Geneva is second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zurich), and the most populous city in the French speaking part of the country with almost 500,000 people residing there. This city sits at the base of the Jura Mountains and the Alps, providing incredible views of Mont Blanc. It is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva, situated where the Rhone exits Lake Geneva.
About
In 2019, Geneva was ranked as the third most liveable city in the world and has been nicknamed the “Peace Capital” thanks to its light temperate climate, excellent infrastructure and sustainable approach to construction, renovation and development. This green city provides a high quality of life to its inhabitants and there are a wide range of things to see and do on a daily basis, such as visit one of the many museums or art galleries, explore the treasures of the Old Town and experience the unique ambience of the many trendy bars. If you are a sports lover, Mont-Saleve provides endless opportunities for hiking, paragliding or mountain biking and is just a few bus-stops away from the city centre. Alternatively, if you are looking to spend a day sightseeing, you could visit the famous Jet D’Eau, take a walk through the French inspired buildings or enjoy the views of Lake Geneva.
As well as providing a great place to live, Geneva is also a global city, home to the highest number of global organisations in the world. It is one of the world’s major centres of international diplomacy and finance, with many agencies of the United Nations and the Red Cross being stationed there.
The Pharmaceutical Industry in Geneva
A number of pharmaceutical companies are based within Geneva, including AMAL Therapeutics and Novimmune. The city benefits from an ideal combination of money (thanks to its financial centre status) and biotech and pharmaceutical pros, meaning that there have been a number of success stories for companies here.
Living in Geneva
Whilst this city has been rated as an excellent place to live, Geneva has also been named one of the most expensive cities in the world – with a two-bedroom apartment costing between 2300 CHF and 3500 CHF per month. However, according to UBS in 2018, Geneva ranks as the highest city in Switzerland for gross earnings and third for purchasing power – meaning that this place does provide incredible opportunities for high paying jobs.
Geneva benefits from an extensive transport system that covers not only the city centre, but expands to most of the municipalities of the Canton and some lines reaching France. Public transport comes in the form of buses (many of which are part of the electric bus system), trolleybuses, trams, trains and boats, therefore travel around and out of the city is easily facilitated.
The official language of Geneva is French; however, English is also widely spoken due to the high number of foreign workers and international institutions in the city.
Schools
There are a number of schools within Geneva, both private and public, meaning that the education available “punches above its weight” according to the Good Schools Guide. Different languages are widely spoken within the education system here, with some private schools offering English language programs (such as Geneva English School), and others offering a Swiss, French or German curriculum. There are also Sunday Schools that cater for other languages such as Japanese, Greek and Arabic – therefore the choice of schools for parents is wide and impressive.