, but you can also see white or yellow flowers. Everything is combined into a multicolored carpet.

You should know that Zermatt is all about classic hotels and pensions that are not built recently. I'm not saying that they are old, I'm saying that the resort respects its traditions and values, and it looks gorgeous. Most buildings are wooden beams painted dark brown, mostly with 2-4 floors and the ground floor is packed with shops, restaurants, terraces and so many painters that are eager to paint your portrait. At many restaurants or even building facades, you can see hanging all kinds of traditional chariot wheels, axes, shovels and other accessories that dress the city as if there is a small holiday in every day of the week. Zermatt is all about the beauty of life ... pulsating positive life in every tourist that's there. Getting a Swiss guest room in Zermatt is not difficult, and you should check the online offers before going there.

The 5 Best Places to visit in Geneva

If you plan to visit a great city that will get you back to that Zen mood, you should try Geneva. Believe it or not, I fell in love with shop's glossy windows, with their golden watches, their quite and loud areas, their visitors. Geneva is also the second capital of the United Nations, so if you are lucky you can meet few diplomats and all kinds of people: some rich guys with no limit credit cards, some with strict scales. Many multinational corporations have moved their European headquarters in the city of Geneva.

The best places of Geneva

1. Water Fountain (Jet d'Eau)

This jet of water is unique and pretty famous. Its streams water (500 liters per second) that reaches a height of 140 meters and can be seen from everywhere. In order to see it close, you need to go to the pier of Lake Geneva and take your boat ticket. If you'll get a guide, you will learn more about the city in a common language (English and French). When you get off the boat, you should try lunch in the Bains des Paquins, at the restaurant on the pier.

2. Flower Clock

Take a walk towards the banks area and take your time to admire the Flower Clock, a symbol of the famous Geneva watch industry, located right at the end of the Jardin Anglais (the English garden).

3. The restaurants


From the flower clock, you have a 5 minutes of walk to Patek Philippe Museum (Rues des Vieux-Grenadiers on 7, in an Art Deco building), which is a must to go and spend at least an hour to better understand their 500 years history of watches. You need to learn about how brilliant were these people who created the brand now over 160 years and why they are the strongest in terms of luxury watches. Personally, I would like to spend at least 3 days per year in this sensational museum. For more details, you could access the company's official website. If you're there, you should taste the luxury shopping and then go to dinner in the new city area (if you want traditional food), or you can stop by the Edelweiss, where you can listen to some traditional Swiss musician, and you can practice your Alpine horn blowing skills at Manotel restaurant. If you want to go French all the way, take a walk on Rue Rossi (the Rossi street) and eat at La Certitude or Place de Molard restaurant.

4. Vieille Ville / Old Town

This is an area full of art galleries, antique shops, bookstores and bistros. You should visit Bourg-de Four (it is said that Caesar passed through here), which is the center of the town. From there, visit Rue de la Cite and stop at house number 24, at the intersection with Rue de la Terraces, because there you will find the place where Ferdinand of Saussure lived. 200 feet further the road, check the no 28 house, because there lived Jorge Luis Borges for several years. In that area there is the Africa- Asia Museum, and you should also take a look. From there, it's pretty easy to go and see the house where Jean-Jacques Rousseau lived (who is very praised in Geneva) and then take a walk on Rue Saint Pierre and see the City Hall.

One of the main tourist attractions from Old Town is the St. Peter's Cathedral, where you heart of Calvinism lies. Do not expect lavish decorations, as we speak of a Catholic cathedral that became the largest Calvinist church. Near the cathedral, you can see the Calvin Auditorium (where John Knox preached) and the International Museum of the Reformation. For more information about the museum visit www.musee-reforme.ch. In order to get back to the city, follow the line depicted by the Reformation Wall, an impressive wall dedicated to leading figures of the Swiss Reformation: John Calvin, Theodore bases, John Knox and Guillaume Farel. Their sculptures are proudly placed in the University Park, a place where you can go rollerblading, skateboarding, bicycling, and walk freely on the grass.  I loved to read books there for two or three hours.

5. Having fun in Geneva

If you're looking to have fun in a nice club, go to Sip, near Patek Philippe Museum (where tourists and local folks gather) or Java, which can be found on Quai du Mont, near Theatre du Leman, where it audience something younger and full of life. For a more relaxing night, you can choose between pubs, wineries, piano-bars, champagne-bars, or why not, you can go to a cabaret. Do not miss walking through the Red District (but watch out, it can be dangerous!), preferably on foot, to catch all the interesting details.

Bonus: Other places to visit in Geneva
Place de Nations, MAMCO (Modern and Contemporary Art Museum), Bodmer Museum, Carouge. 

Switzerland - The country of romance

What is romance? What does it mean to be romantic? In a world where everything glides around technology, it's pretty hard to define romance. If you lost that notion and you need your refill of joy and love, you should visit Switzerland. This is the country where green landscapes and memorable mountains meet just like the Earth and the Sky meet one second just before dawn, Switzerland is the place to be if you want to look for yourself.

I lived in Switzerland for two years, and being there gave me new coordinates in my life. Geneva is not the Capital of the country, but it's the most beautiful city to visit if you want the best of Switzerland. There, you have a lot of Swiss history, you can see the mountains, you can visit old religious monuments. If you want to visit Swiss' best sky resort, you should check the Crans Montana or the Zermatt areas.