Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich), with a population of almost 190 000. It is situated where the Rhône river exits Lake Geneva and is surrounded by two mountain chains - the Alps and the Jura. The city has been referred to as the world's most compact metropolis and the "Peace Capital", and in 2009 it was ranked the 4th most expensive city in the world (ouch :S Although I don't know how reliable that list is, cause Moscow is 3rd and whenever I go there, I feel very rich)

In Geneva, French is the most commonly used of the official languages, unlike Zürich and Bern, where German predominates.

Geneva, like most cities in Switzerland, is a marvel of public transportation efficiency. Transports Publics Genevois provides frequent bus, tram, 'mouette' (boat), and suburban train service to within a block or two of most locations in the city and canton. Apparently, anybody staying in a Geneva hotel/hostel is entitled to a free daily travel pass for the local Transport TPG. There are trains from Bern to Geneva every hour and the trip duration is about 2 hours.

Places to see:

• Jet d'Eau: one of the largest fountains in the world. Situated at the point where Lake Geneva empties into the Rhône River, it is visible throughout the city and from the air. Five hundred liters of water per second are jetted to an altitude of 140 meters, with the water leaving the nozzle at a speed of 200 km/h. Shouldn't get too close, cause apparently it's easy to get soaked when the wind changes :D

Jet d'Eau

• St. Pierre Cathedral is best known as the adopted home church of John Calvin, one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Inside the Cathedral, there is even a chair that he used to sit in.
  

St. Pierre Cathedral

• Palace of Nations was built between 1929 and 1936 as the headquarters of the League of Nations. It has served as the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva since 1946 when the Secretary General of the UN signed a Headquarters Agreement with the Swiss authorities, although Switzerland did not become a member of the UN until 2002. The palace is located in the Ariana Park overlooking Lake Geneva and with a clear view of the French Alps.
• The International Monument to the Reformation, more commonly known as the Reformation Wall honors many of the main individuals, events and documents of the Protestant Reformation by depicting them in sculptures and bas-reliefs. The Wall is in the grounds of the University of Geneva, (founded by John Calvin) built into the old city walls of Geneva, and the monument's location there is designed to represent the fortifications', and therefore the city of Geneva's, integral importance to the Reformation.
• The Flower Clock: Geneva's "L'horloge fleurie" was created in 1955 as a symbol of the city's clock makers and dedication to nature. It is situated at the western edge of the Jardin Anglais. Usually, around 6500 flowers and shrubs are used as decoration for this clock. The decoration is changed frequently.

The Flower Clock

• There are many parks in addition to the aforementioned Jardin Anglais: Parc des Bastions and Parc des Eaux Vives, for instance.

Places to sleep:
We won't necessarily need to spend the night in Geneva, since there's not that much to see and if it really is as expensive as Wikipedia claims, then maybe it's better to be there for the day and continue on our journey in the evening (a night train to Amsterdam, perhaps?)
But just in case, here is a couple of hostels I found: City Hostel Geneva looks REALLY nice, close to the railway station and costs about 22€/person/night. The website has a virtual tour of the rooms, how cool is that? There's also Geneva Youth Hostel.