Geneva

CERN Science Gateway

The CERN particle physics research centre has a purpose built museum presenting the history of CERN, our universe and quantum science at a level accessible to all. Almost all exhibits are interactive and are presented in five languages (French, English, German, Italian and Spanish). There are also workshops for children (free, 45 mins) and guided tours (90 mins) of the premises which can only be booked on site. The reception has a souvenir shop; this is your opportunity to get yourself a CERN helmet!

9AM-5PM Tue-Sun·Free

Carouge

A district of Geneva that once belonged to the Kingdom of Sardinia and hence retains a distinct Italian flavour.

Cathédrale St-Pierre and Calvin's auditorium

The new Espace Saint Pierre pass includes entrance to all three sites of Cour Saint-Pierre, a worthy space of unique spiritual and cultural importance. The Cathedral and its towers, originally Catholic, both embody the high point of the Reformed tradition and explore the origins of Christianity with an extensive archaeological site and they are now complemented by the International Museum of the Reformation on the ground floor of the Maison Mallet. An underground passage, reopened when the Museum was created, connects the two buildings. The archeological tour beneath the cathedral is excellent for archeology fans it explains the origins not only of the cathedral but the reason for Geneva's location back to pre-Roman times. Those willing to climb the steps of the Cathedral's towers will be rewarded with magnificent views of Geneva and the lake. Nearby, the Auditoire, where Calvin taught, completes a complex that is both representative of the past and open to current questions. The new Espace Saint-Pierre thus aims to contribute to our understanding of today’s world – between tradition and modernity, cultural experimentation and spiritual practice. These three buildings invite the visitor to explore the city’s history. Religious denominations aside, Espace Saint Pierre represents a spirit that continues to guide the city and citizens of Geneva today. For schedules and information about free live organ performances in the cathedral, go to the website Concerts cathédrale.

Jun-Sep: Mon-Sat 09:00-21:00, Sun 11:00-19:00; Oct-May: Mon-Sat 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-17:00, Sun 11:00-12:30 and 13:30-17:00·Adults Fr. 16 (Seniors, Disabled, Students aged 16-25, and groups of more than 15 qualify for a Fr. 10 pass, children aged 7-16 qualify for an Fr. 8 pass. Entry to the church itself is free, of course, but donations are welcome.)

Eaux-Vives

While many of Geneva's buildings are similar in style to what you would find in French cities, the Mairie of Eaux-Vives is a great example of the typical Swiss architecture you would find in cities like Zürich. If you're interested in modern architecture, also visit Rue Saint-Laurent for "La Clarté", an avant-garde building designed by Le Corbusier in 1931/32 — one of 17 Le Corbusier buildings to be listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Another interesting attraction here is the Russian Orthodox Church built 1859-1866 with its golden cupolas.

Fondation Baur, Musée des Arts d’Extrême-Orient

The largest collections of Far Eastern art open to the public in Switzerland. Temporary exhibitions are regularly organized several times a year.

Tue-Sun 14:00-18:00·Fr. 10

International Museum of the Reformation

Installed on the ground floor of the magnificent Maison Mallet (next to Saint-Pierre Cathedral), this new Museum presents the main spiritual and cultural elements of the Reformation. Unique objects, manuscripts, rare books, engravings, and paintings illustrate the close ties between Geneva and the Reformation. State-of-the-art technology welcomes a modern audience: films, a music room, and demonstrations, including many for children, invite visitors to both rediscover the past and imagine the future.

Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00. Closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 January. Open Easter, Pentecost, and Jeune Federal Mondays. Access for disabled visitors.·Fr. 10 for Adults; Seniors, Disabled, Students from 16-25 years old qualify for a Fr. 7 admission fee; Children age 7-16 years old and groups of 15 or more qualify for a Fr. 5 admission fee; Children under 7 are free. For another Fr. 3, you can explore the archaeological site beneath the cathedral and climb the tower inside the cathedral, which has some amazing views of the city

Jardin botanique

At the botanical garden you can see flowers, plants and trees both from the Alps and from other parts of the world. The palm house also hosts tropical vegetation. In the northern part of the park there is a zoo spread over a quite large area with birds and some Alpine mammals such as goats and deer.

free

Jet d'Eau

One of the crowning symbols of Geneva is the monumental Jet d'Eau, a fountain of water pumped 140m into the air. The spectacular plume was once an occasional pressure release for hydro-power generation on the Rhône River, but people liked it so much that in 1891 the city created a permanent pumped fountain. It's beautifully lit at night. Best viewed from a distance — the surrounding half kilometer is soaked with water. However, the more adventurous might want to try the pathway leading right up to the Jet d'eau -- prepare to get enjoyably wet!

daily 10:00-23:00 (shut off in November for maintenance and during strong winds.)·Free

L'Ile

Worth visiting for the old Tour de L'Ile, the remains of a fortified castle erected in the 13th century.

