Enjoy a fulfilling short break in Geneva

Ask the Expert What are the main sights to see in the Swiss capital at a leisurely pace, one reader wonders.

We'll be visiting Geneva on a weekend this summer and can't wait to explore the city - as well as Mont Blanc, if time permits. We'd like to book a package that offers breakfast and accommodation, but we're worried it might be exhausting to try to keep up with a big tourist group. Can you suggest a flexible itinerary we can follow at our own pace?

Geneva is a great city for a short break, and using your hotel as your base, it's easy enough to explore the city by bus, tram, foot or boat.

Etihad Holidays (www.etihadholidays.com; 800 2324) is offering packages to Geneva for three nights starting from Dh3,599 per person, including return economy airfares, breakfast and taxes. Hotels include Le Richemond (Dh6,145), Novotel Geneve Centre (Dh4,880) and Hotel Ermitage, Evian Royal Resort (Dh5,345).

Start your first day with an hour-long tour aboard one of the red open-sided trams (10 Swiss francs [Dh42] for adults and 7 francs [Dh30] for children) that leave every 45 minutes from the south bank's Place du Rhône for a leisurely trundle around the city's shopping area, medieval quarter and the museum district. The trams run daily from 10.45am to 6.45pm.

In the afternoon, go on Key Tours's two-hour city bus tour (www.keytours.ch; 0 22 731 41 40; 23 francs [Dh98] for adults; 12 francs [Dh50] for children). The starting point is the Gare Routiere bus station, with the route going past important landmarks and monuments such as the Red Cross Museum, Bastions Park and the Reformation Wall.

There are plenty of guided walks around the city, including around the Old Town. Lasting from 90 minutes to two hours, they start outside the Geneva Tourism office (rue du Mont-Blanc 18) every morning and cost 15 francs (Dh64) for adults and is free for children below 14.

If you find the time, go bargain-hunting for vintage clothes, ceramics and antiques at the Plainpalais flea market, a vast outdoor bazaar open on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays from 8am to 5pm.

Don't miss an excursion by boat to the towns and lovely promenades around Lake Geneva. The Tour du Grand Lac by Compagnie Générale de Navigation (www.cgn.ch; 0848 811 848) is a relaxing way to see the sights. Departing every day at 9am, the boat docks at about six places before returning to Geneva at 8.45pm. Also included is a leisurely lunch on board and a two-hour stop in Montreux to explore the grand palaces, churches and historic hotels. The day trip costs from 67 francs (Dh285) for adults and 34 francs (Dh144) for children.

A trip to Mont Blanc takes a whole day, and getting there can be an adventure in itself, with a bus ride through idyllic scenery to the mountain resort of Chamonix before transferring to a cable car for the ascent to the summit of Aiguille du Midi. Later, ride a cogwheel train up through beautiful, rugged mountain scenery and the tunnels on Montenvers-Mer de Glace, France's largest glacier. You'll be crossing the Franco-Swiss border, so don't forget to bring your passport.