Hey all,

I moved to Geneva from India a few months ago for work at CERN. It’s been a really interesting change so far. New environment, new culture, and a very different pace of life.

There’s something I’ve been noticing though, and I’m not sure how to interpret it. I often feel like people look at me quite a bit in public. On trams, in shops, just walking around. I’m of Indian origin, and this is a pretty new feeling for me? I honestly just like blending into the crowd and standing out feels weird haha

What’s confusing is that I didn’t come from a particularly diverse city in India, so I wasn’t expecting this kind of awareness here. I assumed a place like Geneva, especially with CERN and so many international people, would feel more anonymous if anything.

It’s not like anyone has said anything or been openly rude — it’s just the looks. Sometimes it feels neutral, sometimes a bit uncomfortable, but I can’t tell if I’m just more self-conscious in a new country or if this is something others notice too.

Probably just overthinking.

Hi everyone,

I will be moving to Geneva soon and I will likely need to wear suits regularly. I am in the process of deciding the Neighbourhood that I’ll be living in.

I currently live in a city where laundry is very convenient. There are laundry services that offer pickup and delivery from home, so it is something I rarely have to think about.

I wouldn’t call the services in expensive, but they’re not a killer.

I was wondering what the situation is like in Geneva. Are laundries easily available in most areas?

Do services like pickup and delivery exist, or do people usually rely on local dry cleaners?

Would you rate the charges as affordable/as expected? I understand that everything’s expensive in Geneva but I don’t think that there’s a lot of difference in prices (anything and everything) when I compare it to the city that I currently live in.

I would really appreciate any insight. Thanks in advance!

Hey guys,

I got accepted for a bachelor's in mathematics at UNIGE. I was wondering if you guys knew the reputation of the school for high finance roles in Geneva and elsewhere. I saw their investment club has a large focus on wealth management and private banking. Does it place well?

Thanks a lot.

hello

je compte reprendre la guitare et je voulais savoir si quelqu’un aurait un support mural pas cher/à donner (sur genève)

merci

Doesn't matter if you're Swiss or an expat living there, I'm curious to hear from multiple people.

What is the vibe of Geneva? How are the people? Are there alternative places? What do people do for fun?

I will be relocating there after my PhD for a postdoc at the UNIGE and curious to hear from both locals and expats!

Hey r/geneva,

I’m looking to get some home-made Frozen chinese dumplings. I tried to use wechat and find some proper groups, it doesn’t seems to give any result…

Do you have some contacts or tips to buy real good home-made dumplings?

Thanks!

Anyone know a service that will water my plants while Im away on a 2 week vacation?

An apartment will be liberated in my building soon and the tenants are organizing visits. I like my building very much and have lived here for almost five years, my partner has also joined me here two years ago. Our current apartment is quite small and we've been thinking of moving somewhere bigger but in the same area. The apartment that is being liberated in a few months is perfect for us - bigger, in the same building and area.

Now, we're getting some mixed signals about the application process. Originally, I just wanted to apply and send an email to our regie, explaining that we're already in the building and we like it very much - in hopes that they prioritize our dossier. However, I've been told by some people that apparently the régies are extremely against this as this means "double work" for them.

Does anyone know if this is true? I find it ridiculous because we will be moving regardless and so our apartment will be on their agenda anyway. In addition, there's less than 1 year left in our lease so our move is really imminent.

Any advice is welcome. We have so far considered two options 1) just applying and letting the régie know that we're current tenants, our lease is expiring in less than a year and we'd be interested in a bigger apartment 2) not mentioning anything at all in hopes that they just pick us - but this might be complicated, given that the amount of applicants is crazy.

Is there a tofu shortage?

I’ve been in two Denners and an Aldi and the shelves are empty! What’s happening?

I got an offer of CHF 80,000/year for a junior role in Geneva. This sounds like a decent amount in theory, but given how expensive Geneva is, I bet it can be tight. It should translate to roughly 5k net a month, correct?

My theoretical budget is:

1.7k - rent
400 - health insurance
70 - transportation
900 - groceries
500 - eating out (restaurants)
300 - misc.
250 - shopping
500 - savings

Is this realistic, am I forgetting anything? And also, how would you rate 80k/year salary? Will I be able to live a decent life as a single male in his early 30s? Thanks!

Am I being crazy here? Compared to when I left in 2018 and grew up in Geneva, it seems that there are so many more homeless here in the city. Not just the train station but also the sort of business district too.

