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
1.98 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
0.58 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…
0.09 MILES
Geneva's cathedral is predominantly Gothic with an 18th-century neoclassical facade. Between 1536 and 1564 Protestant John Calvin preached here; see his…
1.89 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 …
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,…
Nearby Geneva attractions
0.09 MILES
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
0.09 MILES
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…
0.11 MILES
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
0.11 MILES
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
0.14 MILES
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…
0.15 MILES
Built between 1903 and 1910, this elegant museum holds masterpieces such as Konrad Witz' La pêche miraculeuse (c 1440–44), portraying Christ walking on…
0.17 MILES
This refined private gallery space, opened in 1977, is filled with objects from ancient societies – think pre-Columbian South American art treasures,…
0.19 MILES
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…
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