I've been living in Geneva, Switzerland for over a year and have been going out here more frequently (still only Friday through Sunday) in only the last 6 months. I wanted to offer my breakdown of the scene.
For some context, I'm an expat from North America that originally planned to live here a few years, but is now seriously considering staying here (and in Europe) a lot longer!
Community
Geneva is a city full of foreigners and expats, and it can actually be difficult to meet Swiss or local Genevans, particularly if you really hang only in the expat circles. There are organized expat communities that throw parties and events which is a good source to network and meet people. (the biggest is glocals.com)
What is so great about this city (and surrounding cities like Lausanne) is that there are women from so many different countries!! You can hang out at the more popular bars approaching girls and literally be surprised week after week at all the different nationalities represented. I find it awesome as you don't even have to travel at all to meet so many different girls. If you are into the whole, "flag count" thing - this is a GREAT place to be.
Many of my friends back home are surprised at all of the different nationalities girls I pick up: French, German, Spanish, Russian, British, Swiss, Swedish, Austrian, Serbian, Slovakian,….the list goes on!
That being said, I would say the quality of girls physically is NOT BAD, but not as high as other cities like Lyon, France which is quite close. You see a lot more 6, 7, and 8s and it's a bit rarer to see 9s and 10s, unless you are a rich ass Saudi prince throwing money around (and they actually do come here but also usually pay to play ).
Most girls here, relatively speaking, are quite highly educated. It's not uncommon for MOST girls you talk to, to have a Masters or PhD. And there are a couple of dominant professions here: Banking/finance, UN, non-profit org, or a multinational like Proctor and Gamble (they are so many young P&G people here). This, in my opinion, does NOT effect the efficacy of your game, and in some ways, might make girls more open to having fun! Another key fact: many expats are here for 2-3 year temporary gigs, and therefore are more open to short term flings rather than settling for something long-term. I know many friends who want something long-term who have been frustrated. For me however, this is GREAT! I think it creates and atmosphere where people are more liberated sexually.
Gaming strategy
I've always been one to let the social interaction in picking up women flow naturally, and use gaming techniques after reading a girl and feeling out what would work, so in some sense it's hard to make a blanket statement about a certain technique… However,
Cocky/funny has definitely worked for me, and can really build attraction fast. All of the common sense techniques in pickup are good to keep in mind: good body language, having girls qualify themselves etc. The key is being confident, bold and FUN. I like inner game stuff also because normally if I'm in a great mood, it does wonders for pick-up, particularly in Geneva where many people that go out can be a bit bland and boring (after meeting the 100th banking/finance guy with nothing interesting in his life, I can see why girls just want something unique). I've found that being fun/adventurous and simply enjoying yourself causes women to gravitate toward you naturally.
I would say that a majority of guys here don't have very good game, but Geneva is so international, you can find some guys who are relatively successful with women also (I would estimate about 25% of guys have good game).
Getting one night stands here is definitely possible but not VERY common. However, after first or second dates, you can definitely get laid with surprising frequency. (Assuming your escalating the attraction as you should be). This means that people visiting for at least a few days stand a good chance of picking-up and even getting a lay/flag, if their game is good.
It helps to be from outside of Europe, as you will be slightly more "exotic" than the many different European guys that are here. Being from North America is a definite plus, in my opinion.
I'm VERY honest about my intentions with a girl after the first kiss/make out - I'm clear that I'm not necessarily looking for long term and don't string girls along pretending like I can provide a LTR. I do this for moral reasons and have found that is has not (except for rare exceptions) effected my ability to bang. Actually it can actually turn them on more.
Places:
I prefer bars here in Geneva, as I like to talk to build attraction. On Friday and Saturdays after the bars close around 2PM, I do frequently head to a club as a second venue - but usually with a girl I've already been building attraction with at a bar earlier. There are a few OK clubs, if you like dancing game etc (which I don't like).
La SIP - One of the more popular clubs in Geneva in a big multilevel warehouse, music is OK (very commercial - if I hear "tonight's gonna be a good night" again, I might puke), and more casual as their dress code is not very strict. Can be a good "second venue" to close in. Can be OK for pickup also, but depends on the night.
Java, Platinum - Both of these clubs are the higher-end clubs….with crazy high drink prices (remember this is Switzerland), stricter dress code and both have extensive VIP sections where middle eastern sons of rich oil families come…and they attract the pay to play girls also, so can be annoying. There are a good amount of hot Russians that double as prostitutes, but I usually don't have trouble spotting them.
These actually both can be good venues to pick up but it can be kind-of hit or miss for me (maybe because I like talking rather than dancing for pickup and I find it sooo much easier in bars).
There are some more clubs but I'll keep this shorter.
Many of the bars are cool buy my favorite is:
Brasserie des Halles de L'ile - Great location on Friday night and Saturday - tons of girls and great place to approach and meet people (even locals). Has a DJ and small dance area but not too noisy so conversation can flow. Open till 2am
Language
Geneva is French speaking, however you can live almost a completely comfortable life in English. It can actually be difficult to learn French here if you are a native English speaker because many people will switch to English after they hear that you know very little French. In most of the bigger bars/clubs, you can get by conversing and approaching in English. About 20% of the time, you will find a language barrier where either you or the person you are talking to knows too little of each other's language to carry on some type of conversation (this mostly with the many French girls that are here).
BTW - I love the French accent though - and it's very sexy to talk to French (or Swiss French speaking) girls here even if they just know a little English. Learning French, Spanish (or German) however just opens more opportunities - so always a good idea.
