City Center (Rues Basses)
The City Center, known primarily as "Les Rues Basses" or the "lower streets" ... as compared to the upper streets of the Old Town (Vielle Ville) is, along with the connecting Quartier des Banques (the "Neighborhood of Banks"), where Geneva shows off two of its top-three"raisons d'être": banking (specifically, private banking) and luxury shopping (specifically, luxury-watch shopping) primarily on the Rue du Rhône. The only missing important sector in this neighborhood of Geneva is the UN, which is located across the Rhone River in the Nations neighborhood. The area of the Rues Basses is the site of great people-watching observing the sheer density of sharp, well-suited Swiss bankers jostling on the sidewalks with shoppers toting luxury-goods-laden shopping bags. Besides this general spectacle, the area is where other people will find some of the best (affordably-priced) shopping. The rule of thumb is that the Rue de la Conféderation/Rue du Marché/Rue de la Croix d'Or/Rue de Rive (the street's name changes almost every block -- more easily identified as the "Tram Street") is what the British would call the "High Street" -- offering the more popular European clothing chains. The Rue du Rhône, which runs parallel to the Tram Street is where you will find most European luxury designers (and a few international ones). Also represented in the neighborhood are numerous branches of local chocolatiers, which makes for efficient taste-testing of the local specialty, the "pavés de Genève" -- literally, "Geneva cobblestones." Look for square-shaped dark chocolate truffles dusted in cocoa powder. Rich, decadent, and an affordable slice of Geneva -- best savored sitting in the Place du Molard, with real cobblestones underfoot.
Nightlife
Théâtre du Léman
Willi's Cafe
Windows Restaurant
Attractions
Gare De Geneve
Hotels
Kipling Hotel
La Cour des Augustins
Mandarin Oriental, Geneva
Bernina Swiss Q Hotel
Four Seasons Des Bergues Hotel
D'Angleterre Geneva Hotel
Capitole Hotel
Hôtel d'Angleterre
Hotel de la Paix
