Geneva | The Best Travel Destinations

Jet d’Eau Fountain – Geneva

Jet d’Eau Fountain – Geneva

The Jet d’Eau fountain, icon of Geneva, is inescapable – emblazoned on every piece of tourist literature and every book about the city, it’s the logo of the tourist office and Geneva’s prime photo-op. Even if you happen to visit off season when it’s switched off, you’ll be in no doubt what you’re missing.

Its predecessor dated from 1886, when the new hydraulic turbines on the Rhône built up excessive water pressure after the city’s craftsmen had closed the valves in their workshops and gone home. An engineer created a temporary outlet which spurted a 30m fountain to release the pressure while a reservoir system was developed, but by the time the fountain became unnecessary a few wily Genevois had caught on to its power as a tourist attraction. Continue reading Jet d’Eau Fountain – Geneva

Geneva – Switzerland

Geneva - Switzerland

Geneva is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandie (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). Situated where the Rhône River exits Lake Geneva (in French also known as Lac Léman), it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.

Geneva has been described as the third European financial centre after London and Zurich, and the world’s eighth most important financial centre by the Global Financial Centres Index, ahead of Frankfurt and Sydney, and a 2009 survey by Mercer found Geneva to have the third-highest quality of life of any city in the world (narrowly outranked by Zürich). The city has been referred to as the world’s most compact metropolis and the “Peace Capital”. In 2009, Geneva was ranked as the fourth most expensive city in the world.

Absolute musts to visit!

If you are passing through Geneva, do not miss visiting the following places:

Jet d’eau (water fountain)

Originally a simple security valve at the Coulouvrenière hydraulic factory, this water fountain has, over the years, grown to be the symbol of Geneva.
In 1891, it was transferred to the “Rade”, to become a major tourist attraction. However, it was not until 1951 that it was provided with an autonomous pumping station, propelling 500 litres of water per second to a height of 140 metres at a speed of 200 km per hour (124 miles/h).
Eight 9,000-watt projectors light the fountain’s majestic column in the evening as it soars skywards.

Flower Clock

A symbol of the Geneva watch industry of world renown, the famous flower clock, located at the edge of the Jardin Anglais (English Garden) since 1955, is a masterpiece of technology and floral art.
Formerly only decorative with its sole dial comprising over 6,500 flowers, the new millennium provided it with decisive artistic dimensions thanks to the ingenuity of the gardeners of the Service of Green Spaces and the Environment.
It is now composed of eight concentric circles, the colours of which vary with the seasons and the plants which make up the display.
Did you know that the seconds hand of Geneva’s Flower Clock is the largest in the world (it is more than 2.5 meters long)!

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