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Five beautiful Swiss villages just a short trip from Geneva

Live in Geneva and want to get away but don't have too much time? These five beautiful villages are less than an hour away, making them perfect for a day trip.

Published: 2 May 2022 10:08 CEST
Updated: 16 May 2022 13:13 CEST
The Swiss village Bursins (VD). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse”
The Swiss village Bursins (VD). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse”

Just a few kilometres from the diplomatic capital of Switzerland, there are little gems to be discovered any time of year. 

These five villages have been selected by “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse” (The most beautiful Villages in Switzerland), an organisation which aims to protect and promote those villages and small towns that have a distinct architectural, landscape and historical beauty.

Whether you seek to discover them in just one day or combine them together, a pleasant journey awaits you!

Don’t live near Geneva? Check out the following links for more beautiful Swiss villages. 

Five beautiful Swiss villages located less than an hour from Zurich

Six beautiful Swiss villages located near the Austrian border

Five beautiful Swiss villages located less than an hour from Basel

Dardagny (GE)

Not far from the chaotic city of Geneva lies this magnificent village with its rich history, reflected in its imposing castle. The surrounding nature invites you to rest and reflect.

Dardagny has a lot of charm: in addition to typical winegrowers’ architecture and a beautiful landscape, the village offers an exceptional quality of life, reflected in a strong community spirit, proud producers and a dynamic association system. Located in the heart of its vineyard, Dardagny is an enviable example of a small, rural, autonomous and attractive settlement.

Must see: The imposing castle, the lovely Malval chapel.

The Swiss village Dardagny (GE). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse”

The Swiss village Dardagny (GE). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse”

Bursins (VD)

The village lies gently sloping amidst extensive vineyards, while Lake Geneva and the surrounding peaks offer a romantic backdrop with postcard views.

Its romanesque church is a real gem.

Halfway between Geneva and Lausanne, the picturesque village of Bursins sits on a promontory in the Jura, overlooking an exceptional panorama where the vineyards seem to dip as far as the eye can see into the calm waters of the lake, with the Alps and the imposing Mont Blanc as a background.

Must see: The beautiful romanesque church and Château Rosey.

The landscape surrounding the Swiss village of Bursins.

Romainmôtier (VD)

In the mysterious Vallon du Nozon lies this village with its romanesque monastery, one of the oldest in Switzerland, and its medieval houses such as the Prior’s House. Romainmôtier is not limited to its main jewel, the 10th-century abbey church, modelled on the church at Cluny.

The village is full of life and stories, beautifully presented thanks to the guided walk “Romainmôtier, the unsuspected”. The village is located in the Jura Vaudois Regional Nature Park, recognised as being of national importance since 2013.

Must see: The 10th century abbey church and the Prior’s house.

The Swiss village Romainmôtier (VD). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse” and ©Michel Gaudard

The Swiss village Romainmôtier (VD). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse” and ©Michel Gaudard

Saint-Saphorin (VD)

The Provençal soul of the village is evident in the thousand colours and fragrances that waft through its alleyways. A walk through the famous vineyards of Lavaux is a unique experience for the eye and the nose. You can enjoy an aperitif on the historic village square and yellow gold still flows from the old wine press.

A charming village where the traditions are alive and the fascination enduring. As a neighbour, Charlie Chaplin used to walk there with his family, hitting the pavement with his legendary cane and enjoying the Provençal air that prevails in the stone village.

Must see: The beautiful gothic church and the famous vineyards.

The Swiss village Saint-Saphorin (VD). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse”

The Swiss village Saint-Saphorin (VD). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse”

Moudon (VD)

The former capital of Vaud consists of two parts: the upper part with its “crumbling” houses, unique in Switzerland, and the lower part with stately buildings and the imposing Saint-Etienne church.

The high facades of the molasse rocks tower above the Broye, giving the upper town its typical medieval character. The town has two special attractions: the Vieux-Moudon Museum and the Eugène Burnand Museum.

Must see: The “crumbling” houses  and the Saint-Etienne church.

