Must-Buy Souvenirs

Geneva has been a watchmaking centre since the 16th century, when Calvinist restrictions on jewellery pushed goldsmiths into clockmaking, and it still hosts historic houses like Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. The 'Geneva Seal' (Poinçon de Genève) is a stricter, city-specific quality mark beyond the national 'Swiss Made' standard.

Handmade chocolates from the 1875 Geneva chocolatier, boxed to travel, with recipes largely unchanged despite changes in ownership over the decades.

Illustrations and screen prints of Geneva's two most photographed symbols — the Jet d'Eau fountain and the L'horloge fleurie flower clock in the Jardin Anglais, first planted in 1955 and said to be a nod to the city's watchmaking heritage.

A light, dry white from Geneva's own vineyards, almost never exported and rarely found outside the canton, making it a genuine take-home rarity rather than a generic Swiss chocolate box.

The same nationwide Victorinox multi-tool sold in Zurich, widely available in Geneva's department stores and airport shops, with engraving services at the larger outlets.