Geneva, Switzerland — Where to Go
Geneva Sightseeing Overview
Most of Geneva's attractions can be covered on foot, with the exception of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman). Motorboats, affectionately named mouettes (seagulls), crisscross the lake, providing excellent views of Geneva, as well as a close-up shot of the city emblem, the Jet d'Eau.
The Old Town is dominated by the Cathédrale St-Pierre, situated next to the Auditoire, the church in which Calvin taught and John Knox preached and supervised the production of the Geneva Bible.
In the city center, there is the Ile Rousseau, a little island in the River Rhône, off the Pont des Bergues, with a statue of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and a superb view of the port of Geneva.
Geneva is known as the ‘City of Parks'. As well as the Jardin Anglais, the city center boasts the Promenade des Bastions, below the Old Town walls, which contains the famous Reformation Wall and giant outdoor chess pieces. Many of the parks are situated on the shores of the lake.
On the rive gauche (left bank) are the Eaux-Vives and La Grange - the latter contains the ruins of a Roman villa and fine rose garden, where the annual International Rose Competition is held. On the rive droite (right bank), Ariana Park surrounds the museum of that name and the Palais des Nations, while nearer to the lake is the Jardin Botanique. The central point of the River Rhône is marked by the ruins of a medieval fort, the Tour de l'Ile.
Geneva Tourist Information
Geneva Tourist Office
Rue du Mont-Blanc 18
Tel: (022) 909 7000.
Website: www.geneve-tourisme.ch
Opening hours: Mon 1000-1800, Tues-Sun 0900-1800 (Closed Sun from Sep to mid Jun).
Geneva Sightseeing
Two-thirds of the city's museums do not charge for admission. Private Museums do charge, but have issued a pass, valid for three months, which is available from the tourist office and participating museums, giving discounted entry.
Geneva Sightseeing
Two-thirds of the city's museums do not charge for admission. Private Museums do charge, but have issued a pass, valid for three months, which is available from the tourist office and participating museums, giving discounted entry.
Key Attractions in Geneva, Switzerland
Cathédral de St Pierre (St Peter’s Cathedral)
Built between 1160 and 1289, St Peter’s Cathedral is surprisingly small. Even more surprising is its combination of Romanesque, gothic, and neoclassical styles. The austerity of the main body of the church is wholly appropriate for a building in which John Calvin preached (1536-1564). However, the 15th-century Chapel of the Maccabees, restored in 1875, is a riot of gilded embellishment against blue and red grounds that recall the decoration of Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch by William Burges. The neoclassical facade was added in 1750. Under the cathedral is one of Europe’s largest underground archaeological sites with some good 14th-century mosaics, while the top of the north tower offers fine views over the old town and lake.
Cour St-Pierre
Tel: (022) 311 7575.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1730, Sun 1200-1730 (Oct-May); Mon-Sat 0930-1830 and Sun 1200-1830 (Jun-Sep).
Free admission, charge for the tower.
Jardin Anglais (English Garden) and Horloge Fleurie (Flower Clock)
The English Garden, dating from 1854, is home to the Monument National, a statue of two young women - the ’Republic of Geneva’ and ’Helvetia’, symbolising Geneva’s attachment to the Swiss Confederation on 12 September 1814. Within the park there is an elegant bronze fountain and L’Horloge Fleurie (Flower Clock) (decorated with over 6,300 plants) that was installed in 1955 to honor Geneva’s watch-making industry. The clock measures 5m (16.4ft) in diameter and 17.7m (58ft) in circumference. Its second hand is the longest in the world at over 2.5m (8.2ft).
Quai Général Guisan
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Free admission.
Jet d’Eau (Water Fountain)
The famed Water Fountain is the Eiffel Tower of Geneva, an impressive 140m (459ft) fountain that dominates the Geneva harbor and all modern depictions of the city. The Jet was originally the safety valve for the city’s water supply and is Europe’s tallest fountain. This water showpiece is illuminated at night, however, during the day, the fountain takes care of the special effects for itself - when the sun shines, a rainbow hovers behind the powerful jet of water, which spurts straight up into the sky at a speed of 200kph (125mph).
Off Quai Gustave Ador (on the Rive Gauche)
Operating hours: Hours are subject to weather conditions. Check with the tourist office. Closed for three weeks during November for maintenance.
Free to view.
Mur des Réformateurs (Reformation Wall)
Construction of the 60ft (18m) Reformation Wall began in 1909, on the 400th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. The monument is dedicated to the four figures central to the Reformation movement - John Calvin (1509-64), Théodore de Bèze (1513-1605), John Knox (c1514-72) and Guillaume Farel (1489-65).
Parc des Bastions
Opening hours: Dawn to dusk.
Free admission.
