Search

Why is this fish everywhere in Nyon? This fish which is on flags and signs all around Nyon is a symbol of the town. Most folk think it is a perch but it is called a "poisson d'argent" which translates as a "silver fish". A fish was chosen for the flag as orginally Nyon was a small town of fisherman on the lake. The anecdote goes that (the flag) with the fish on the red and blue background , symbolises the fish going from blue of the lake to the red heat of the cooking pot! However, perch is one of the local specialities here and it is caught in lake in the summer. Served in fillets with chips (french fries) and lemon butter sauce and salad, it's delicious. There are some small fishermens' huts along the lake side where you can buy freshly caught fish by the kilo. Fillet of Perch on a plate Perch is on the menu at many restaurants in Nyon and the suurounding area. Fishermens' huts

Cafés Appunto in Manor the department store in the centre of town. For a coffee, tea, sandwich, quick lunch (self service) Gets busy at lunch time with students. Bibliothee Update 12th October 09 Sadly Bibliothee has now closed its doors but the manager will be opening a new small coffee shop very soon. Watch this space. Restaurants La Croix Verte A Nyon institution in a traditional Swiss building in the centre of town opposite the BCV bank. Serves mainly Italian food, Take away pizzas available. Greek mezze on the menu in summer. Outside terrace when the weather is warm. Very busy most nights and at the weekends. (No website) 022 361 1539 La Débarcadere on the lake front. Very friendly staff. Perch and frites, Steak Tartare. Nice no smoking area on second floor. (No website) 022 361 1710 Le Léman Restaurant Next to and similar menu to the Débarcadere. Great to have a bowl of their home made tomato soup after a winter walk. (No website) Tel:022 361 7321 Le Seizième Siecle . This is a family run restaurant and a small hotel found under the arches in Place du Marché. Swiss food, fondue, special Autumn menu. You can just have a drink here too. Very friendly staff. Differenciels Funky Decor, funky music, great salads and panninis. Small outside terrace. Popular with young crowd at lunchtimes and evenings. Le Mâitre Jaques Small restaurant with fine dining, not far from the lake.     Shops Angelika Chollet Boutique down by the lake. Unusual stuff, home ware, jewellery, bags, cards, children's gifts. Modern designs. (No website) Tel 022 3616513 Catambo Lots of brightly coloured gifts and products from Africa and around the world. Candles, cards. teas and coffees, posters. Photography Photo Studio Berger 32 Rue St-Jean in Nyon. Daniel Berger. Very friendly owner. Photography services, sells colour and monochrome film, passport photography, printing service. Tel: 022 361 1556 366cm Magasin Design A small but interesting design shop down Ruelle de la Poterne in the old town. Lamps, office stuff, t-shirts and other stuff . The name of this shop comes from the combined height of the two designers Vincent and Sergio who work out of this shop/office.......! Rive Marine Even if you don't possess a boat, the chandlers down at the lakeside is worth taking a look at for deck shoes, Havaianas, waterproofs etc and the owner is very helpful indeed. For Hairdressers Art Tifs just round the corner from the station. Very friendly staff and Claire (in photo) speaks English. Closed Mondays Tel 022 361 2345 For nights out Club1306.net This is in the basement of a private house, dating back to... you guessed it, 1306! It is occasionally opened to the public, so keep an eye out for the posters around town of their coming events. The last event saw the superb band Mama Rosin play here. Giving a very professional set of blues and cajun music they had the house stomping and applauding. This intimate venue has a good sound quality and is ideal for jazz and small groups. Mama Rosin in concert

Single Life in Nyon Being more in the "mother hen" category rather than the "spring chicken" one, I am not too knowledgeable on what the social life is like for a single person in living in Nyon. However I do know there are bars and clubs that people go to meet, such as: New (added 6th March 2009) New bar in old town in Grand Rue 22b with live rock music called La Parenthese .This place used to be called Chez Odette. Website still under construction. Les Brasseurs a pub (micro brewery) in the centre of town that also serves food. Try their "flammenkueche" sort of a cross betwen a thin pizza and a quiche. Their hamburgers are good too. Popular with a young crowd at the weekend. Differenciels (see my favourites, cafés and restaurants) Quai 23 a bar near the lake that serves pasta and pizzas. (No website, this link is to the tourist board site with details) The Fisherman's Pub seems to attract the expats and the sports fans to watch matches on their widescreen TV. Usine à Gaz is a club with live music almost every weekend from rock to reggae to rap. "L'After" A Nightclub near the lake (I've never been, so can't report back on this place) There is also a social singles networking club called Glocals with its own website. This is for the whole of the Lake Geneva area. It was launched a while ago and seems to be successful as they organise lots of events and parties throughout the year with some events in Nyon.

If you've got a bike then you'll need one of these. It's compulsory and its called a "vignette" An annual licence which you buy from the post office. There are bike trails in the area and there are maps you can buy with them all marked on. Parking The main parking in town is at Place Perdtemps. Drive in, collect your ticket and pay on your return. Parking is free for the first hour. If the Circus is in town then it takes up a lot of space in this car park! There are other parking areas scattered all over the town and near the lake. It can get very busy at the weekend, especially in the summer. Unusual fact. Did you know that if you park your car near long grass, sometimes a little animal (not unlike a small stoat) climbs into your bonnet, makes itself comfortable and then begins to eat the engine cooling pies. I kid you not. So, if you see the engine heating up over a period of time this might be the reason.. Your car insurance policy usually covers the repairs for this!

Football Love it or loathe it, you wil not be able to miss Euro 2008 here in Nyon. There is a lot planned such as big screens erected down by the lake side so we can boo and cheer the refs collectively. Turkey and Portugal play their opening match in Geneva on the 7th June. Many fans are expected to stay in Nyon. Expect emotions (as the publicity says). More details to follow.

There are a lot of urban myths about all the rules to abide by when living here in Switzerland. There is no doubt that many rules do exist, but essentially, good citizenship is what it is all about. You recycle your rubbish, you don't play your music loud after a certain time at night. If you live in a flat (apartment) you may have to do your washing in a buanderie ( the laundry room) on a fixed day. If you hang your duvet covers out of the window to air then there may be a time when you are required to bring them in again, and if you have a small garden with a flat you may not be allowed to cut the grass or do any home improvements on a Sunday particularly if it makes any noise. It just depends on the apartment block or area that you live in and who your neighbors are. Initially you wonder whether you are allowed to even breathe on a Sunday... but things are not as strict as you are led to believe when you first arrive, some expats perpetuate horror stories for fun, but, it is worth checking that you are not breaking any rules. The book " Living and Working in Switzerland " is an excellent book that debunks some of the myths but outlines some of the truths. It also has a section on paying tax, and guidelines when buying and renting property.