In a recent article by the New York Daily News, there are lots of fun things to do in the Lake Geneva region this summer. Many people when they think of Switzerland are images of people skiing down snowy mountains. In the summertime, those same mountains are photographed in the summer but instead of snow, there are cows warming themselves in the sum on the Alpine meadow. Surrounded by the meadow, the small country of 7 million has always been known for its natural beauty, skilled craftsmanship and delicious chocolates.  On a trip to Switzerland, you could expect to explore medieval cities, take hikes alongside clear water streams, visiting chocolate shops and window shopping for watches.

If you take a visit to Switzerland’s french speaking region, Geneva it is an easy transportation hub where you can access international locations by Swiss Rail, airplane, bus and car. For such a small city, Geneva has a lot of fire-star hotels. The Mandarin Oriental, Four Seasons and Le Richemond are just across the Rhone River from the shopping district on Rue du Rhone that has a collection of world-famous, upscale retail shops such as Jahan, Piaget, Harry Winston, Bulgari, Christian Louboutin and Breguet. Facing Lake Geneva are the Beau Rivage with a 17,000 bottle-fine wine cellar and the contemporary Hotel President Wilson, which is a short walk to two expansive parks, La Perle-du-Lac (“Pearl of the Lake”) and Park Moynier.

The Metropolitan area of Geneva is primarily composed of many townships that are combined together to make one large town. Contrary to its large role in finance and diplomacy, Geneva proper has a population fewer than 200,000 people. Another great activity to go besides shopping is visiting wineries and vineyards. Many of these places are small and family run businesses. When searching for a new vacation spot- try Geneva for its variety of different activities.