Cheap Car Hire Geneva

The smallest metropolis in the World

City of Parks, Capital of Peace, the smallest metropolis in the World – Geneva has many names, and the selection indicates the diversity of the second biggest city in Switzerland.

The Alps never out of reach with your car hire, Geneva is located in the French-speaking part of the country at the confluence of the river Rhône and Lake Geneva. On the right banks you will mostly find hotels and restaurants, whereas the left bank is amongst others occupied by the Old Town and the business district. Though Geneva has a population of merely 200,000, half of them holding foreign citizenship, it has gained fame across the world as the home to countless international organisations. The United Nations runs various branches, and non-governmental organisations like the Red Cross, the World Economic Forum, and Médicins Sans Frontières have chosen the small city on the lake as their headquarters.

Parks 

The main landmark in town is Jet d’Eau, a 140 m (450 ft.) fountain in the lake.
Even as you approach the city by airplane it will already reveal its charm to you as you can detect large patterns of green amidst the town grey. The largest park is the English Garden, featuring the Horloge Fleuri, a clock made of flowers symbolising the famous Geneva watch industry. Another great park for spending a relaxed afternoon is the botanical garden, overflowing with exotic flowers, though kids especially enjoy the small zoo on the premises.

Museums

Amongst the many museums in town the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum is particularly interesting and can be easily reached in your car hire. The excellent permanent exhibition will introduce you to the great work the organisation has been doing since its foundation in 1919, and temporary exhibitions inform visitors about relating topics like the nurse profession, humanitarian intervention in various countries, or the life of Florence Nightingale.

Should the Red Cross building have sparked your interest in the great organisations of the world you should stop by the Palais de Nations, formerly League of Nations Palace. When this organisation was dissolved in 1946 its successor moved in; the building now houses the United Nations European headquarters. It is situated in Ariana Park and parts of it are open to the public- the parks can also easily be reached by car hire.

Yet more museums of interest are the Musée Ariana, a ceramics and glass gallery, the ethnological museum, displaying more than 100,000 items from all over the world, and of course the clock museum.

What to do

As far as entertainment is concerned the smallest metropolis has a very satisfying programme. The international community has had an enormous impact on the flair of the tranquil town on the lake, and international artists perform in clubs or in the Grand Théâtre, the town opera.

One of the biggest events in town is Le Bol d’Or, the biggest annual sailing event on a European lake. The tournament is held in June and opens a series of events and festivals which ends on December 11th with a huge procession with torches and costumes, commemorating the Savoy siege of the city in 1602.

To get a bird’s-eye view of the city you can climb the north tower of Saint Pierre Cathedral or aim even higher: the peak of Mount Salève in neighbouring France. A cable car will take you to an altitude of 1,100 m (3600 ft) from where you have a magnificent view over the city, the lake, and the rest of the Alps.

Should you still have some time after this extensive tour of Geneva you can take a boat tour of the lake or reserve a car hire and hit the mountains in search of Heidi.