Must-see attractions in Geneva

  • Jet d'eau, Geneva

    Jet d'Eau

    Geneva

    When landing by plane, this lakeside fountain is your first dramatic glimpse of Geneva. The 140m-tall structure shoots up water with incredible force –…

  • Large Hadron Collider, Geneva, Switzerland

    CERN

    Geneva

    Founded in 1954, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), 8km west of Geneva, is a laboratory for research into particle physics. It…

  • Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques

    Geneva

    Geneva's premier botanical park – renowned for its Botanical Conservatory – boasts over 12,000 species of plants from around the world, meticulously…

  • Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève

    Geneva

    Admission is free to the permanent collection of this excellent hands-on museum, which examines the similarities and differences of our planet's myriad of…

  • Vieille Ville

    Geneva

    A stroll around Geneva's beautiful Old Town is a must. Its main street, the Grand-Rue, shelters the Maison de Rousseau et de la Literature at No 40, where…

  • St Pierre Cathedral in old town of Geneva at dusk

    Cathédrale St-Pierre

    Geneva

    Geneva's cathedral is predominantly Gothic with an 18th-century neoclassical facade. Between 1536 and 1564 Protestant John Calvin preached here; see his…

  • Palais des Nations UN Geneva Switzerland

    Palais des Nations

    Geneva

    Home to the UN since 1966, the Palais des Nations was built between 1929 and 1936 to house the now-defunct League of Nations. Visits are by guided tour …

  • Quai du Mont-Blanc

    Geneva

    Flowers, statues, outdoor art exhibitions and views of Mont Blanc (on clear days only) abound on this picturesque northern lakeshore promenade, which…

  • Musée International de la Réforme

    Geneva

    This modern museum in an 18th-century mansion zooms in on the Reformation. State-of-the-art exhibits and audiovisuals bring to life everything from the…

  • Musée d’Art et d’Histoire

    Geneva

    Built between 1903 and 1910, this elegant museum holds masterpieces such as Konrad Witz' La pêche miraculeuse (c 1440–44), portraying Christ walking on…

  • Jardin Anglais

    Geneva

    Before finding your way into the Vieille Ville, join the crowds taking selfies in front of the Horloge Fleurie, the pièce de résistance of this, Geneva's…

  • Eaux-Vives Plage Publique

    Geneva

    A new (and free) public beach at Eaux-Vives was in the pipeline for Geneva at the time of research. Scheduled to open in summer 2019, the long sandy beach…

  • Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain

    Geneva

    Set in an industrial 1950s factory, the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum plays cutting-edge host to young, international and cross-media exhibitions. It…

  • Horloge Fleurie

    Geneva

    In the Jardin Anglais you'll find Geneva’s most photographed clock, crafted from 6500 living flowers. It's been ticking since 1955 and boasts the world’s…

  • Patek Philippe Museum

    Geneva

    An ode to Swiss timing, this elegant museum by one of Switzerland's leading luxury watchmakers displays exquisite timepieces and enamels from the 16th…

  • Terrasse Agrippa d'Aubigné

    Geneva

    A tree-shaded park with benches, sandpit and see-saw for kids, and a fine rooftop and cathedral view.

  • Parc des Bastions

    Geneva

    It's all statues – not to mention a giant chess board – in this green city park where a laid-back stroll uncovers Red Cross cofounder Henri Dufour (who…

  • Le Rath

    Geneva

    Across the traffic-busy square from the green city park, Parc des Bastions, is this historic building – Switzerland's oldest purpose-built museum dating…

  • Cité du Temps

    Geneva

    This 19th-century industrial building straddling Lake Geneva was constructed in the 1840s to provide the city's public fountains with water. Today it…

  • Musée d’Histoire Naturelle

    Geneva

    As well as its permanent collection of stuffed animals (including nearly every creature that walks on Swiss soil), Geneva's Natural History Museum hosts…

  • Musée Barbier-Mueller

    Geneva

    This refined private gallery space, opened in 1977, is filled with objects from ancient societies – think pre-Columbian South American art treasures,…

  • Maison de Rousseau et de la Literature

    Geneva

    A 25-minute audiovisual display traces the troubled life of Geneva's greatest thinker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He was born in this house in 1712. The…

  • Musée de Carouge

    Geneva

    This little local history museum in what is now the neighbourhood of Carouge is packed with 19th-century artefacts (mostly ceramics) that hark back to a…

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