CERN Science Gateway and Globe of Science and Innovation

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is based at Meyrin on the Swiss-French border just outside Geneva, Switzerland, along the Route de Meyrin. It is home to the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest particle accelerator, housed in a 27-kilometre ring tunnel beneath the border. The CERN Science Gateway, opened in 2023 and designed by Renzo Piano, is the main public entrance, with free exhibitions, interactive labs, a lecture theatre and a restaurant. Visitors explore exhibitions explaining particle physics, the Standard Model, the accelerator complex and the history of discoveries including the Higgs boson, with hands-on installations suited to families and school groups. The nearby Globe of Science and Innovation, a wooden dome on the opposite side of the road, hosts a permanent exhibition on CERN's work and hosts events and lectures. Guided tours of the experimental sites and control rooms are separate, free, and in high demand, so they must be reserved online well ahead of the visit; tours usually require a minimum age of around 12 and photo identification. A visit to the Science Gateway typically takes two to three hours, depending on interest and how many of the interactive labs are used. Tram 18 runs directly from central Geneva to the CERN terminus in around 30 to 35 minutes, and the stop is directly in front of the site. The Science Gateway is busiest at weekends and during school holidays, with weekday mornings far quieter. The Gateway is closed on Mondays, and visitors should check current opening hours and book timed entry online. The shop and restaurant provide a place to rest, and the architecture, including raised walkways between the pavilions, is itself worth a look. Because the tunnel and detectors are not open to casual visitors, the exhibitions are the main way to understand the experiments. Visitors should dress for variable weather, since there is some outdoor walking between buildings.