Things to do · Geneva · Switzerland
19 best things to do in Geneva
19 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Torbjorn Toby Jorgensen, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Quick answer
The essential sights in Geneva are Jet d'Eau, St. Pierre Cathedral and Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four. Of the 19 picks below, 12 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Jet d'Eau
- Free sights
- 12
- Good on a rainy day
- Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jet d'Eau | Eaux-Vives | 30 minutes | Free |
| St. Pierre Cathedral | Old Town | 1.5 hours with towers and excavations | Low cost |
| Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four | Old Town | Half a day | Free |
| Palace of Nations | Nations | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Broken Chair | Nations | 15 minutes | Free |
| Reformation Wall and Parc des Bastions | Old Town | 30 minutes | Free |
| International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum | Nations | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Patek Philippe Museum | Plainpalais | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Musée d'Art et d'Histoire | Old Town | 2 hours | Free |
| Bains des Pâquis | Pâquis | 1–3 hours | Low cost |
| Jardin Anglais and the Flower Clock | Rive | 30 minutes | Free |
| Parc La Grange rose garden | Eaux-Vives | 1 hour | Free |
| Botanical Garden of Geneva | Nations | 1.5 hours | Free |
| Carouge | Carouge | 2–3 hours | Free |
| CERN Science Gateway | Meyrin | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Mouettes water taxis and lake cruises | Lake Geneva | 10 minutes to a full day | Low cost |
| Plainpalais flea market | Plainpalais | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Musée Ariana | Nations | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Natural History Museum | Eaux-Vives | 2 hours | Free |
The 19 best things to do
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Landmark · Eaux-Vives
1.Jet d'Eau
Geneva's symbol is a fountain that pumps about 500 litres of lake water a second to a height of around 140 metres from the end of the Jetée des Eaux-Vives. A walkway leads out along the jetty to its base, where the spray often drifts over visitors. It is lit after dark and switched off in strong wind or freezing weather.
Walk out to the jetty's lighthouse when the wind blows away from the path, and see it lit up from the Pâquis side after dark.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Views
Religious site · Old Town
2.St. Pierre Cathedral
Begun in the 12th century and later given a neoclassical portico, St. Pierre became the centre of the Reformation when John Calvin preached here from 1536; his wooden chair is still in the nave. Its towers can be climbed for views over the lake and the Old Town roofs, and the archaeological site beneath the cathedral reveals layers of earlier churches back to Roman times.
Climb the north tower first for the lake view, then visit the archaeological site below the nave.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours with towers and excavations
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Views
- Architecture
Neighbourhood · Old Town
3.Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four
The Old Town's lanes lead to Place du Bourg-de-Four, the city's oldest square, on the site of a Roman forum. Nearby, the Town Hall has a cobbled ramp instead of stairs and the Alabama room where the first Geneva Convention was signed in 1864, Maison Tavel is the oldest private house in the city and a free museum, and the Promenade de la Treille has a famously long wooden bench.
See the large relief model of 19th-century Geneva in the attic of Maison Tavel before walking the streets it shows.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Historic site · Nations
4.Palace of Nations
Built between 1929 and 1938 for the League of Nations, the Palais des Nations is now the United Nations Office at Geneva. Guided tours show the Assembly Hall, the Council Chamber with its murals by José Maria Sert, and the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room under Miquel Barceló's dripping, multicoloured ceiling. Peacocks roam the surrounding Ariana park.
Bring photo ID and arrive early for security screening at the visitors' entrance.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Tours run on a limited schedule and must be booked in advance; availability depends on meetings in session.
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Landmark · Nations
5.Broken Chair
Daniel Berset's 12-metre wooden chair with one shattered leg stands on Place des Nations opposite the UN. Commissioned by Handicap International in 1997, it was a protest against landmines and cluster munitions and has become a permanent landmark. The square's fountains are popular with children in summer.
Combine it with the Red Cross Museum and a walk to the botanical garden.
- Time needed
- 15 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Iconic
- Art
- Photo spot
Landmark · Old Town
6.Reformation Wall and Parc des Bastions
Set into the old city ramparts in the Parc des Bastions, this 100-metre monument completed in the early 20th century shows the reformers Guillaume Farel, John Calvin, Theodore Beza and John Knox as giant stone figures, flanked by smaller statues and inscriptions. The park also has giant chessboards where locals play and the University of Geneva's main building.
Stop to watch a game on the giant chessboards near the park entrance at Place Neuve.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Outdoors
Museum · Nations
7.International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum
Opposite the Palace of Nations, this museum's main exhibition, The Humanitarian Adventure, covers defending human dignity, restoring family links and reducing natural risks through testimonies and interactive installations. It includes the archive of index cards used to trace millions of prisoners in the First World War.
Allow time for the witness videos, which are the heart of the exhibition.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Plainpalais
8.Patek Philippe Museum
Four floors in a former workshop building in Plainpalais display watches, automata, enamel miniatures and portrait pendants from the 16th century to today, including the Genevan watchmaker's own complicated pieces. It is the best place in the city to understand Geneva's watchmaking heritage.
Start on the top floor with the antique collection, then work down to the company's own watches.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Art
Museum · Old Town
1.Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
Geneva's largest museum covers archaeology, applied arts and fine art from antiquity to the 20th century. Its highlight is Konrad Witz's 1444 altarpiece The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, which sets the Gospel scene on Lake Geneva with the Salève and Mont Blanc behind, one of the earliest recognisable landscapes in European painting. The permanent collection is free.
