Geneva City Walks - Ferme de Val D'Arve
This is a walk I do every now and again as it’s walking distance from our home. I do the Piscine de Carouge walk, then walk up past the Service Cantonal des Véhicles to access this farm.
Total walking time: approx 20 minutes around the woods.
In order to get to the farm, from Pont de Val D’Arve, go up Route de Veyrier where you will see a big white building by the T-junction as in the picture above. This is a crèche, and as you walk up to it, there’s a big gate. There’s a pedestrian section which you can walk through and the farm is just 50 metres down the path.
Go past the crèche on your right, through the gates to come out by the farm straight ahead of you
I first found out about it as local dog walkers also like to come here and since Kai is obsessed with horses, thought it would make a great morning walk for him and Luka.
The woods are not that big, so you can’t get very lost no matter which path you take, but for a loop that I normally do when I come here, click here.
The pedestrian bridge coming from Carouge centre
If you are coming from Carouge centre, you can also access the woods and go down through the woods to the farm via a pedestrian path which crosses over Route de Val D’Arve. Note that this route is much more difficult if you are coming with a pram (though doable if you are feeling energetic.)
Take the white gravel path along the fence to get to the farm
The route is downhill from here!
As soon as you cross the pedestrian bridge, turn left, and before following the paved road up, take the gravel path running along the fence line on your left. There are a couple of splits in the path on your way, always take the right split, it will bring you out by the pillars that Kai enjoyed playing on, then you can go down the hill towards the farm.
According to the official City of Geneva map for legal off-leash zones, this is not an off-leash zone. However in the 4 years I have been coming here, I have noticed that all dog walkers walk with their dogs off the leash here.
The farm is small but they have a decent number of birds, including various species of chicken, ducks, geese, and they also have a couple of ponies.
You can do a loop around the farm itself, which Kai enjoyed.
The farm is at the bottom of the hill where the woods are, and through the woods is a Parcours Santé where there is a designated route with various equipment dotted along the way. My husband comes here a lot to do a run/workout, it’s pretty handy!
Next to the farm is an area for BBQ and Picnic, where we did see a group of people enjoying the weather with a BBQ on the go.
This is an understated but nice place to visit with your child(ren) and/or dog(s). Given its location, you can also pop into Carouge after for a snack/meal!
Fun factor for child: 4/5 - look at the ponies and all the birds!
Fun factor for dog: 4/5 - Enjoy a walk through the woods
Pram-friendly: The farm area is pram-friendly. If you want to walk through the woods, it’s possible with a running pram, but the path is undulating and at times very narrow, so it can be tricky. Better to carry your child.
Water Access for dogs: No
Potable water: Yes, there is a fountain by the horse stables which is operational during the summer months
Baby changing facilities: No
Other notes: It can get very muddy by the farm area during the wet/winter months.
Please review the Disclaimer before attempting any walk or activity mentioned on this website.
