Geneva is a cosmopolitan French-speaking city at the southwestern tip of Lake Geneva, framed by the Alps and the Jura. Known for the Jet d'Eau, a compact medieval Old Town, Calvin's Reformation, the Red Cross and the United Nations, it is also a world capital of watchmaking, banking and science with CERN on its doorstep. Despite its high prices, Geneva rewards visitors with lake swimming, museums, fondue and easy day trips to France and the Alps.
Top attractions
The most popular and significant attractions in Geneva.
-
1
Jet d'Eau
Geneva's emblem: a 140-metre plume of water shot from the lake at about 200 km/h, with roughly 7,000 litres in the air at any moment. It is visible from across the city and can be approached along the Jetée des Eaux-Vives.
Tip: Check the jet is running before a special trip; strong wind or frost switches it off. · Visit at sunset or after dark for the illuminated plume. · Take a Mouettes Genevoises taxi (about CHF 3-4) for a view from the water. · Stand upwind on the jetty in summer if spray is unwelcome. · Pair the visit with a swim at Bains des Pâquis, a short walk away.
-
2
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre and Its Towers
Calvin's church and the city's skyline anchor, begun about 1160 and mixing Romanesque, Gothic and a neoclassical facade. Climbing the 157 steps of the north tower rewards you with a panorama over the lake, the Jura and Mont Blanc.
Tip: Go on a clear day; the tower view depends on visibility. · The tower costs about CHF 6 and closes earlier than the nave. · Arrive on a weekday morning to avoid tour groups. · Check the schedule for services and organ concerts, which limit sightseeing. · Combine with the archaeological site and Maison Tavel in one old-town loop.
-
3
Mur des Réformateurs (Reformation Wall)
A 100-metre wall of 1909 carved with Calvin, Farel, Beza and Knox, built for the 400th anniversary of Calvin's birth. The giant chess boards in the park beside it are free to use.
Tip: Photograph the central group from the lawn opposite for the full width of the wall. · Visit in the morning for softer light and fewer tour groups. · Combine with the International Museum of the Reformation and the cathedral, both a short walk uphill. · Bring a picnic: the park has benches and shaded lawns. · Entry is free and the site is open at all hours, so no booking is needed.
-
4
Palais des Nations (United Nations Office at Geneva)
Europe's UN headquarters, built 1929-1936 for the League of Nations. Tours cover the Assembly Hall, the Council Chamber with José Maria Sert's murals and the park with its peacocks. Bring a passport or national ID: visitors without it are refused entry.
Tip: Book the guided tour online two to three weeks ahead; walk-ins are not admitted. · Bring a passport or national ID card, as visitors without it are refused entry. · Arrive 30 minutes before the tour to clear security. · Take photographs only where the guide allows it. · Pair with the Red Cross Museum and Musée Ariana, both across Avenue de la Paix.
-
5
Broken Chair (Place des Nations)
A 12-metre wooden chair with one leg splintered, erected in 1997 by Handicap International as a monument against landmines and cluster bombs. The flags of the member states line the square behind it.
Tip: Combine with a Palais des Nations tour; the square faces its main gate. · Photograph from a low angle with the flags in the background. · Allow only 15-20 minutes; the stop is brief. · Visit in late afternoon for softer light on the wood. · Carry identification if continuing into the UN complex.
-
6
CERN Science Gateway and Globe of Science and Innovation
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, home of the Large Hadron Collider. The Science Gateway has interactive exhibitions and labs, and the wooden Globe nearby hosts permanent displays on particle physics.
Tip: Reserve guided site tours weeks ahead; they fill quickly. · Book Science Gateway entry online for a timed slot. · Take tram 18 from Cornavin or Plainpalais to the CERN terminus. · Bring photo identification if joining a site tour. · Visit on weekday mornings to avoid school groups. · Check visit.cern for Monday and holiday closures.
-
7
Patek Philippe Museum
A private museum of 500 years of watchmaking, from 16th-century enamelled pieces to Patek Philippe grand complications and antique automata. The library upstairs holds rare horological books.
Tip: Check the opening hours: afternoons only Tuesday to Friday, and the museum is closed Sunday and Monday. · Pick up the audio guide to understand the movements on display. · Aim for Saturday morning or a weekday afternoon to avoid the busiest periods. · Children and teenagers under 18 enter free. · Ask at the desk before taking photographs, as flash is not appropriate near the displays.
