Nightlife

Geneva has reputation of a more serious and posh city where the important topic of international signification are being chaffered, but after final hour knock off, bankers, watchmakers, interns of international organizations, cern scientists and tourists all meet for a beer or two at one of many local bars, pubs and clubs, to get a drink, dance and have fun at night.

Many Geneva night clubs are very specific and unusual, so You might need some luck finding Your favourite place. We will guide You throught the most popular party areas and clubs. Be prepared to spent a lot of money, as prices in Geneva night clubs are often off the roof!
Thursday and Friday are the nights when the whole Geneva goes out and all bars and clubs fill up by people, even if they go to work following day.

Usually, the bars in Geneva are open until 2am and clubs untill 5am. Efforts are being made to prolong clubs closure time to 7am.

No smoking in all indoor places.

Business
Most high-end hotels have a bar or even a club included and there is no lack of fancy company, but if You want to maybe try somethink new, go nowhere else then to Nonolet and Quirinale.

Nightlife Areas

Geneva Night These are the centers of nightlife, the 3 areas where You get to find many people enjoying life at night every single day of the week, and which get completely crowded and full of fun at Thursay, Friday and Saturday nights.

La rue de l'école de médecine

Medicine street, next to Plainpalais, the most popular place for going out at night for students, this is a street full of bars and pubs which are not too expensive. Venues get crowded regulary and when coming late, finding a seat might be difficult. As the name of the street tells, the Faculty of Medicin is here and obviously, the students don't go far to party.
During the day, Rue de Medecin is also nice a place to have a coffee or lunch at one of the cafés with outside sitting and just soak in the chilly atmosphere of the area.

Place de l'Ile

Island in the middle of Rhone river, great views and freshness of the water coming from the lake make up for unique atmosphere. Choose either the more alternative, or more modern of 2 options:
Brasserie des Halles de l'Ile
For modern and lively night club located at the island in the middle of Rhone river go to Brasserie des Halles de l'Ile. This is unique place to experience, to dance, drink, have fun or have a dinner in a nearly restaurant. Brasserie is popular destination for tourists and interns and different languages are mixing together in the sound of music. Getting full every Thursday and Friday, as this is the time when nightly Geneva awakens.
La Barje des Volontaires - very peaceful place just next to Place de l'Ile and l'Usine, on the island surrounded by river is more alternative and less comercionalized La Barje bar, made of rebuilded caravan and decorated by dozens of colorful lightbulbs that make up for peaceful chilly atmosphere. Sit by the river with one of many beers to chat with Your friends.

Carouge

Carouge's nightlife area is defined by 2 streets: Rue Vartier and Place du Marche - Top disko clubs and bars: Chat Noir, Bar la Forge, La Plage, Le Borsalino and Le Marchand de Sable. They are all close together, usually crowded, and make up for the nightlife epicenter of Carouge and meeting point of all the young people from Geneva coming here to have a beer and shot.

Other Geneva nightlife areas:

The Old Town (la Vieille-Ville)

Au roi ubu
La clémence (at Place du Bourg-de-Four)

Alternatively, the vibrant and intercultural place to visit for different experience, in the day or night is Pâquis, with it's own small Red Light District:

The Red Light District
Located in the Paquis, Geneva's Red Light District and it's surroundings is full of multicultural restaurants, vivid nightclubs and decoupled morals.

Geneva Nightclubs:

There are many night clubs, music venues, pubs and bars located at different spots in the Geneva. Here we try to provide You with the most accurate and unbiased informations of every nightclub in Geneva, for You to get a picture and choose Your place to try, however please mind that everybody's subjective experience is different. The entrance fee and opening hours might change from time to time, so it is adviced to consult the webiste of individual club before You go.

Different musical bands and special events are taking place at the clubs and pubs all the time, for oucoming events and parties, have a look at darksite.ch website.

Brasserie des Halles de L'île
Very pleasant restaurant with pub and DJ playing usually at nights from Thursday till Saturday. Located perfectly on the island of the river Rhone, exactly in the middle of the city of Geneva. If you do not want to be dissapointed with very poor food under the average and lazy service, do not go there for a brunch or dinner. On the other hand, it is nice feeling sitting in the middle of the Island, indoor or outdoor, and soaking the atmosphere of people and the river. People coming here are usualy 25-35 years old. The best time to go there is at Thursday night, when it is getting very lively. Having fun with your friends, enjoying and dancing on Lounge and House music with a good laid back atmosphere and chilly vibes, its the right place! The only disadvantage is that this is not a club, but a bar with a restaurant, so even if everybody is having fun and dancing on the floor, be ready for early closing at 2 am (Thu-Sat).
Contact:
1, Place de l'Ile (Bel-Air)
1204, Geneva, Switzerland
022 311 08 88
buffets@brasseriedeshallesdelile.ch
Web: www.brasseriedeshallesdelile.ch
Opening Hours:
Sun-Mon: 10.30 am- Midnight
Tue-Wed: 10.30 am - 1 am
Thu, Fri, Sat: 10.30 am - 2 am

Cave12
Website: www.cave12.org
Experimental Electronic Music, You can sit down and see and listen to people with various instruments playing live music. Usually they don't use the instruments the way You are suppose to use them. It's experimental and unique.

