Prestigious hotels around the bay of Geneva

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Geneva was an international  city of traders since the Middle Ages. Accomodation was needed for businessmen and pilgrims on their way from northern to southern Europe. In the 19th century, after Jean-Jacques Rousseau and with the Romantic movement, the contemplation of nature became important for the travellers who found the necessary comfort in luxurious hotels built by the lakeside between 1830 and 1950. Today, most of these hotels have been adapted to the needs of modern comfort and some of them have kept their original seduction. Internationally famous personalities, from heads of state to artists, have filled their guestbooks or left testimonies of their impression of the protestant Rome in their correspondence or publications. The visitor captures the music of these remembrances.

 

Guide: Marlyse Beldi
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Geneva’s expansion under Guillaume-Henri Dufour

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Born in Konstanz (Wurtemberg, Germany) of emigrated Geneva citizens, educated at the Ecole Polytechnique of Paris, after serving Napoleon as an officer until 1817, Dufour returns to Geneva where the local authorities entrust him with the first modernization of the city. He modifies the banks of the River Rhone, creates new streets, is a co-founder of the International Red Cross, saves the country at risk during a severe crisis in 1847 thus becoming a major figure in the Swiss national history.

This walk invites you to an insight into the numerous achievements of this outstanding personality.

 

 

Guide: Marlyse Beldi
Registration with the guide is mandatory.

 

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Meeting the History of Geneva in the Parc des Bastions

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At first entitled the Belle Promenade, the parc des Bastions has been thoroughly modified when the military fortifications were dismantled in the 19th century. Today it is a favourite meeting place for the Genevans. The Reformation Wall on one side faces the old University building on the opposite side of this green lung of 64968 square meters of lawn, flower beds and walks lined with trees in the center of the city. While the Town Hall reminds us of an Italian mansion at the upper end, an ornate wrought-iron gate leads to the place Neuve at the lower end, where chess players gather during the summer months. Some of the most famous scientists, humanists, theologians and politicians are remembered in this garden. A quiet stroll along the meandering paths around various memorials and sculptures will allow you to meet them.

Guide: Marlyse Beldi
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Along the waterside of Geneva

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We shall walk from the Rousseau island to the “Jonction” where the rivers Rhone and Arve meet. Along the way, unexpected spots of untouched nature, testimonies of the industrial and agricultural past of the city, modern constructions on the right bank of the river will be shown to you.

Guide: Evelyn Riedener
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Squares of Geneva, a look at the city’s town-planning

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Favourite meeting places at the crossroads of European trade routes or intimate meeting places, the squares of Geneva greatly differ from each other. This walk exploring time and space offers an insight into the most important historical events that have occurred there shaping the peculiar destiny of the city.

Guide: Marlyse Beldi
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