Jardin Botanique (Botanical Gardens)
Geneva’s world-renowned Botanical Gardens were created by the botanist A P de Candolle, in the Parc des Bastions in 1817. Relocated to their present site in 1901, the 28-hectare (69-acre) gardens have greenhouses with tropical plants from six continents, a pond brimming with aquatic plants, thousands of flowers, a garden of the senses, an aviary and a park of rare animals, as well as a research laboratory, herbarium collection and extensive library.
Chemin de l’Impératrice 1, Chambésy
Tel: (022) 418 5100.
Website: www.ville-ge.ch
Opening hours: Daily 0930-1700 (Oct-Mar); daily 0800-1930 (Apr-Sep).
Free admission.
Palais des Nations (Palace of Nations)
This vast building, designed in the form of a double horseshoe and set in a park with century-old trees, is the largest United Nations center after New York. It was built between 1929 and 1937 to host the League of Nations, the precursor to the UN. Visits are extremely popular and allow entrance to certain conference rooms (including the Council Room with frescoes by José Maria Sert, and the Assembly Hall).
Avenue de la Paix 14
Tel: (022) 917 4896.
Website: www.unog.ch
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1200 & 1400-1600 (Sep-Jun); 1000-1700 (Jul-Aug). The visit consists of an hour-long tour. Group tours must be booked in advance. ID is necessary.
Admission charge.
MAMCO (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art)
Situated in a former factory, this museum extends over four floors that are best visited from top to bottom. One of the permanent displays is L’Appartement, a faithful reproduction of a Parisian collector’s flat, for which he has loaned his own furniture, paintings and sculptures.
Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers 10
Tel: (022) 320 6122.
Website: www.mamco.ch
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 1200-1800, Sat-Sun 1100-1800, closed Mon.
Admission charge.
Musée International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge (International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum)
With a powerful combination of audiovisuals, sculpture, computers and documentation, this extraordinary museum tells the story of the founding of the Red Cross by Henry Dunant, as well as its present humanitarian actions. It is Geneva’s most impressive and original museum. The Café Dinant also is a multimedia area.
Avenue de la Paix 17
Tel: (022) 748 9525.
Website: www.micr.org
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1000-1700, closed Tues.
Admission charge.
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (Museum of Art and History)
The Museum of Art and History presents a multidisciplinary approach to history (from prehistoric times to the present) through important collections of fine art, archaeology and applied art, including arms and armour, costumes and musical instruments. The most celebrated work is Konrad Witz’s early 15th-century painting, La Pêche Miraculeuse.
Rue Charles-Galland 2
Tel: (022) 418 2600.
Website: www.ville-ge.ch/mah
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1700, closed Mon.
Free admission.
Musée Patek Philippe (Patek Philippe Museum)
Geneva has long been associated with clocks and the Patek Philippe Company count among the finest manufacturers of Swiss watches. The numerous artifacts at this fascinating museum illustrate the history and development of Swiss timepieces, from the 16th to the 19th centuries, including the Calibre 89, the most expensive watch in the world.
Rue de Vieux Grenadiers 7
Tel: (022) 807 0910.
Website: www.patekmuseum.com
Opening hours: Tues-Fri 1400-1800, Sat 1000-1800.
Admission charge.
Maison Tavel (Tavel House)
The one-towered Tavel House is named after the noble Tavel family, who lived here in the 14th century. Today a museum, it provides an insight into the day-to-day lives of Genevois from the 14th to 19th centuries. The attic houses the Magnin Maquette of 1896, a huge relief model of Geneva before 1850, with its city walls still in place.
Rue du Puits-Saint-Pierre 6
Tel: (022) 418 3700.
Website: www.ville-ge.ch/mah
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1700.
Free admission, charge for temporary exhibitions.
Further Distractions
Carouge
This little artisan town, 2km (1 mile) south of the city center, is full of book and antique restorers, glass blowers, watchmakers, clothes designers, hatters, bistros and restaurants. In 1772, the people of Turin (the capital of the kingdom of Sardinia) came to set up a town to rival Geneva. Carouge changed hands frequently but, in 1816, the town was annexed to Geneva and became Swiss. Its architecture remains Italianate in style and the narrow streets are straight and orderly, with apartments looking onto wide, green courtyards. Many are open to the public, such as the courtyard of Rue Vautier (opposite number 43) and the courtyard of the Musée de Carouge.
Musée de Carouge
Place de Sardaigne 2
Tel: (022) 342 3383.
Website: www.carouge.ch
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1400-1800.
Free admission.
Musée Ariana
One of the finest glass and ceramics museums in Europe, with over seven centuries of ancient treasures from around the world on display in a beautiful Italianate Renaissance mansion, together with examples of modern and contemporary ceramics and glass. This prestigious museum is also the headquarters of the International Academy of Ceramics.
Avenue de la Paix 10
Tel: (022) 418 5450.
Website: www.ville-ge.ch/mah
Open: Wed-Mon 1000-1700.
Free admission.
