What to See in Geneva

The new Espace Saint Pierre pass includes entrance to all three sites of Cour Saint-Pierre, a noteworthy space of unique spiritual and cultural importance.…

Originally 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.…

The Museum of the I.C.R.C. is located in the basement of the headquarters and shows photos and objects related to the organization's service to humanity during countless wars and natural disasters, and presents stories of victims.…

The nuclear research center CERN has two free exhibitions, both presenting the history of the complex, its equipment, scientific breakthroughs and the scientists behind them. The one behind the reception is called Microcosm and the one opposite the road in the big "Globe of Science and Innovation" bears the name Universe of Particles.…

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.…

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.…

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.…

Aside of the cathedral the Old town in general is worth walking around in for a 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.…

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.

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) are banned in the museum so leave them in your hotel room or somewhere else!

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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