In this edition of The Hello Expat Tribune, we’re tackling one of the most hotly debated topics across expat forums, Reddit threads, LinkedIn posts and Facebook groups. Everyone seems to have an opinion, personal experience or confidently repeated “fact”; but what is actually true? We looked beyond the rumours and assumptions to separate fact from fiction.

Nothing happens on Sundays

Yes, Sundays in Geneva can look suspiciously like the entire city has been evacuated. The shops are closed, the streets are quiet, and even the trams seem to be whispering. But perhaps the problem is not that nothing happens, it is that, more generally, Swiss cities don’t organise Sundays around shopping and consumption. Here, Sundays are for swimming, hiking, brunching, sailing, skiing, visiting museums, or sitting beside the lake for three hours discussing the expansion of the universe or the price of a Botox injection.

Hello Expat tip: Head to the Bains des Pâquis, at Quai du Mont-Blanc 30. They are open every day, and admission to the swimming area costs only CHF 2 during the summer season. From 13 July to 16 August 2026, the free Aubes Musicales concerts also take place there every morning at 6 a.m.

Geneva feels dead after work

At around 6 p.m., parts of Geneva do perform a convincing impression of a city under curfew. Office lights disappear, bankers retreat to undisclosed locations, and international organisations release thousands of employees into the wild. But the city is not dead after work, its social life has simply moved somewhere more specific. Geneva is not a spontaneous city. It is a scheduled city. You choose a terrace, an after-work drink, a concert or an event, and suddenly discover that everyone you thought had gone home is standing beside you holding an Aperol Spritz.

Hello Expat tip: Try MAX Genève in Eaux-Vives for an after-work drink, Le Brise Glace in Pâquis when you feel like playing board games over a drink, or La Barje des Lavandières in summer for drinks and DJ sets beside the Rhône.

There is no nightlife

Geneva is not Berlin. You will not accidentally enter a nightclub on Monday afternoon and emerge three days later without your passport (any resemblance to real persons or events is purely coincidental). But there are electronic clubs, alternative venues, live concerts, DJ nights, cocktail bars, comedy shows and seasonal parties, you simply need to know which door to open. The nightlife is concentrated rather than omnipresent, which means the city can offer both a proper night out and the radical possibility of sleeping afterwards.

Hello Expat tip: During the summer, start with the free open-air concerts at the Scène Ella Fitzgerald. For comedy and improvisation, look out for Alliance Créative’s Impro sur Terrasse performances at La Parfumerie. And when you actually want to dance until morning, La Gravière regularly hosts techno, house, hip-hop, dancehall and alternative club nights.

Everything is expensive

This accusation is harder to dismiss. Geneva is expensive. A cocktail can cost enough to make you briefly consider selling an organ, and when the dinner bill arrives, you may no longer know whether you have paid for an entrecôte or the notary’s fees on a small flat. The trick is to know which restaurants, cocktail bars, wine bars and fondue spots are actually worth the price, because in Geneva, “expensive” and “good” are not always synonyms. It may still hurt your bank account, but at least it should not hurt your feelings. And many of the city’s best pleasures - the lake, parks, swimming areas, public events, permanent museum collections and outdoor concerts - are free or inexpensive.

Hello Expat tip: For a proper splurge, try Fiskebar, a waterfront restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton recognised by the Michelin Guide for its fish and seafood cuisine. For a much more affordable Geneva classic, head to the Buvette des Bains for its famous fondue au Crémant during fondue season: simple, lively and far less likely to require a meeting with your financial adviser.

It is impossible to make friends in Geneva

It could be true. But it’s not. We’ll unpack this spicy topic in the next edition of The Hello Expat Tribune.