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GENEVA NEWS AND GUIDES

Geneva news roundup: Where to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a bang

Why you should smile on the streets of Geneva, and where to party on New Year's Eve: these and other news in our roundup from Switzerland's second-largest city.

Published: 27 December 2022 11:14 CET
Updated: 30 December 2022 11:31 CET
Geneva news roundup: Where to celebrate New Year's Eve with a bang
Fireworks over Geneva. Photo by rene torres on Unsplash

Where to ring in New Year’s Eve in Geneva

New Year’s Eve is only four days away — do you know where you will be celebrating?

Many people like to party at home with friends and family, but if you want to celebrate with more of a bang, a huge bash is planned on the Quai du Mont-Blanc by the lake on December 31st from 8 pm to 3 am.

“We are happy to be able to offer the population a free and popular celebration,” says the mayor of Geneva Marie Barbey-Chappuis. “There is a real need to have fun and relax given the socio-economic context which remains quite anxiety-provoking and the New Year’s program has been designed with this in mind with many local artists”.

On the programme: Live concerts including of the Geneva rapper Chilla and many other local artists, a karaoke tent with a giant screen, three bars, 12 food trucks, and, of course, fireworks.

In terms of music, there will be something for nearly all tastes, from rap to techno, not to mention disco.

You can find out more info on the event HERE.

This is the list of other New Year Eve’s events throughout Geneva.

Smile, you are on (not so hidden) camera!

The Swiss value their privacy, but maybe not so much in Geneva: more than 2,749 cameras monitor your every move in the streets of this city.

“Geneva is a city where there is not a single angle that is not under surveillance, to ensure that everyone respects the rules,” according to the latest report from the multidisciplinary institute Edgelands.

The goal of this research is to study the impact of increasingly digital surveillance on common spaces, said Bernard Rappaz, former journalist, and one of the linchpins of the project.

Cantonal authorities confirm the presence of these cameras, belonging to around 40 public institutions. This means local population is closely watched — more so than other cities in Switzerland.

For instance, the video surveillance system installed in the Pâquis district in 2018 is considered to be the “most spatially extensive and technically advanced camera system in Switzerland, focused on outdoor public spaces, with viewing of images in real time.”

However, it seems that Genevans don’t mind this “intrusion.”

The study found that 75 percent of residents feel safe in their city.

This is thanks to the good image of the police and the many surveillance cameras in the streets, according to the Edgelands report. 

Be on your best behaviour in Geneva. Photo: Pixabay

Genevans are the wealthiest people in French-speaking Switzerland

On average, the net wealth per Geneva taxpayer is 500,000 francs — the highest figure in the French-speaking part of the country.

This data comes from a new government report on the distribution of wealth. 

These assets are certainly much needed, as Geneva is (along with Zurich) among the world’s most expensive cities.

Geneva also has Switzerland’s highest priced housing — both in terms of rents owned and properties for sale.

The tiny canton has suffered from an acute housing shortage for many years, with demand far outstripping supply.

One of the reasons for the shortage of apartments and, consequently high rents and property prices, have to do with Geneva’s geography and demographics. The canton is nestled in the southwest corner of the country, where it is wedged between France and Lake Geneva. The land for new constructions is limited, while the demand is growing steadily along with the population.

READ MORE:  Why are Zurich and Geneva among the world’s most expensive cities?

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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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