My favorite museum is the Tavel House (Maison Tavel), which talks about Geneva's history. This is the oldest house in the entire city, and one of the oldest remaining buildings from the original city center. On the many floors are artifacts from different periods and types of life in Geneva, an interactive geographical history video, and an outstanding relief map of Geneva in 1850 that took the creator over 40 years to make. My favorite floor is the apartment level, which recreates what the house really looked like back in its glory days, which I love the personal feel of. Here's a pdf of the visitor guide.
My favorite café to go to, Kafé Déko, is niched in between the train station and a movie theatre. It kind of has a strange vibe, but I like it because they have a wide variety of teas and it's always quiet enough to read my book if I go on my own on a Sunday evening. However, they apparently also hold live music and interesting parties judging by their facebook photos, haha!
My favorite restaurant is a Chinese place called Le Mandarin. It's a little pricey on a student's budget, but so worth it! My favorite things are their nems and peking duck! I don't think I'll ever get tired of this place. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
My favorite bar (and restaurant) is Demi Lune, a lesser-known place in the old town mostly frequented by locals, and therefore one of the best haunts! It was this bar that got me hooked on my now favorite cocktail- amaretto sour. They have a comfy vibe and serve delicious cocktails, appetizers, and burgers.
Bastions Park is a great place to spend some time. It's best appreciated in the summer, when the restaurant hosts salsa dancing, there are lots of funny old men playing life-sized chess, music concerts are being held, and everyone's lounging in the sun. In winter, the salsa area turns into a skating rink and the park remains a primary meeting place. Also to be appreciated is the long, tall wall dedicated to the history of Geneva and Christianity, with four prominent history figures and other historical scenes carved into it. During the Escalade festival celebrating Geneva's history in December, they shoot an old cannon out from above this wall.
My other favorite park is Parc de La Perle du Lac, which is a long, sprawling park along the west side of the lake. It's home to a namesake restaurant, docks, a small science museum, a few old buildings, and lots of space to lay out. This is the all-important place where free movies are shown on a huge inflatable screen in the summer, and its unobstructed views have a great look across the lake to the "wealthy" side of town on the east bank.
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