The Swiss village Moudon (VD). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse”

The Swiss village Moudon (VD). Photo: Association “Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse”

All of these villages and many more feature in the Les plus beaux Villages de Suisse free app available in English for iOS and Android. 

 

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TRAVEL NEWS

What are the chances of a Geneva to London rail route ever happening?

Following the positive feedback received in Switzerland over the proposed rail service between Basel and London, a similar move is now underway in Switzerland to ‘connect’ Geneva with the UK’s capital as well.

Published: 12 April 2024 13:56 CEST
What are the chances of a Geneva to London rail route ever happening?

Today, it takes at least seven hours to travel from Geneva to London (and vice versa) by train, and the trip is not exactly hassle-free.

The easiest way currently is to take the train from Geneva to Gare de Lyon in Paris. From there, they must take the Metro or the RER across town to Paris Gare du Nord and then embark on a connecting Eurostar train to London’s St Pancras station – after having gone through border and security checks.

At present, there aren’t more convenient connections between the two cities.

However, the momentum to create a direct railway link — which would allow people to travel between the two destinations in just over five hours — is growing.

Two lawmakers, one from Geneva and the other from Vaud, the two cantons which would benefit the most from such a rail link, have filed motions in their respective parliaments to approve this ambitious project.  

Their arguments focus on the importance such a rail link would have for environmentally-conscious business and leisure travellers, who would like to reduce the harmful effects of up to 45 daily flights between Geneva and the UK capital operated by several airlines.

Basel to London first?

A similar project, connecting the northern city of Basel with London, is also under discussion at the moment.

The plan calls for an Eurostar train from Basel to reach London in about five hours via the Eurotunnel.

READ ALSO: Could a Basel to London direct train really happen? 

However, as the two deputies point out, if only one direct train service between Switzerland and the UK  is feasible, then the one from Geneva would make more sense.

That’s because Geneva “is a more important economic centre than Basel,” according to the Vaud MP, David Vogel.

And in terms of tourism, Geneva also trumps Basel, because the mountain resorts  in Valais that British skiers favour can be reached more easily from Geneva.

Could Geneva-London link happen?

It is not only elected officials who are pushing for a Geneva-London link.

An online petition to this effect, intended for the Swiss national rail company  SBB was launched by Nadine McCormick, a dual Swiss-British citizen.

She too has been arguing that a direct link to and from Geneva makes more sense to British travellers than the one with Basel.

“Geneva and London are two of the world’s most important finance and banking centres, a further reason to enhance the transport links between these two cities,” she said. 

“And Geneva airport has more passengers going to London than Basel and Zurich airports combined,” McCormick added.

To date, almost 5,200 people signed McCormick’s petition, proving that interest in this connection is strong.

The petition points out there would be strong demand.

“It’s estimated that the journey would take approximately five and a half hours. The petition points out that there are 14,000 British citizens living in the Swiss cantons of Geneva and Vaud, with 5,000 in nearby French departements,” it said.

There is also approval for the Geneva-London train on social media.

Lonely Planet travel writer Nicola Williams, who is based in Lake Geneva said it the link is “such a logical rail route.”

She said: “Geneva’s train station, Gare de Cornavin, already has a huge border/customs area – manned to boot – already in place for high-speed TGVs to/from Paris in neighbouring France”.

Another mentioned how much faster the direct train would be than the current rail link.

Will this project actually get off the ground?

While there is no visible opposition to the project, and assuming that as yet undetermined budget could be allocated to this project, a number of challenges still exist.

And they are pretty much the same for both the Basel to London and Geneva to London lines.

For one, the infrastructure is expensive on this route – partly because of the journey through the Eurotunnel.

From the logistics point of view, since the UK has left the EU and only participates in the Schengen Agreement to a limited extent, boarding the train in Switzerland would involve both security and passport controls akin to those required at airports, which would require new checkpoints to be created in both Geneva and Basel’s SBB station.

And given its international reach, Switzerland can’t set up the connection on its own.

According to the Federal Council, the project can only proceed in close cooperation not only with the UK and France, but also with an operating company Eurostar.

Considering all the steps that still need to be taken, the actual launch of this direct rail link is still way off in the future.

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