Geneva - missing from guidebook

Rather than covering all areas of a country, Rick Steves tends to focus on places he likes and gets more in depth about those places. Most of his books will Leave out some cities that many people want to go to. The good part about how Rick Steves does it is that Rick goes very in depth with specific details about visiting the places he covers, and he doesn't hesitate to give opinions. But you often will have to get other guidebooks or use other sources for the places Rick doesn't cover. And there are many good places he doesn't cover!

Thank you for your reply. I did not realize this about the guidebooks. I guess that this is because this is the first time that we have ever wanted to go someplace that our Rick Steves guidebook does not cover.

I also appreciate the very detailed practical advice Rick gives. For places that he doesn't cover, I prefer Rough Guides and Lonely Planet guidebooks. Although Rick evidently doesn't enjoy Geneva, we were glad to visit there, if only for one night.

I would like to see Rick do at least a couple of pages on Geneva, if only because it is a gateway city where many start their Switz journey by either flying in or taking the bullet train in from Paris.

Often people will have half a day before continuing on.
I lived in Geneva, so here are a few things to consider:
If you stay overnight in Geneva, you get a free day pass for buses, including water taxis
If you fly in, you get free 80 min of buses (look for the machine on your right as you exit the baggage area)
Visit the Red Cross Museum
Rent free bikes (www.geneveroule.ch )
visit the gardens and small zoo at Jardin Boutanique
Climb the bell tower at Calvin's church (maybe seeing the "flower clock" on the way)
Visit the flea market at Plainpalais on Wed. and Sat.
Visit CERN, home of the nuclear collider

One more thing in Geneva that I really like are the excavations under the cathedral...they have dug down to the first century. It's fascinating!

I suspect that Geneva is not included as it's not as "desirable" a location to visit as the other places that are covered in the book. It's also not possible to include all places in each country, so he seems to focus on those that are most likely to be popular with North American travellers. A similar example is the limited coverage on Lake Garda in the Italy book. Since the books are updated each year, at some point it's necessary to "draw the line" on how many places are covered.

A handy feature of Lonely Planet guides is that you can buy just a chapter currently on sale for $3.32/each. I'm willing to believe that Geneva has more to see than just banks. But if your time is limited, Rick definitely prioritizes the mountains over the big cities in Switzerland.

FYI, as a port of entry, Geneva is not a necessary stop on the way from Paris, for instance. TGVs that bypass Geneva and run directly to Basel, Lausanne, Interlaken, or Zurich (or even to Strasbourg or some German stations) provide faster connections to most Swiss destinations.

I believe somewhere in the book Rick explains that he isn't going to do Geneva. Yes it's a shock at first, but he's not writing an encyclopedia he's listing the things that he likes, that he thinks you would like.

Don't forget there are those two other guides that both begin with F, they cover things more comprehensively and should always be used in conjunction with Rick.

"I would like to see Rick do at least a couple of pages on Geneva, if only because it is a gateway city where many start their Switz journey by either flying in or taking the bullet train in from Paris."

Exactly. Until a few editions ago, Rick didn't include Zurich in his Switzerland book either. He now has it, not because he recommends it (he's quite clear about that), but because of its role as a gateway. Geneva not only has the the other inter-continental airport for Switzerland, but it's also the closest airport to Chamonix in France. So it would be useful for him to have some basic information, even if it's only a few pages.