As we approach the holiday season, many of you will be out and about, dining with friends, partying in town, or having a drink after work with colleagues.
If you’re planning to have a drink, be sure to plan ahead and make arrangements for your return home — if you’re driving, then you need to remain below the legal limit (Swiss limits and French limits) and if you’re not, then you need to make sure you have a sensible means of transport back home.
If you can’t rely on friends to give you a lift home, and if public transport is not an option, think about putting some extra money in your wallet for a Swiss taxi or French taxi home. At this time of year, fees can be extremely high, so be prepared.
When your plans change, and you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, having set out in your car but having drunk more than the legal limit, DO NOT be tempted to get into your car and drive home. Instead, call up Nez Rouge, a volunteer organization set up in 1990, which will arrange for a driver to come out and meet you, and drive your car home! In French, Nez Rouge translates as Red Nose... a double meaning for a drunken person's red tinted nose and the Christmas story of Rudolf, the red-nosed reindeer.
When you call up their free number, 0800 802 208, Nez Rouge will send two volunteers to drive your car home (one driving and one assisting at the back of the car), both of whom will be followed by another driver in a Nez Rouge car who will return all volunteers back to base.
If you want to keep track of Santa Claus/Father Christmas this month you must add this website (www.noradsanta.org) to your favorite’s list! On the 24th December check the website on a regular basis to see where Santa has been sighted. Your kids will bubble with excitement! Don't forget that there is still a lot to see on the website before Christmas.
Note: The website also has delightful stories about Santa, full explanations about how they do it (NORAD uses four high-tech systems to track Santa - radar, satellites, Santa Cams and jet fighter aircraft), a countdown from now until Christmas eve, videos, games, and songs.
Based on historical data and more than 50 years of NORAD tracking information, we believe that Santa Claus is alive and well in the hearts of children throughout the world.
Santa Claus is known by many names, including Saint Nick. Historians claim that the history of Santa starts with the tradition of Saint Nicholas, a 4th century Christian priest who lived in the Middle East in an area of present-day Turkey who became famous for his kindness. He was known for giving gifts to the less fortunate, sprinkling gifts of gold down people's chimneys and hiding surprises in their stockings.
Track Santa on the fly with mobile apps for Apple and Android telephones as well.
It may be that the Santa we know today emerged from the legacy of Saint Nicholas. Clearly, Santa's basic approach to gift giving is strikingly similar. Could they be the same person? Only Santa Claus knows for sure.
Long before the Wright brothers flew the first airplane or the Montgolfier brothers launched the first hot air balloon, Santa had to find a way to travel from house to house at great speed. We know from our Santa cam images that Santa’s choice for quick transportation was a herd of flying reindeer. Detailed information on these reindeer remains elusive; however, we do know, that Santa enlisted the reindeer to help him with his worldwide mission of gift-giving. A veil of sweet mystery hides the rest.
image © https://www.ch.ch showing the 2026 sticker and e-vignette versions
The autoroute vignette, which is necessary for those who travel on any portion of the Swiss autoroute (highway/motorway), will be available at gas/petrol stations, shops, supermarkets, tabacs/kiosks, border crossings, post offices, and other locations as of 1 December 2025. The price is once again Fr. 40.- for the calendar year, and you have until 31 January 2026 to display it on your windscreen. The 2025 version is still valid until end of January as well. Once the first of February rolls around, anyone not displaying the 2026 vignette or have their vehicle registered online by the e-vignette will receive a fine of Fr. 200.-.
Drivers must remove expired stickers from the windshield to avoid obstructing visibility. Kits with a scraper are sold separately or with the vignette to help remove the old stickers. The best time to remove them is when the weather is cold so the glue doesn't stay on the windscreen. However, if some glue remains, just cover with the new vignette.
Press release – September 8, 2025
The results of an independent survey conducted from 30 June to 6 July 2025, by the MIS Trend institute on behalf of the Amis de la Voie Bleue association confirm what many elected officials and partners have been saying for months: the public relevance of such a project is not in question and the population of Geneva overwhelmingly supports the implementation of the Voie Bleue lake shuttle between Corsier-Port and Bellevue-Saladin, including the possibility of bringing bicycles and scooters on board to promote combined mobility.
The Voie Bleue ferry will be operational from September 15, 2025. It confirms the motivation of the Federal Office of Transport (FOT), which stated when granting the concession for the line on 18 July 2025, that the Voie Bleue service offers “an advantageous solution for connecting the two shores of the lake and is in the public interest.”
