L'Usine

Top choice in Geneva


At the gritty heart of Geneva's alternative culture scene, this nonprofit collection of 18 arts-related initiatives is housed beside the Rhône in a former gold-processing factory. On any given night, expect to see cutting-edge theatre at TU (www.theatredelusine.ch), live music at Le Zoo (www.lezoo.ch) or up-and-coming VJ artists at Kalvingrad (www.kalvingrad.com).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Geneva attractions

1. Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain

0.36 MILES

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

2. Patek Philippe Museum

0.38 MILES

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

3. Le Rath

0.39 MILES

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

4. Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève

0.42 MILES

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…

5. Cité du Temps

0.42 MILES

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

6. Musée Barbier-Mueller

0.52 MILES

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

7. Parc des Bastions

0.53 MILES

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…

8. Maison de Rousseau et de la Literature

0.53 MILES

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…