La Graviere
Open in 2011, they have a very eclectic programme. They invite the best of the underground music scene, live with DJs, like Balkan Music Nights, Techno, Drum and Bass, Rock, hip hop. Mainly underground music.
Entry: 10 CHF after midnight, free until midnight.

Le Kraken
Le Kraken is beautiful modern café and bar. Located on the popular place for young people to go out during weekend, serving mostly Coctails, Beers and Shots, it's very popular spot for nightlife, always totally full during Friday and Saturday evening.
During day You can have here a quiet coffee, tee, beer or lunch.
Atmosphere is lovely, massive wooden interior with modern touch and the service is really nice.
Address: 8 Rue de l'Ecole de Médecine
Tel.: +41 22 321 59 41

Java Club
Very expensive and ultra modern bar/club located in Fairmont Grand Hotel. Drinks start from 50 CHF. This is a place where businessman come after job and beautiful women come for a drink.

Le Baroque
Chick and nice bar, similar to Java club.

La Terrasse bar
Popular meeting place in summer, on the bank of Geneva's lake, open air, sitting on benches or picnicing on the grass.

Bypass
International club with DJ's from all around the world, famous for music or football stars visiting. Playing mostly house, r'n'b and commercial music. Really young ppl, teenagers. Drinks are really expensive. Free entry before 0:30, after 25 CHF.

Lady Godiva Pub.
Located next to Plainpalais right in front of the university, Lady Godiva Pub is a busy place with a lot of students coming here right after the school. People here are usually in their 20's and 30's, making up alive atmosphere. Interior is in rock style, modern, open, spacy. Big TV screens on the walls are great for watching sport competitions, but there is also a lot of space apart to have a conversation.
On Monday - Lady Godiva Pub Quiz, starting from 8pm.
Lady Godiva Pub is serving French Fries, Hamburgers, Simple snacks. Wine, beer, sodas, cola etc. prices are pretty cheap. Chocolate 4CHF, Coca Cola 4,5CHF, Beer 5 CHF.

Point Bar
20 CHF entry gives You one drink.

Monte Christo
Entry: 40 CHF gives You voucher for 2 drinks.

Shakers
Dance music of every type, mostly pop, hip hop and modern music. In a dance floor underground is electro music.

Silencio
Club with all kind of music, it's not too fancy but really cool. Different than the others. There are special themes night sometimes, check the website darksite or their fb. One night it's pop music another one night modern, another house, electro, funk..
Not too young ppl, around 25-35 years old.
Entrance: 15 CHF, drinks around 18 CHF.

Fenomeno
Bar where You can go before You go to club. You can dance here from 10pm. You can eat, drink and dance. Music is more pop, hip hop, dance music.. No jazzy or electro, sometimes 80's.
Free entry.

Motel Campo
More alternative type of club, no high shoes, no dress code. Like l'Usine but much cleaner. People are not always so young, 25-40 years old.
2 different rooms with 2 different music. House, electro.
Check their website before You go, sometimes there's nothing going on and it's closed. Usualy open only at Friday & Saturday.
Regulary open till 4am, but as is separated from living area, sometimes they stay open till 10-11am.
Entry: 15 CHF.

Le Cabinet
nice bar at the ground floor. Downstairs is a cave with concerts and live music. Seiling is low and the place is small and if many people come, it gets sticky, but the atmosphere is friendly and You get a chance to sit very close to musicians playing live music and enjoy it with them.
Music: live - differs from day to day, mostly rock, hip hop and folk.

Mr Pickwicks
English pub with (mostly) free live concerts on Thursday-Saturday, sometimes they have open mic or karaoke.

10 bis
More like a bar, concerts happen only sometimes. Metal, salsa, folk, and many other styles of music. Free entry.

Get off Geneva
People also like to go partying to Lausanne as it is the university town.

Clubs are most alive when there are some events going on. Find events on other websites.

More Nightlife venues are listed in our entertainment section.