Anything I'm missing?
For some context, I'm an expat from North America that originally planned to live here a few years, but is now seriously considering staying here (and in Europe) a lot longer!
Community
Geneva is a city full of foreigners and expats, and it can actually be difficult to meet Swiss or local Genevans, particularly if you really hang only in the expat circles. There are organized expat communities that throw parties and events which is a good source to network and meet people. (the biggest is glocals.com)
What is so great about this city (and surrounding cities like Lausanne) is that there are women from so many different countries!! You can hang out at the more popular bars approaching girls and literally be surprised week after week at all the different nationalities represented. I find it awesome as you don't even have to travel at all to meet so many different girls. If you are into the whole, "flag count" thing - this is a GREAT place to be.
Many of my friends back home are surprised at all of the different nationalities girls I pick up: French, German, Spanish, Russian, British, Swiss, Swedish, Austrian, Serbian, Slovakian,….the list goes on!
That being said, I would say the quality of girls physically is NOT BAD, but not as high as other cities like Lyon, France which is quite close. You see a lot more 6, 7, and 8s and it's a bit rarer to see 9s and 10s, unless you are a rich ass Saudi prince throwing money around (and they actually do come here but also usually pay to play ).
Most girls here, relatively speaking, are quite highly educated. It's not uncommon for MOST girls you talk to, to have a Masters or PhD. And there are a couple of dominant professions here: Banking/finance, UN, non-profit org, or a multinational like Proctor and Gamble (they are so many young P&G people here). This, in my opinion, does NOT effect the efficacy of your game, and in some ways, might make girls more open to having fun! Another key fact: many expats are here for 2-3 year temporary gigs, and therefore are more open to short term flings rather than settling for something long-term. I know many friends who want something long-term who have been frustrated. For me however, this is GREAT! I think it creates and atmosphere where people are more liberated sexually.
Gaming strategy
I've always been one to let the social interaction in picking up women flow naturally, and use gaming techniques after reading a girl and feeling out what would work, so in some sense it's hard to make a blanket statement about a certain technique… However,
Cocky/funny has definitely worked for me, and can really build attraction fast. All of the common sense techniques in pickup are good to keep in mind: good body language, having girls qualify themselves etc. The key is being confident, bold and FUN. I like inner game stuff also because normally if I'm in a great mood, it does wonders for pick-up, particularly in Geneva where many people that go out can be a bit bland and boring (after meeting the 100th banking/finance guy with nothing interesting in his life, I can see why girls just want something unique). I've found that being fun/adventurous and simply enjoying yourself causes women to gravitate toward you naturally.
I would say that a majority of guys here don't have very good game, but Geneva is so international, you can find some guys who are relatively successful with women also (I would estimate about 25% of guys have good game).
Getting one night stands here is definitely possible but not VERY common. However, after first or second dates, you can definitely get laid with surprising frequency. (Assuming your escalating the attraction as you should be). This means that people visiting for at least a few days stand a good chance of picking-up and even getting a lay/flag, if their game is good.
It helps to be from outside of Europe, as you will be slightly more "exotic" than the many different European guys that are here. Being from North America is a definite plus, in my opinion.
I'm VERY honest about my intentions with a girl after the first kiss/make out - I'm clear that I'm not necessarily looking for long term and don't string girls along pretending like I can provide a LTR. I do this for moral reasons and have found that is has not (except for rare exceptions) effected my ability to bang. Actually it can actually turn them on more.
Places:
I prefer bars here in Geneva, as I like to talk to build attraction. On Friday and Saturdays after the bars close around 2PM, I do frequently head to a club as a second venue - but usually with a girl I've already been building attraction with at a bar earlier. There are a few OK clubs, if you like dancing game etc (which I don't like).
La SIP - One of the more popular clubs in Geneva in a big multilevel warehouse, music is OK (very commercial - if I hear "tonight's gonna be a good night" again, I might puke), and more casual as their dress code is not very strict. Can be a good "second venue" to close in. Can be OK for pickup also, but depends on the night.
Java, Platinum - Both of these clubs are the higher-end clubs….with crazy high drink prices (remember this is Switzerland), stricter dress code and both have extensive VIP sections where middle eastern sons of rich oil families come…and they attract the pay to play girls also, so can be annoying. There are a good amount of hot Russians that double as prostitutes, but I usually don't have trouble spotting them.
These actually both can be good venues to pick up but it can be kind-of hit or miss for me (maybe because I like talking rather than dancing for pickup and I find it sooo much easier in bars).
There are some more clubs but I'll keep this shorter.
Many of the bars are cool buy my favorite is:
Brasserie des Halles de L'ile - Great location on Friday night and Saturday - tons of girls and great place to approach and meet people (even locals). Has a DJ and small dance area but not too noisy so conversation can flow. Open till 2am
Language
Geneva is French speaking, however you can live almost a completely comfortable life in English. It can actually be difficult to learn French here if you are a native English speaker because many people will switch to English after they hear that you know very little French. In most of the bigger bars/clubs, you can get by conversing and approaching in English. About 20% of the time, you will find a language barrier where either you or the person you are talking to knows too little of each other's language to carry on some type of conversation (this mostly with the many French girls that are here).
BTW - I love the French accent though - and it's very sexy to talk to French (or Swiss French speaking) girls here even if they just know a little English. Learning French, Spanish (or German) however just opens more opportunities - so always a good idea.
Anything I'm missing?
