Practical information : Accomodation Geneva
Budget & Tips
Hotel rates are almost twice as high in Switzerland as in France for the same service. No pleasant double room for less than CHF 180. Accommodation in Switzerland is therefore expensive, but the hotels are generally very well maintained and of good quality. It is good to know that at weekends, many establishments offer good rates. Overnight stays in Geneva are mainly concentrated during the week with business tourism. You will also find the entire range of hotels of medium budget hotel chains. For a low-cost stay: bed and breakfasts offer a good solution (see www.bnb.ch), as do youth hostels.
To be booked
With 125 hotels and nearly 10,000 rooms, Geneva is ready to welcome you in all seasons. A city home to major international organisations and large companies, Geneva regularly hosts congresses and seminars that quickly fill the hotels. It is therefore prudent to make reservations. Impossible to find a room during the Motor Show in March.
What's very local
If there is one thing that is special about Geneva, it is the luxury hotels. With some fifteen 5-star hotels, real palaces, and many 4-star hotels, Geneva's offer is oriented towards the top of the range. While tipping is not compulsory and not expected, it is welcome when the service - which is always the case - is smiling and professional.
For food lovers
Although breakfast buffets have become "international" over the years, they have the reputation of being generous, even copious in Switzerland, where regional cold meats and dairy products go well with fruit juice and coffee.
Smokers
In a country where tobacco advertising and promotion is still possible, the legislation is more restrictive for smokers in the canton of Geneva, where smoking is prohibited in public places. If you venture to smoke on a terrace, don't be surprised by the black looks and above all pick up your cigarette butt well.
Tourist traps
There are very few tourist attractors and rabble-rousers in Geneva. The place where you can get trapped is, on arriving at the airport, being "directed" to an illegal taxi.