Summer Travel Plans: Geneva

Saturday, 1 August 2015
Hello everyone! It's the first of August which marks roughly one month until I set off on holiday. This is my first 'grown up' holiday and by that I mean it's the first holiday I've been on without my parents. So I'm nervous about it for a lot of reasons. When girls go on holiday for the first time with their friends there are some very popular locations: Malaga, Kavos, Magaluf, Ibiza etc. Where are me and my friends going? Geneva, Switzerland. Purely with the intention of visiting CERN: home to nuclear physics. I. Am. Such. A. Dweeb. But I guess that's what happens when you put four science nerds together and ask them where they want to go on holiday. This trip was pretty spontaneous we suggested it and booked it in the space of like three days. Normally I'm a meticulous planner so that seems a bit crazy but I am so glad we booked it and I'm excited to go and have an amazing time. 

Photo sources 1, 2 and 3.


We're going to Geneva for four days. We fly out early morning and fly home late at night four days later. This is ideal because we only have to pay for three nights but still get four whole days in the city. The Easy Jet flights were only £70 return which is amazing seeing as Geneva is dubbed one of the most expensive cities in the world(which I learnt after I'd booked the tickets!). We've decided only to take hand luggage with us to save on the costs. To be honest when my family goes on holiday we normally only take two suitcases with us and pack the rest in my hand luggage so this isn't something that I find daunting at all. In fact, I'm excited for the challenge of packing and will probably write a blog post about packing light closer to the time.

With our accommodation we get a pass for free public transport around Geneva which is absolutely superb. However, Geneva is a small city and is pretty flat so walking places will also be very easy. We're used to trekking around hilly Edinburgh in the pouring rain so I'm sure a few idyllic strolls around Geneva will be a welcomed addition.


We have booked ourselves into a hostel for three nights which is costing us around £90 each. We had to book two twin rooms as the dorms were all full so it was a bit more expensive than we were originally planning but at least we have a little bit more privacy. Staying in a hostel isn't something that I have a problem, this one has lockers so I'm sure all of our stuff will be safe. It's in a good, central location and we get a pass for free public transport included. There are also some extra benefits like half price entry to the Red Cross Museum.


Obviously we want to go an see CERN, it was one of the main reasons we wanted to go to Geneva in the first place. You can actually only apply for tickets to go 15 days before your trip. Which means that we still don't know whether we are 100% going or not but we are very hopeful. Chemistry is my true love but I do have a soft spot for physics so I'm sure I'd find the tour very interesting. CERN is so big that when you go on the tour you have to take your passport with you as you pass into French territory underground. That's amazing!

But if we don't get tickets to CERN there are still a load of amazing things to see and do in Geneva. It's an absolutely beautiful city so even just wandering around is a sightseeing tour in itself. Personally I really want to do a lot of photography whilst in Geneva so I'll be taking my DSLR along with me. The iconic fountain should also be absolutely beautiful. One of my friends mentioned taking a cable car up Mont Seleve which I'm sure would be awesome. And if it rains there are a ton of beautiful museums to go and see!

So that's my summer holiday plans. Have you got anything booked at the moment? And if you have any tips relating to Geneva or Switzerland in general then please leave me a comment!


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