Anyone else noticed this?

Why has it happened?

Hello, I am planning on studying abroad in this summer and I was trying to rent an apartment in Geneva for the program.

I was looking for rentals and I found one which was ~$1,100 a month with utilities near the city center and lake. It was 24 m^(2)and furnished. The rent looked on the lower end of the places surrounding it.

When I contacted the advertiser they told me to message their landlord via email. I did so and worked out a lease with them.

I have been reading online that 1) moving the messaging off of the renting website is common in scams 2) you should tour the apartment prior to signing anything 3) If the rent is on the lower end it is common for it to be a scam. The person sent me their ID card as proof of who they were, but I don't know if this is trustworthy or not. I reverse image searched the images they showed in the listing and nothing else came up. The images seemed to match with each other, so I thought that was proof enough that it was a real listing.

They are asking me to pay 2200 for the security deposit. I already signed a lease to do so. I am really scared that I just made a bad mistake. Any input is helpful!

Edit:

For more information, I already signed a lease with the person and came to my wits afterwards. What can I do to precent the harm this can cause me?

Edit 2:

After I messaged them that I would like to pay via SwissCaution rather than wire transfer. They said they didn’t like the way I am handling things and invite me to search for other properties. I honestly don’t know if it was a scam or not, but even if it was like a 90% chance to not be I still would have liked to back out.

Someone called me yesterday from a hidden number and claimed to be French police. My French are very limited and his English were very limited but from the broken conversation I figured he told me that there was a problem with my vehicle next to the French borders. At that moment I was definitely far away from the borders but my car and scooter are at home with my partner. Normally I would dismiss the call as a scam but what drew my attention is that he mentioned a street name which I visit frequently because a friend lives there. Also the brand of the vehicle he mentioned was wrong. He mentioned Hyundai but my car has nothing to do with it but my scooter is Honda so it could be mishearing. Anyway of course I asked my gf and she told me that she has no idea what they were talking about and I trust her about it but it is just strange coincidence to mention the same street name we visit often. Could it be related to a past accident or was it just a scam that got lucky ? At the end nothing happened, I told him I don't have a Hyundai and he accepted it which is also quite untypical for a scam, because they tend to be more insisting. Does anyone have any similar experience ?

Hi-I am American and coming to Geneva in August to drop my daughter off for a study away for college.

We plan on arriving about 4 days before her program begins to help her get settled and then (this is where I need your help) we are thinking of a. Staying a week in Geneva and doing day trips to see the country or b. After her program begins leave Geneva and travel around the country for 4 days or so.

Regardless we will be flying in and out of Geneva. Travelers will be my daughter (19), myself and my mother. We will all be staying together until my daughter can check into her accommodations.

Everywhere I look online folks say, “don’t stay in Geneva because it’s too expensive, stay elsewhere around the lake” and while that makes sense we really need to stay there to get my daughter situated and make sure she is comfortable, etc. I don’t want to be too far away before her program begins.

Can you recommend hotels in Geneva that are in a central location that will be easy for us to get around and of course see the city? Safety and cleanliness matter, ideally I’d love to see the lake from our accommodations but not if it is priced prohibited. Any recommendations are appreciated!

Also, should we just stay in Geneva the whole time or should we leave Geneva for a few days and roam around before coming back for a day or two to check in with my daughter before flying back to the states?

Thanks for any insights!

I am craving a jacket potato. Does anyone know what kind of potato I am looking for in the shops? I see a lot of them but they are all pretty small and I’m having trouble finding the right size. Any ideas?

Bonjour! I know posts by tourists get downvoted here, but your expertise and knowledge, and also opinions as locals are so valuable.

Please could I ask, which location/hotel is better in your opinion:

- Hotel Pax, Rue du 31 Décembre 68, 1207 Genève, Switzerland

- Hotel Montana, Rue des Alpes 23, 1201 Genève, Switzerland

Hello!

I accidently bought a wrong case for my phone when I was traveling abroad.

It's not worth trying to return it for a refund but I'd rather just give it to someone rather than just throw it in the trash.

What's the usual app/website used in Geneva to post this kind of thing?

Bonjour, j'ai un ami qui chercherai à acquérir une montre de marque suisse automatique pour un budget assez serré de 250 francs. Est-ce que vous auriez des idées de modèles/marques ou des boutiques qui feraient du retail ? Il est ouvert à des montees d'occasion aussi.

Merci !!