Large Hadron Collider, Geneva, Switzerland

Getty Images/Mint Images RM

CERN

Top choice in Geneva

LoginSave

Founded in 1954, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), 8km west of Geneva, is a laboratory for research into particle physics. It accelerates protons down a 27km circular tube (the Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest machine) and the resulting collisions create new matter. Come anytime to see the permanent exhibitions shedding light on its work. Group tours of 12 or more can be booked in advance, but individual tours must be booked on site, up to an hour in advance.

Tours often fill up months ahead – access the online booking portal at http://visit.cern/tours/guided-tours-individuals. To get here take tram 18 from the main train station.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Jet d'eau, Geneva

    Jet d'Eau

    5.14 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 –…

  • Château de Menthon-St-Bernard

    Château de Menthon-St-Bernard

    26.54 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

    Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques

    4.4 MILES

    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

    Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève

    4.61 MILES

    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…

  • St Pierre Cathedral in old town of Geneva at dusk

    Cathédrale St-Pierre

    4.98 MILES

    Geneva's cathedral is predominantly Gothic with an 18th-century neoclassical facade. Between 1536 and 1564 Protestant John Calvin preached here; see his…

  • Palais des Nations UN Geneva Switzerland

    Palais des Nations

    4.1 MILES

    Home to the UN since 1966, the Palais des Nations was built between 1929 and 1936 to house the now-defunct League of Nations. Visits are by guided tour …

  • The Jardin des Cinq Sens (Five senses garden) in the medieval village of Yvoire, France.

    Jardin des Cinq Sens

    16.04 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,…

  • People drink coffee near the River Thiou in Old Town, encircling the medieval palace perched mid-river - the Palais de l'Isle in Annecy, France.

    Vieille Ville

    23.32 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…

View more attractions

Nearby Geneva attractions

2. Palais des Nations

4.1 MILES

Home to the UN since 1966, the Palais des Nations was built between 1929 and 1936 to house the now-defunct League of Nations. Visits are by guided tour …

3. Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques

4.4 MILES

Geneva's premier botanical park – renowned for its Botanical Conservatory – boasts over 12,000 species of plants from around the world, meticulously…

4. Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain

4.6 MILES

Set in an industrial 1950s factory, the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum plays cutting-edge host to young, international and cross-media exhibitions. It…

5. Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève

4.61 MILES

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…

6. Patek Philippe Museum

4.63 MILES

An ode to Swiss timing, this elegant museum by one of Switzerland's leading luxury watchmakers displays exquisite timepieces and enamels from the 16th…

7. Cité du Temps

4.7 MILES

This 19th-century industrial building straddling Lake Geneva was constructed in the 1840s to provide the city's public fountains with water. Today it…

8. Quai du Mont-Blanc

4.75 MILES

Flowers, statues, outdoor art exhibitions and views of Mont Blanc (on clear days only) abound on this picturesque northern lakeshore promenade, which…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "switzerland/geneva/attractions/cern/a/poi-sig/409720/360817",
  "destination": "Geneva",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Switzerland",
  "city": "Geneva",
  "position": "superzone"
}