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Geneva Denigrated on the Internet

"Travel Expert Rick Steves says Geneva and Zurich are boring cities and should be avoided."
 French headlines from a Swiss newspaper announcing Rick's opinions of Geneva and Zurich
French headlines from a Swiss newspaper announcing Rick's opinions of Geneva and Zurich French headlines from a Swiss newspaper announcing Rick's opinions of Geneva and Zurich

(Translated and condensed from the May 13, 1999 edition of the Swiss newspaper Le Matin, sent to us by Joe and Catherine Snyder of Charlotte NC.)

The Ravages of "fast-travel"

Americans haven't stopped surprising us. After bringing us fast food now they're bringing us fast travel. First they economize to find time to eat. Now they hurry up to travel. If there's anybody who doesn't waste any time it's Rick Steves. From his office in Seattle this man shapes the way many Americans travel. And Rick Steves has a fine nose at adapting the concept of fast food to travel. Judging from his books and website, he is an effective apostle of fast travel. Thank God, this Rick Steves hasn't tainted the traveling population. Geneva receives more tourists from the USA than from anywhere else. And American visits were up 13% in the last year.

With the wind in his hair, Rick flies down the road on another European adventure
America's "apostle of fast-travel" denegrates two boring cities.

Geneva and Zurich don't have much to worry about. In the list of destinations brutalized by Rick Steves, these two Swiss cities find themselves in excellent company. The ruthless American specialist of little assassination phrases isn't embarrassed when he lets his arrows fly at some of Europe's top tourist destinations. He says: "Bordeaux must mean "boredom" in some ancient language. Athens is a smoggy mix of cement, traffic noise and tourists. Cornwall is a minefield of tourist traps. Andorra is just a big Spanish-speaking Radio Shack. Thessaloniki deserves its place in the Bible but not in a guidebook." Steves denigrates Bucharest, the Black Forest, Stavanger... the list goes on and on.

Finishing on a hopeful note, Christian Rey, president of the Geneva Tourism and the local hotel industry, says, "There is certainly not a fire on the lake. If he is an influence, it is superficial, as Americans trust their travel agents."

For lots more information, check out our best-selling Rick Steves' guidebooks — or join us on one of our free-spirited Europe tours!