A stroll around Geneva's beautiful Old Town is a must. Its main street, the Grand-Rue, shelters the Maison de Rousseau et de la Literature at No 40, where the 18th-century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born. Nearby, the part-Romanesque, part-Gothic Cathédrale St-Pierre is where Protestant John Calvin preached from 1536 to 1564. Beneath the cathedral is the Site Archéologique, an interactive space safeguarding fine 4th-century mosaics and a 5th-century baptismal font. You can trace Calvin’s life in the neighbouring Musée International de la Réforme.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.63 MILES
When landing by plane, this lakeside fountain is your first dramatic glimpse of Geneva. The 140m-tall structure shoots up water with incredible force –…
5.03 MILES
Founded in 1954, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), 8km west of Geneva, is a laboratory for research into particle physics. It…
23.39 MILES
Twenty-three generations of the De Menthon family have lived within 1000-year-old Château de Menthon-St-Bernard. The birthplace of St Bernard in 1008 –…
Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques
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Geneva's premier botanical park – renowned for its Botanical Conservatory – boasts over 12,000 species of plants from around the world, meticulously…
Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève
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Admission is free to the permanent collection of this excellent hands-on museum, which examines the similarities and differences of our planet's myriad of…
14.53 MILES
Slumbering in the shadow of a 14th-century castle and enclosed by walls, the Jardin des Cinq Sens is designed to be experienced through sight, touch,…
20.77 MILES
It’s a pleasure simply to wander aimlessly around Annecy’s medieval Old Town, where emerald-green canals flow beneath stone bridges and pastel-painted…
20.91 MILES
With commanding views across the ochre rooftops of the Vieille Ville (Old Town) to the Massif des Bauges, the Château d’Annecy is at once imposing and…
Nearby Geneva attractions
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Geneva's cathedral is predominantly Gothic with an 18th-century neoclassical facade. Between 1536 and 1564 Protestant John Calvin preached here; see his…
2. Site Archéologique de la Cathédrale St-Pierre
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The highlights of this small archaeological site in the basement of Geneva's cathedral are its 4th-century floor mosaics and the tomb of an Allobrogian…
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A tree-shaded park with benches, sandpit and see-saw for kids, and a fine rooftop and cathedral view.
4. Musée International de la Réforme
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This modern museum in an 18th-century mansion zooms in on the Reformation. State-of-the-art exhibits and audiovisuals bring to life everything from the…
5. Maison de Rousseau et de la Literature
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A 25-minute audiovisual display traces the troubled life of Geneva's greatest thinker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He was born in this house in 1712. The…
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Built between 1903 and 1910, this elegant museum holds masterpieces such as Konrad Witz' La pêche miraculeuse (c 1440–44), portraying Christ walking on…
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This refined private gallery space, opened in 1977, is filled with objects from ancient societies – think pre-Columbian South American art treasures,…
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It's all statues – not to mention a giant chess board – in this green city park where a laid-back stroll uncovers Red Cross cofounder Henri Dufour (who…