Free

Maison Tavel

Three floors presenting the history of Geneva from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. There's an entrance fee to the temporary exhibitions in the basement.

Tue-Sun 11:00-18:00·free

Monument Brunswick

An impressive monument, constructed in 1873 as a Mausoleum for the Duke of Brunswick, as a replica of the tomb of the Scaligeri family in Verona (14th century). Also worth visiting for the 5-star hotels and the cars in front of them.

Free

Museum of the International Committee of the Red Cross

The Museum of the ICRC is in the basement of the headquarters and shows photos and objects related to the organisation's service to humanity during countless wars and natural disasters, and presents stories of victims. However much of the permanent exhibition is not an ordinary museum, but probably supposed to be more of an "experience", one might even call it a theme park — not really appropriate for such a serious topic. You will be given an audio guide that is activated when going through different rooms and touching screens - these are malfunctioning quite frequently. There are also educative tasks/games for the visitors to play as well as postmodern works of art. Overall, the museum is largely a rather confusing experience and given the offhand expectations you probably have, this museum will probably not be the high point of your visit to Geneva.

Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00. Closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and on 1 January. Access for disabled visitors.·Adult Fr. 15; child, ICRC members, the elderly, and others Fr. 7

Musée Ariana

Occupying a big chunk of what would otherwise be the UN campus, the Ariana Museum offers a huge collection (16,000 pieces) of ceramics from around Europe and the Far East.

Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Fr. 8

Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain

Late modern, post-modern, and contemporary works by internationally known artists, as well as a special collection of Swiss conceptual work.

Tue-Fri 12:00-18:00, Sat Sun 11:00-18:00·Fr. 8

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

Extensive art and archaeological-historical collections. Painting gallery extends back to the early Renaissance, but is most extensive in Swiss-French and Impressionist works.

Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00·Free, except special exhibits

Musée d'Histoire Naturelle

Geneva has a nice museum which is worth a visit, especially if you have youth and children.

Tue-Sun 09:30-17:00·Free

Musée d'histoire des sciences

Museum dedicated to scientists who've lived and worked in Geneva. You can see old equipment from telescopes to galvanometers and glass eyes.

free

Old Town

Vieille Ville

Aside of the cathedral the Old town in general is worth walking around in for an hour or two. Among the highlights are the city hall with the cannons in the little square opposite to it, Rousseau's birth house and various antique shops with all sorts of interesting stuff in the windows. A word of warning to people with physical disabilities: the Old Town, is situated on a hill with quite steep streets leading up to it.

Palais des Nations

Built to house the League of Nations, the Palais is worth visiting just to take in the magnificent Assembly Hall, in addition to the large collection of public art, the library, and the landscaped grounds. Visits are by guided tours only. For most of the year there are two or four of them per day, in the summer months they are arranged depending on the number of visitors. Enter the complex at the Appia gate, and go through passport and security check. From there you will go to one desk to get a "visitor" badge, then downstairs to purchase the actual ticket. After this you should exit the building, go to the left and slightly downhill to Building E, enter through door E39 and wait in the lobby until the tour starts. There is a quite good souvenir shop from where you can also send post cards with UN stamps, as well as a small "cinema" showing video clips of UN's work to keep you entertained while waiting. On the tour itself you must follow the guide at all times.

Open daily Apr-Oct: 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00; Jul-Aug 10:00-17:00; the rest of the year Mon-Fri 10:00-12:00 and 14:00-16:00 (except over the Christmas period)·Fr. 12 each for adults (groups of 20 adults or more qualify for a 20% discount; private tour of 1-14 adults Fr. 127.50; Fr. 10 each for students, senior citizens, and disabled persons; Fr. 4 for schoolchildren; free for children under six years old)

Patek Philippe Museum

Four floors of stunningly beautiful watches and clocks from the last centuries, both Patek Philippe and other brands. There is also a section presenting watchmaking in practice. Bags (even shopping bags) must be kept in free lockers so don't arrive with suitcases!

Tue-Fri 14:00-18:00, Sat 10:00-18:00·Adults Fr. 10, Seniors/people with disabilities/unemployed/students Fr. 7, under 18 years old free

Place Neuve

See the impressive Grand Theatre (1879, renovated after a fire in 1951), the Conservatoire de musique, and the Musée Rath. Also visit the Parc des Bastions, which includes a large wall ("Mur des Réformateurs") showing some of the famous people of the Reformation movement.

Quartier des Grottes

An area with interesting shops and most importantly, a series of residential buildings called "les Schtroumpfs" (1982-1984), where the architects tried to avoid all straight lines, leading to an unconventional Gaudi-like appearance.

Free

Île Rousseau

Small island where the lake ends and river Rhône begins named after the famous philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau - of course there's a statue of him there too.

Free