call TCS, make sure you singup for their membership before calling them and it will cost you around 87chf and you can use their service also for next whole year.

Ask someone with a car and "jumper cables" to come and start your car. once started, the battery will recharge while driving. ( at least an hour to be sure ). by the way, this is what the breakdown service would do or the TCS.

"a lot of hassle"?  Compared to not having a working car? Or compared to joining TCS, calling them out, waiting for them to show up, driving around for an hour then probably having to buy a new battery anyway?

Why not just make the small amount of effort to take the battery home and charge it?

An "intelligent" charger will restore the battery in a way that makes it likely to last for a while (depending on its age).  Jump-starting it from another vehicle will work temporarily but may mean that you are in this situation again soon.

Thanks very much for all your advices. I've heard of TCS but thought there will be surcharge for everything. I might go with this option for now and buy charger later if needed. I usually use car for longer distances and hence battery should recharge on a regular basis. Also I recently returned from vacation where I drove over 2000 km. So the battery was meant to be fully charged but leaving indoor lights on over a week was perhaps enough to make it dead.

With a lot of hassle I meant to buy a charger and then get the battery and travel across Geneva. Certainly you are right it's worth the hassle. Hassle compared used to haviong a charge in your own garage but since I moved recently and it was not mine... Of course the easiest option would be to ask a friend but I'm new in the town -> not many friends so far. Not with cars anyway.

Many thanks again you all!

Bon weekend!

Just hang around your car, and people with cars who pass by to help you. You might get a few nos, but at the end you'll find someone who has cables and who's willing to take 5 minutes to charge you

It is hard when you are new in town and don't know many people. If you let us know where the car is parked, someone close by might offer to help.

Good luck!

Transporting a car battery isn't as bad as it sounds. Last time I had a battery problem (it was dead, not just discharged) I biked to the nearest supermarket, bought a battery, and biked back, with the battery on the luggage rack of the bike. And I have a big car with a big battery.

Hi everyone, our battery is flat, can I join TCS and get them out the same day? Thanks!!

I don't know the answer, but I bet TCS has some way of preventing people from getting new insurance for issues that already happened. 

Best to call them anonymously and ask. 

If the car is parked in an available place, I'd suggest you get some jumper cables, and just ask for help from passersby. (Hold up the cables visibly, so that one sees what you want.)

It may be old-fashioned and sexist, but the damsel-in-distress really does work. I've fallen for it several times, including help to jump-start the car of an unknown woman.

Thanks for the suggestions... I suspected we were covered by something and we are, yay, no need for TCS yet  Mazda assistance is on their way!!