It may come as a surprise to you to learn that Geneva is not actually the capital of Switzerland. Despite that, and the fact that it's actually only the third largest city in the country, Geneva has a very European and cosmopolitan feel to it and its position on the Lake Geneva is nothing short of breath-taking.

Not that it's possible to get a room with a view around the two press days of the annual motorshow. Accommodation is booked up a year in advance, with many journalists and the like having to stay just over the border in France. If you're planning on going as a member of the general public once the media days are finished, it should be much easier to find somewhere cheap and cheerful to stay in the city centre.

Between them, the budget airlines fly directly to Geneva from most of the major airports around the country, though you'll find that weekend flights are quite expensive and the show itself will be packed on anything other than a weekday. Getting to the show is a cinch from pretty much anywhere, with excellent public transport links and signs everywhere to help you on your way. The show is open to the public from March 8th to March 18th and you can even buy your tickets online at www.salon-auto.ch and print them out. Show entry costs 14 Swiss Francs (less than £6) for an adult or 8 Francs for a child (aged 6 to 16). Weekdays, the show runs from 10 am to 8 pm, where as the doors are open from 9 am to 7 pm at the weekend.

That may sound like a long day on your feet, but the Geneva show is actually quite compact and manageable, though there promises to be a wealth of new production models, concept cars, sports cars and supercars on show to keep you busy. Believe me, a full day is probably not enough to get a good look at everything of interest.

Of the cars we already know about, these are likely show stars: Audi A5, BMW M3, Dodge Demon concept, Fiat 500, Ford Mondeo, Honda Small Hybrid Sports Concept, Kia ex_cee'd concept, Maserati GranTurismo, Mazda Hakaze concept, MINI Clubman, Toyota Hybrid X and Vauxhall Corsa VXR. Watch this space for regular updates in the lead-up to the show itself.

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