The Time I Walked to France

If you're looking to escape Geneva, then look no further. Mont Saleve, one of the mountains close to the city, is the perfect place for a hike in the summer. It offers some of the BEST panoramic views of the Alps surrounding the Swiss-French border at Geneva.

How to get here:

1. Take bus number 8, 34, 41, or 44 to one of three stops: Veyrier-Ecole, Veryrier-Douane, or Croix-de-Rozon duoane.

2. Then find the cable car that takes you up the mountain (this took us a while to find because we got off at a stop farther away; your best bet is to just ask the locals!)

 Our story is this. We found ourselves at the wrong us stop. Well, not the wrong one, but the one farthest away from the cable car, miles/kilometers away. There weren't too many people around, so we were left with the mission of exploring in order to find this little place. We ended up heading towards the border. For some reason, the thought of walking to another country, however closely that country borders the other, made me happy to walk so far. It was the first time I had ever done something like that! (I guess the locals do this every day, though). We squeezed by the French border without any problems. Turns out, you will have to do this if you take Bus 8 and get off at that last stop, whatever it's called. The bus driver will let you know, that's for sure.

On the way to the cable car...

Make sure you catch a glimpse of these cool castles (below) before getting on...

 The view is worth the wait

 Choose where you want to hike. Trails range from 1 km to several km, only for experienced hikers. Or, if you're just there for the view, stop by the restaurant. They serve some killer profiteroles!

 This temple was a cool find! Reflects the peaceful ambiance of the mountain top.

Can you spot Jet d'Eau?

Mont Saleve is actually only 900 meters above Europe's tallest fountain.