Ask for the Witz altarpiece first; then explore the period rooms and Swiss painting galleries.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Free
- Rainy day
- History
Experience · Pâquis
2.Bains des Pâquis
Built in 1932 on a jetty off the Quai du Mont-Blanc, these public baths are a Geneva institution. In summer locals swim, dive and sunbathe on the concrete decks with a view of the Jet d'Eau; in winter the buvette serves cheese fondue while a sauna and hammam operate next to the icy lake.
Come for fondue at the buvette on a winter evening, or a morning swim in summer before the decks fill.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Outdoors
- Food
- Couples
- Views
- Active
Garden · Rive
3.Jardin Anglais and the Flower Clock
The lakeside English Garden at the foot of the Old Town is home to the Flower Clock, created in 1955 as a tribute to Geneva's watchmakers, its face planted with thousands of seasonal flowers. The park looks across the harbour to the Jet d'Eau and the Pâquis waterfront.
Walk from the clock along the left-bank quay to the Jet d'Eau, about 15 minutes.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Photo spot
- Outdoors
Park · Eaux-Vives
4.Parc La Grange rose garden
The largest park on the left bank slopes down to the lake from an 18th-century villa, with old trees, lawns and a celebrated rose garden of several hundred varieties at its best in June. It joins the Parc des Eaux-Vives, making a long green walk along the shore.
Visit in June for the roses, and pack a picnic for the lawns facing the lake.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Nature
- Kids
Garden · Nations
5.Botanical Garden of Geneva
The Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques spreads over the lakeshore near the UN, with greenhouses of tropical and Mediterranean plants, a rock garden, medicinal and useful plants, and small animal enclosures that children enjoy. Entry is free.
Combine it with the Palace of Nations and the lakeside parks of Mon Repos and the Perle du Lac.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Neighbourhood · Carouge
6.Carouge
Built by the Kings of Sardinia from the 1770s to rival Geneva, Carouge has an Italianate grid of low, pastel houses with inner gardens, plane-tree squares, artisans' workshops, independent boutiques and a lively café and bar scene. Its market fills Place du Marché on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
Go on a Saturday morning for the market, then browse the craft shops along Rue Saint-Joseph and Rue Ancienne.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Meyrin
7.CERN Science Gateway
CERN, home of the Large Hadron Collider and the birthplace of the World Wide Web, opened its free Science Gateway centre in 2023 in buildings designed by Renzo Piano. Exhibitions explain particle physics with hands-on displays, and the wooden Globe of Science and Innovation stands opposite. Tram 18 from Cornavin takes about 25 minutes.
Reserve a free guided tour or lab workshop online if you want more than the exhibitions.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Book ahead
- Exhibitions are walk-in, but guided tours and workshops have limited free places that are booked online.
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Experience · Lake Geneva
8.Mouettes water taxis and lake cruises
The small yellow Mouettes Genevoises boats shuttle across the harbour between the Pâquis, the Jardin Anglais and the Eaux-Vives on standard public-transport tickets. For a longer trip, CGN's fleet, including Belle Époque paddle steamers, sails along the lake to Nyon, Lausanne, Montreux and the French village of Yvoire.
Use a Mouette crossing as a cheap mini-cruise with a close view of the Jet d'Eau.
- Time needed
- 10 minutes to a full day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- Outdoors
Market · Plainpalais
9.Plainpalais flea market
On Wednesdays and Saturdays, hundreds of stalls fill the Plaine de Plainpalais with secondhand clothes, vinyl, antiques, old watches and bric-a-brac. It is Geneva's best-known flea market and a good place to browse alongside locals.
Arrive mid-morning on Saturday for the widest choice, and bring cash for smaller stalls.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Nations
10.Musée Ariana
The Swiss museum of ceramics and glass occupies an Italianate building completed in 1884 beside the UN, with collections spanning centuries of European and Asian porcelain, pottery and glass under a domed central hall.
Pair it with the Palace of Nations next door; the domed hall alone is worth the visit.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Museum · Eaux-Vives
11.Natural History Museum
Switzerland's largest natural history museum, in the Malagnou district, has floors of lifelike dioramas of Swiss and world wildlife, minerals and fossils, and an exhibition on the history of the Earth. Entry is free, and it is one of the best rainy-day options for families.
Start with the ground-floor dioramas of Swiss animals, which young children enjoy most.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Nature
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Broken Chair, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, Patek Philippe Museum and Musée d'Art et d'Histoire |
| History | St. Pierre Cathedral, Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four, Reformation Wall and Parc des Bastions and Palace of Nations |
| Views | Jet d'Eau, St. Pierre Cathedral, Bains des Pâquis and Mouettes water taxis and lake cruises |
| Outdoors and nature | Reformation Wall and Parc des Bastions, Bains des Pâquis, Jardin Anglais and the Flower Clock and Parc La Grange rose garden |
| Food and markets | Bains des Pâquis, Carouge and Plainpalais flea market |
| With children | Jet d'Eau, Jardin Anglais and the Flower Clock, Parc La Grange rose garden and Botanical Garden of Geneva |
| On a rainy day | Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four, Palace of Nations, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum and Patek Philippe Museum |
What to book ahead
- Palace of Nations: Tours run on a limited schedule and must be booked in advance; availability depends on meetings in session.
- CERN Science Gateway: Exhibitions are walk-in, but guided tours and workshops have limited free places that are booked online.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Geneva?
Jet d'Eau. Geneva's symbol is a fountain that pumps about 500 litres of lake water a second to a height of around 140 metres from the end of the Jetée des Eaux-Vives.
+What can you do for free in Geneva?
Jet d'Eau, Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four, Broken Chair, Reformation Wall and Parc des Bastions and Musée d'Art et d'Histoire. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Geneva when it rains?
Head indoors to Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four, Palace of Nations, International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum and Patek Philippe Museum.