-
8
MAMCO (Musée d'art moderne et contemporain)
Switzerland's largest contemporary art museum, spread across several floors of a former factory. Strong in Minimalism, Conceptual art and Fluxus, with works by Sol LeWitt, Andy Warhol and John Armleder.
Tip: Visit on the first Sunday for free entry, but expect crowds. · Explore the neighbouring Bains-quarter galleries afterwards. · Allow up to two hours; displays rotate often. · Check which floors are open, since exhibitions change. · Pair with the Patek Philippe Museum nearby.
-
9
Musée d'art et d'histoire (MAH)
Geneva's largest art and archaeology museum, with Konrad Witz's 1444 altarpiece, Ferdinand Hodler paintings, Egyptian antiquities and an arms collection. Free permanent displays make it good value.
Tip: Permanent collections are free, so only temporary exhibitions need a ticket. · Choose two or three sections rather than trying to see everything in one visit. · Check the website for late openings and holiday closures; the museum is closed on Mondays. · Visit on a weekday afternoon for the quietest galleries. · The arms and Egyptian collections suit children best.
-
10
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum
A moving permanent exhibition on humanitarian action, built around three themes: Defending Human Dignity, Restoring Family Links and Reducing Natural Risks. The building sits opposite the UN.
Tip: Use the multilingual audio guide for full context on each theme. · Go on a weekday morning to avoid school groups. · Combine with the Palais des Nations and Musée Ariana across the road. · The museum is closed on Tuesdays. · Children under 12 enter free, and students pay a reduced rate.
Attractions by category
Explore by your interests.
Landmarks
Jet d'Eau
Geneva's emblem: a 140-metre plume of water shot from the lake at about 200 km/h, with roughly 7,000 litres in the air at any moment
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre and Its Towers
Calvin's church and the city's skyline anchor, begun about 1160 and mixing Romanesque, Gothic and a neoclassical facade
Mur des Réformateurs (Reformation Wall)
A 100-metre wall of 1909 carved with Calvin, Farel, Beza and Knox, built for the 400th anniversary of Calvin's birth
Palais des Nations (United Nations Office at Geneva)
Europe's UN headquarters, built 1929-1936 for the League of Nations
Broken Chair (Place des Nations)
A 12-metre wooden chair with one leg splintered, erected in 1997 by Handicap International as a monument against landmines and cluster bombs
Horloge fleurie and Jardin Anglais
A 5-metre diameter flower clock first built in 1955 as a tribute to Geneva's watchmaking trade
Place du Bourg-de-Four
The oldest public square in Geneva, once a Roman forum site, ringed by cafes, antique shops and the Palais de Justice
Hôtel de Ville and Old Arsenal
Seat of the cantonal government, where the first Geneva Convention was signed in 1864 and the Alabama Claims arbitration was held in 1872
Île Rousseau and Pont des Bergues
A tiny landscaped island where the Rhône leaves the lake, with a statue of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who was born in Geneva in 1712
Promenade de la Treille
A terrace over Parc des Bastions with one of the longest wooden benches in Europe (126 metres), where the first bud of the official chestnut tree signals the start of spring
Museums
CERN Science Gateway and Globe of Science and Innovation
The European Organization for Nuclear Research, home of the Large Hadron Collider
Patek Philippe Museum
A private museum of 500 years of watchmaking, from 16th-century enamelled pieces to Patek Philippe grand complications and antique automata
MAMCO (Musée d'art moderne et contemporain)
Switzerland's largest contemporary art museum, spread across several floors of a former factory
Musée d'art et d'histoire (MAH)
Geneva's largest art and archaeology museum, with Konrad Witz's 1444 altarpiece, Ferdinand Hodler paintings, Egyptian antiquities and an arms collection
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum
A moving permanent exhibition on humanitarian action, built around three themes: Defending Human Dignity, Restoring Family Links and Reducing Natural Risks
Maison Tavel
One of Geneva's oldest surviving private residences (about 1334), now a free museum of urban history
Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève
One of Switzerland's largest natural history museums, with dioramas of Alpine fauna, dinosaur skeletons and a huge mineral collection
Musée Ariana
Switzerland's museum of ceramics and glass, in a neo-baroque palace of 1884 built by Gustave Revilliod
International Museum of the Reformation
