Geneva owes its origins to its easy access. The pre-Roman settlement Genua was established at a natural crossing of the Rhône; from the Middle Ages on, Geneva flourished as a market town strategically located on the trading route between Northern and Southern Europe.

Today, Geneva’s geography still stands it in good stead. In the heart of Europe, in easy reach of the European Union’s 450 million consumers, Geneva is less than two hours away from all major European cities. It is at the hub of Europe’s highway network; while high-speed trains get you quickly into the heart of Paris and Milan and intercity trains provide efficient, comfortable connections to Germany and Spain.

Naturally, as part of Switzerland, Geneva benefits from the famous Swiss stability, prosperity and reputation for excellence. Geneva offers companies based here direct access to all major European markets. In addition it offers, through the Swiss federal system, direct access to 3 main European cultural test markets: that is, Switzerland’s French, German and Italian-speaking regions. Geneva is increasingly “part” of neighboring France and the vibrant Rhône-Alps region, whose strengths (e.g., Lyon’s expertise in cancer research and Grenoble’s work in genes) complement Geneva’s own clusters in such sectors as medical technology and life sciences.
 
Geneva boasts Europe’s shortest airport-to-office commuting time: Geneva International Airport is only four kilometers from the downtown business district; industrial and commercial centers on the autoroute periphery and at the airport itself can cut the commute down to minutes. Paris, London, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Milan, Rome and Barcelona are all an hour's flight away.

Comparative graph: Distance from airport to downtown, in km



The close relationship between business and research is another aspect of “access” that Geneva offers. Lake Geneva Region universities, as well as local incubators and research centers, are committed to getting ideas out of the lab and onto the marketplace. The community, where everyone knows each other in any given field, encourages this momentum.

Finally, Geneva offers rare accessibility in human terms. Making contact with the people you need to know, whether it is a Minister of a country, top management of a multinational or bank, or Director-General of a UN organization, is simpler than in most places. You may find that you support the same charity, belong to the same sports club, live in the same neighborhood or village, or that your children go to the same school. Geneva is a small town in the best sense of the term!