Switzerland
The best burgers in Switzerland with meat carefully sourced from local cows grazing in the Alpine pastures above Lake Geneva. Rubbing shoulders in lovely restaurant with families on holiday in the Jura, commuters from the United Nations, cross-country skiers and climbers AND accessible via the funicular railway from nearby Nyon (or easily by car). Incredibly friendly English-speaking owner who really knows about high quality burger ingredients!
www.randoburger.ch/
Rando Burger, Route d'Arzier 12, 1264 St-Cergue, Vaud, Suisse
+41 22 360 03 03
Google map: bit.ly/VEd6Ol
Manor is a huge department store near Cornavin. It has a wonderful food department - akin to M&S or higher quality. The entire floor is taken up with deli counters and wonderful fresh food.
The bakery section is particularly good and you can also watch them make enormous ciabatta sandwiches (1m x 2m) that they then cut up, or roll out croissants to bake on the premises.
If you also go upstairs there is a wonderful cafe/restaurant in a self-service canteen style which is a great place to have breakfast (try the Birchermeusli), lunch (the fried fish is yummy) or tea (coffee and cakes...mmmm). The food is all prepared in front of you, and often cooked for you, but the price is very reasonable, and if you are lucky you can get a seat with a great view across the rooftops to the Saleve.
And then you can do shopping on three more floors filled with everything from beauty products and clothes to electrical items.
Rue de Chantepoulet
Link: <maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Manor+&sll=46.207361,6.146834&sspn=0.001737,0.004533&ie=UTF8&ll=46.20869,6.14464&spn=0.00695,0.018132&t=h&z=16&iwloc=A>
The Promenade des Bastions runs from the old city down to Place Neuve (the main square of Geneva) and goes past the Mur des Reformateurs - check out the chess boards with giant-sized chess pieces for the public to use for Sunday afternoon games.
There are also numerous cheap cafés.
The Promenade des Bastions is a 30 min walk from Cornavin train station and 20 mins from St Peters Cathedral in the old city
Lovely Singaporean restaurant next to a sex shop in the Paquis. Don't let it put you off, the food is superb and, for these parts, uncompromisingly spicy. A warm multilingual welcome awaits. It's not cheap but it's worth every franc.
14 rue de Neuchâtel
Phone: (022) 7313303
It is that rarity for Geneva: an inexpensive, unpretentious restaurant, popular with students, immigrants and UN employees. A plate of delicious lamb couscous is 15 Swiss francs and the wine list, while limited, is very reasonably priced. It is in the funky Paquis district. In the summer, there is a casual outside terrace for dining or just sipping the soothing mint tea. And there is even a no smoking section - also rare for Geneva.
In the Paquis district, at 11, rue du Dr. Alfred Vincent
Stylish restaurant with a great roof terrace, perfect for warm evenings. Unusually good range of vegetarian food served by friendly staff in very pleasant surroundings.
21 rue de la Corraterie, Geneva, close to Place Neuve, the old town and the Reformation Wall. Phone 022 310 53 40 Website (in French): www.ubobba.ch
A lido jutting out into the lake. Perfect when Geneva is hot and you are feeling envious of the ducks paddling around - you can join them. Entry is super cheap, there is a good cafe serving substantial salads and terrines and showers/ loos/ changing rooms. There are different sectioned off swimming areas, some deeper, some shallower (and with a pebbly beach for little ones). Super relaxing and quite fun to be bobbing around next to a family of ducks. It's open from early til 8pm and they also have a hammam and massage facilities (but think hammam is currently being refurbished and you definitely need to book for massages).
Quai du Mont-Blanc 30
1201 GENEVE
www.bains-des-paquis.ch/
A friendly neighbourhood bar in the relaxed Carouge area. Run by a young team, nicely decorated, with an outdoor patio of comfy sofas shielded by a wall of willows. Nice wine list, tho' everyone seemed to be drinking rose. Some good bar snacks (assiettes of charcuterie/ cheese and chunks of good bread).
Rue Ancienne 1, 1227 Carouge
Well connected by trams (Marche or Ancienne stops on the 12 or 13 line)
For the tyke with a sensitive palate, now the £ looks down disdainfully on the Swiss Franc, it's worth a visit to Rolle, in the Canton of Vaud, about 25 kms from Geneva. Filets de perche, an amazingly delicate fish, from the Lake Leman (fifty yards away), where they have their own fisherman. Drink their own wine from the local vineyard. Perfect chips
For the Cafe du Port, take the Route du Lac for 25 kilometres, from Geneva Airport. At the entry to Rolle, follow the sign that says "Port". Booking essential
Tel: 00 41 21 825 15 20
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