Touching down at Geneva Airport in Geneva makes it easy to explore, with nearby places close enough for simple day trips. Geneva sits at the tip of Lake Geneva with Mont Blanc on the horizon, a small, international city of diplomats, watchmakers, and lakeside promenades. It is neat and calm, with a French-speaking soul, and the mountains, vineyards, and lake villages of two countries are all within an hour.

Standout experiences around Geneva: - Watch the Jet d'Eau fountain shoot 140 meters above the lake - Climb the towers of Saint Pierre Cathedral in the old town - Swim or sunbathe at the Bains des Pâquis and have fondue there in winter - Tour the Palais des Nations and the Red Cross museum - Visit CERN and its exhibition on the edge of the city - Browse the artisan shops and bistros of Carouge, the little Italian-style quarter - Ride a yellow mouette water taxi across the harbor - Take the cable car up the Salève for a view back over the city - Order longeole sausage with potatoes, Geneva's own dish

Geneva is a base for the whole lake and the Alps. Lausanne's old town and Olympic Museum are forty-five minutes along the shore, with the terraced Lavaux vineyards and Montreux just beyond. The medieval lakeside village of Yvoire is forty-five minutes away on the French side, and Annecy's canals and lake about the same. Chamonix and the Mont Blanc cable cars are about an hour, and Gruyères, with its castle and cheese, around ninety minutes. In December the city celebrates the Escalade by smashing chocolate cauldrons and parading in 1602 costume. Geneva is small, polished, and perfectly placed.