Housed in the Maison Mallet next to Saint-Pierre, this museum explains the Reformation through manuscripts, rare books and period objects
Archaeological Site of Saint-Pierre Cathedral
A subterranean trail under the cathedral revealing early Christian foundations, Roman mosaics and several centuries of church construction
Musée d'ethnographie de Genève (MEG)
A striking contemporary building holding tens of thousands of objects from five continents
Musée Barbier-Mueller
A private museum of tribal art from Africa, Oceania and the Americas inside a small 17th-century Old Town house
Maison de Rousseau et de la Littérature (MRL)
Located in the house where Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in 1712, now devoted to literature in Geneva
Nature
Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques
A botanical garden on the lakeside slope with thousands of species, glasshouses, an animal park of deer and peacocks and an aromatic garden
Parc La Grange and Parc des Eaux-Vives
Geneva's largest lakeside park, with a rose garden of over 200 varieties and the 18th-century Villa La Grange, where the 2021 US-Russia summit was held
Pointe de la Jonction
The confluence where the clear-blue Rhône meets the grey-brown Arve, visible side by side for a few hundred metres
Cultural
Bains des Pâquis
A Geneva institution since 1932: a public lake bathing jetty with changing rooms, sunbathing decks, a cafe, a cheap restaurant and a lighthouse jetty
Carouge Old Town and Market
A Sardinian-planned town laid out in the 18th century, known for artisans, bohemian cafes and a flourishing weekly market
Cimetière des Rois (Plainpalais Cemetery)
Geneva's pantheon cemetery with the simple grave of John Calvin (marked only JC), Jorge Luis Borges and Jean Piaget
Plainpalais Flea Market (Marché aux puces)
Geneva's weekly flea market on the vast Plainpalais esplanade: antiques, books, watches and curios
CGN Lake Geneva Cruise
The Compagnie Générale de Navigation (CGN) runs Belle Époque paddle steamers and modern ferries from Geneva to Nyon, Lausanne, Vevey and Montreux
Practical information
What you need to know before you go.
- Hours
- Most museums open Tuesday-Sunday around 10AM or 11AM and close on Mondays; parks, quays, the Jet d'Eau and the Old Town streets are open at all hours, and shops are usually closed on Sundays
- Fees
- Many municipal museums (MAH, Maison Tavel, Muséum d'histoire naturelle, MEG permanent collection) are free; private museums such as Patek Philippe cost about CHF 10 (~$12.50); Palais des Nations tours about CHF 15 (~$19)
- Best Times
- May-June and September for warm weather and clear Alps views; July-August for lake swimming; December for the Escalade festival and Christmas markets
- Booking
- Book Palais des Nations tours and CERN guided visits 2-4 weeks ahead online, bring a passport or national ID for both, and use the free Geneva Transport Card given by the hotel or hostel on trams, buses and Mouettes boats
Tips for visiting attractions
Make the most of your sightseeing time.
Show the Geneva Transport Card from the hotel, hostel or campsite to ride trams, buses, trains in the canton and Mouettes boats for free during your stay
Bring a passport or national ID for the Palais des Nations and CERN; visitors without it are refused entry
Most museums are closed Mondays, so use Monday for the lake, the Jet d'Eau, Carouge or the Old Town
If you are not staying overnight, buy a TPG day pass at a ticket machine at the stop (about CHF 10, ~$12.50) or use the TPG app
Check the Jet d'Eau status on the Services Industriels de Genève site or on the quays: it is turned off during strong winds and sub-zero frost
Take a 7-minute SBB train from Genève-Aéroport to Genève-Cornavin; airport arrivals receive a free public transport ticket from the machine in baggage claim
Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Geneva?
Two full days cover the Old Town, the lake and the United Nations district; three days let you add CERN, Carouge, a museum and a day trip to Lausanne, Annecy or Chamonix.
Is Geneva expensive?
Yes, it is one of Europe's most expensive cities, but free museums, lake swimming at Bains des Pâquis (CHF 2, ~$2.50) and the free Transport Card for hotel guests cut costs.
Can you visit the United Nations in Geneva?
Yes. Guided tours of the Palais des Nations run on weekdays and cost about CHF 15 (~$19). Book online in advance and bring your passport or national ID.
When is the best season to visit Geneva attractions?
May-June and September offer warm, clear weather without peak crowds; July-August suits lake swimming; December brings the Escalade festival and Christmas markets.