Being far from home, it is important to have an opportunity to keep in touch. In Geneva you will find various facilities for this purpose.
Telephone
The country code for Switzerland is 41; the area code for Geneva is 022 - but it is not needed when making calls in Geneva.
Almost every post office has at least one telephone inside and a telephone booth outside its doors. Telephone booths can also be found in various locations in Geneva. You should buy a telephone card (called a ‘taxcard’) from a post office or a newsagent’s if you wish to use the latter because coin-operated telephone boxes are increasingly hard to find, although a few telephones take credit cards (for instance, at the airport). The minimum charge for a local call is -.60 cts. It will be cheaper for you to call from 5pm to 7pm and 9pm to 8am and on Saturdays and Sundays. Note that many businesses have mobile phone numbers (usually prefixed 079), which are more expensive to call, and that calls made from hotels will be more expensive, since they can charge as much as they want.
The overseas access code from Switzerland is 00 + the country code. So to call Singapore, you would start dialling with 00 65 (65 being the country code).
Mail
Sending mail
Until recently, Geneva's postal system ranked certainly amongst the most efficient in the world. However, Priority (A) mail posted within Switzerland before 6pm still reaches its destination the following morning and Standard mail within 3 to 4 days.
You will find telephone and fax facilities in nearly all post offices as well as 'postpacs' (cardboard cartons) in varying sizes to make up parcels.
Post offices are open Monday to Friday from 7.30 am to noon and 1.45 to 6pm, Saturdays from 8 to 11am. But the main post office at Montbrillant (just behind Cornavin railway station) has counters open late in the evening: until 10pm - however, you can only send letters and parcels there (you cannot, for example, settle your bills) and the surchage is Sfr 1.--. Postal codes precede the names of cities and towns in Swiss addresses
Postal rates within Switzerland:
Postcard or letter up to 20 gr.
Sfr 0,90 Courrier (A) = priority
Sfr 0,70 Courrier (B) = standard
Postal rates within Europe:
Postcard or letter up to 20 gr.
Sfr 1,10 Courrier (A) = priority
Sfr 0,90 Courrier (B) = standard
Postal rates outside of Europe:
Postcard or letter up to 20 gr.
Sfr 1,80 Courrier (A) = priority
Sfr 1,10 Courrier (B) = standard
Receiving Mail
If you're uncertain where you'll be staying, have your mail, marked «poste restante» or «postlagernd» sent to any post office in Switzerland. It needs the sender's name and address on the back, and you'll need proof of identity to collect it.
Cyber cafes
Charly's Multimedia Check Point
7 rue De Fribourg
Geneva, 1201
Switzerland
4122 901 1313
http://www.charlys.com/
Escape Internet Cafe
19, Quai du Mont Blanc - At the Noga Hilton Hotel
1201, Genève, Suisse
Phone: +41 22 900 12 91
Fax: +41 22 900 12 92
Email: info@escapecafe.com
Cyber Cafe Geneve
Place des augustins 19
Geneva CH-1205 Switzerland
Phone: (+4122) 807 30 00
Fax: (+4122) 807 30 99
Email: admin@ifage.ch
Infelecs
http://www.infelecs.ch/
26 rue Vautier, Carouge
Geneve 1227 Suisse
Phone: (022) 342.53.54
Email: admin@infelecs.ch
CafeReseau Nomade
Rte du bout du monde 6
CH-1206 Geneva
tel (022) 347 34 64
10 fr/heure - Membre 20 fr/an & 5 fr/heure
Internet cafe bar
http://www.sosinternet.ch
16 RUE DE MONTHOUX , geneve , 1201 , switzerland
Phone: +41 22 738 99 20
Fax: +41 22 738 99 26
Email: mail@sosinternet.ch
Price/Hour: 5 Sfr
Hours: non stop 10 to 24
