Summer in Geneva
Perched on the banks of the luminescent Lake Geneva, just minutes from the fabled Swiss Riviera, Geneva is surely one of Switzerland’s most enchanting summer destinations and Genevans waste no time in celebrating the arrival of the sun. Summer in Geneva is the ideal time for exploring the outdoors, so don’t just check out the city sights – take a walk or ride the tourist train around the UNESCO-listed Lavaux vineyards, ride the cable car to the top of nearby Mt Salève, enjoy hiking around Montreux or go whitewater rafting down Geneva’s Arve River.
One of the most popular summer pastimes is taking a boat cruise around Lake Geneva, but if you’re on a budget, hop on one of the popular Mouettes Genevoises passenger boats instead – you can get a ride to most of the towns and villages around the lake and enjoy the incredible views along the way. There are also numerous spots for swimming and water sports around the lake – try Nyon plage, Plage de Rolle, Bains des Paquis or Plage de Préverenges, or head to Evian on the French side of the lake, where you can swim in authentic ‘Evian’ mineral water. For swimming pools, L’Amarr@ge is Geneva’s most unique choice, a Swiss flag-shaped swimming pool floating on the Rhône River, but there’s also the Geneva Plage, the Olympic-sized Verger pool in Meyrin and the Vitram water park.
Summer is also festival time in Geneva and the biggest event of the season is the Fêtes de Genève (Geneva Festival), which runs for 3 weeks in July and features dozens of free music concerts, cultural events, amusement rides, crafts markets and street food, culminating in a huge fireworks display over the lake. Other important dates for the diary include the famous Montreux Jazz Festival, held in late June or July, the Fête de la Musique in June and Swiss National Day on August 1st. Additional summer events include free weekly yoga in the Beaulieu and Perle du Lac parks; a series of free music concerts organized by the Musiques en Été festival; and the Ciné Transat open-air cinema in Perle du Lac Park, which holds screenings in July and August.
