Visiting Nyon, Switzerland
While Geneva is a stunning city with endless sightseeing opportunities, breath-taking architecture, and more culture than you can possibly uncover in one trip, I have to suggest you see the outskirts and surrounding towns.
Getting to Nyon
I agree that when trying to travel as cheaply as possible, Switzerland can be a daunting concept. But I assure you, it is possible to see Switzerland on a budget.
I travelled to Geneva with easyJet from Edinburgh in May and paid just under £50 per flight. When planned a few months ahead, you can often grab these tickets for just £30. From Geneva I took a train to a small town called Nyon. Nyon is just 26km from Geneva and you can get a train straight from the airport for under 10CHF (Swiss Francs).
About Nyon
Nyon is a small town in the French part of Switzerland which has a population of only 21,000. It is located to the west of Geneva and sits directly on Lake Geneva. Nyon was a Roman settlement in the 1st Century BC and there are still some ruins and museums to see.
Roman columns
Accommodation and food
Airbnb again is my personal favourite and while accommodation is not cheap in these areas, you can find private rooms, hostels, and apartments for under 80CHF. Again, booking in advance is the trick here.
When looking for a place to stay on your trip I must advise you book somewhere with a kitchen or at least minimal cooking supplies. Eating out in restaurants can be very expensive, especially at peak times so it is best to have means of cooking.
Supermarkets in the area such as Migros however are very reasonably priced. After hearing stories about the prices of everything in Switzerland, I was pleasantly surprised to see such low prices in supermarkets. Buying local food such as cheese, chocolates, pastries, and other French and Swiss foods here will save you a lot of money. There are cafes, ice cream shops and take away shops however, which are reasonably priced and you can find many world foods as well as local favourites, I recommend trying a “Cannelle Et Vanille” and if that’s not to your taste, at least have some Macarons!
Things to do
You can stay in Nyon for scenic walks, visiting the castle “Chateau de Nyon”, seeing the remains of Roman columns, seeing the Leman Lake Museum “Musée du Léman” and much more, it is small enough you can walk wherever you fancy.
Chateau de Nyon
You can also take a boat across the lake. At a pricier 25CHF (approx.) per person you can buy a return ticket at the pier in Nyon which will take you across the water, and the border to France, particularly; Yvoire. Yvoire is a small medieval town with a population of just about 1000.
Yvoire is by far the smallest and most unbelievably beautiful town I have ever seen. I can only compare it to the town from Beauty and the Beast. But smaller… On arrival you follow the street into the ‘city centre’ where there are local artists and souvenir shops, at which you can spend hours. Alongside this, Yvoire is lined with beautiful restaurants and plenty of ice cream and refreshment carts and shops. To top it off the colour of the lake here is even more beautiful than across the water.
Although it is not cheap to get here, the boat ride is stunning, you can look straight into the French alps and on clear days, can even see Mont Blanc. And I promise in France the restaurants are cheaper again so make sure you use your time across the lake to stop and have a meal at any one of the lovely restaurants.
TIP: Bring some Euros or carry your Monzo card. As soon as you arrive in Yvoire, France you will need Euros to spend.
Yvoire, France