Clear results in favor of lake transport and the Voie Bleue
- Four out of five Geneva residents believe that increased use of the lake is a good solution for reducing traffic congestion in the region.
- Three out of four Geneva residents, or 75% of those surveyed, are in favor of launching the Corsier–Bellevue shuttle service after seeing the project presentation.
- 70% believe that the Voie Bleue is useful for sustainable mobility in Geneva.
- Two out of three people say they are willing to replace certain car journeys with a lake shuttle
such as the Voie Bleue. - The perceived benefits are clear: reduced traffic, time savings, and a peaceful, stress-free journey.
- The pleasant and smooth nature of the journey is the main incentive to use it.
A project for the future, validated by citizens
In the midst of a transition towards greener mobility, with Geneva's road infrastructure saturated and crossing the city from one bank to the other a real waste of time, not to mention detrimental to the quality of the air we breathe, the Voie Bleue represents a credible, efficient, and environmentally friendly public alternative.
A project of public interest, as the FOT pointed out
When granting the concession to CGN on 18 July 2025, the FOT considered “the present offer to be an advantageous solution for connecting the two shores of the lake, and one that is in the public interest, both for users and in terms of its positive contribution to public transport in the region.”
The Association des Amis de la Voie Bleue also noted with satisfaction the position of the Canton of Geneva in the consultation procedure for the concession application, since the Canton considers that the Voie Bleue project "is a coherent initiative in line with the modal shift, in that it offers Geneva commuters a relevant and fast alternative for connecting the two shores of the lake. This solution is all the more interesting given that there is currently no direct public transport link between Corsier and Bellevue. Furthermore, the possibility of taking bicycles and scooters on board the boat facilitates door-to-door journeys, fully integrating soft modes of transport for the first and last kilometers. "
Hours of service
Finally, Les Amis note in the FOT's decision that "if the operating results for the Voie Bleue, assessed after the first three years of the trial, prove positive, the Canton has committed to integrating this line into the service it finances, as set out in the 2024-2028 Public Transport Action Plan, adopted by the State Council on 29 May 2024, following the vote by the Grand Council on 22 March 2024. At that time, the OCT will study the possibility of developing this service during the day (off-peak hours) and at weekends, and of integrating the line and its operator into the UNIRESO fare network.
For the time-being, the Voie Bleue will operate only mornings and late afternoons during the weekdays Monday through Friday.
The line will be free of charge until the end of 2025.
It is another hot summer so we thought that a few local outdoor swimming pools will keep you cool over the holidays if you remain in the area. Remember to call ahead to check if these outdoor pools are open when the weather is threatening. If you are a resident of the commune where the pool is located you may be eligible for a special discount.
In order to avoid queues at the ticket counter, most places have set up an instantaneous attendance warning system on their website and/or online ticket sales. We strongly recommend that customers take note of this information before visiting pools.
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Outdoor Swimming Pools in Canton Geneva
La Plage Publique des Eaux-Vives
022 546 76 00
website
This free beach is twice as big as that of the Bains des Pâquis. This public beach was opened in 2020 and is beautifully located in the heart of Geneva and accessible to all. The swimming site, about 400m, goes right up to the Baby Plage and can accommodate 6,000 to 8,000 people on beautiful summer days! Take advantage of the excellent quality of Lake Geneva's waters following the many efforts made to clean it over recent years.
The beach is not made of sand but rather small pebbles so no need for shovels and pails. Shower stalls and toilets are onsite. A drink stand will be open all summer. NOTE: check out the TPG's Ligne des Plages (number 29) that drops you off near all the Geneva lakeshore beaches).
Bains des Paquis
30, quai du Mont-Blanc
1201 Genève
022 732 29 74 main
022 738 16 16 restaurant
website
Lake beach offering sunbathing platforms, a life guard, warm showers, changing rooms, toilets, and towel rentals. Hammams are open over the summer Fr. 10.- includes towel rental. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Usually open during summer daily 10h-18h30. However the beach is accessible 24h/7. There are 2 sandpits for toddlers and kids as well as 2 wading areas (50cm deep) and 2 cordoned-off areas for swimmers. Price: Fr. 2.-/adult, Fr. 1.-/child. The Restaurant Buvette des Bains is open year-round 7h-23h.
NOTE: Les Aubes musical start to the day - from 14 July through 17 August 2025 from 5h30 (am), see schedule and weather permitting.
