Destination

The lakeshore’s star attraction is the elegant water fountain, dazzling visitors as it shoots 140 metres into the sky. The fountain came into being by chance. In 1886, a hydraulic power station was built to deliver water under pressure from the Rhône to the city’s fountains, households and factories. One evening, pressure build-ups forced the engineers to install a special pressure relief valve. This marked the birth of the Jet d’Eau and became the landmark of Geneva.

Be one of the 100,000 visitors who take the tour of the Palais des Nations each year. Our tours are available in more than 15 languages and last for one hour.

Defending human dignity, Restoring family links, Reducing natural risks: the permanent exhibition The Humanitarian Adventure presents three contemporary problems that are of concern to each of us today and, in a wider perspective, will affect our common future for decades to come. The Red Cross Museum is located 500 meters from Hotel InterContinental Geneva.

Te ‘Pearl of Lake’ and adjoining Park Moynier is arguably the most beautiful area in Geneva with clear views of the Mont Blanc and the lake. The parks are flush with flowers with plenty of shady spots to wile away the afternoon. The History of Science Museum, a former estate home, is located in the center of Park Moynier.

Home to the prestigious creations of the Geneva-based firm of master watchmakers which was founded in 1839. Discover how a passion for timepieces has brought together an extraordinary display of watches, musical automata and portrait miniatures from the 16th to the 19th century, in addition to a library dedicated entirely to horology and its related subjects.

The Mamco is the largest and youngest museum of contemporary art in Switzerland. It is internationally renowned as a reference on the contemporary art scene, based on a collection of 4,000 items, a third of which is owned by the museum. Since opening in 1994, the Museum has held over 450 exhibitions, reflecting the diversity and dynamism of the Swiss and international art scene. Three times a year, the Mamco adds a new feature to its permanent exhibition.

The remains of churches pre-dating the Cathedral are hidden beneath this ancient building, the oldest dating back to the 4th century. But the ground underneath St Peter's also holds evidence of the hill’s occupation as far back as the pre-Christian era: wells, wheat processing areas, buildings of potential cultural use, tombs of the Celtic Allobroge tribe, and so on. Several spaces are presented with modern museum techniques – one of the most significant archaeological sites north of the Alps.

The Foundation has the pleasure to invite you to its watchmaking initiation workshops. Lasting three hours, they allow you to become acquainted with the basics of watchmaking by assembling and dismantling a simple watch mechanism. In the latest of our workshops, the mechanism is decorated. Other than a passion for watches and watchmaking, no skills are required to take part and the workshops are open to all watch and watchmaking enthusiasts, whether amateur or professional.

The Rue du Rhône is the luxury shoppers’ paradise where the most prestigious brands vie with one another in elegance and style. You'll need at least half a day to resist this bevy of temptations! Shopping addicts with a penchant for luxury will find their heart’s desire - watches, fashion, jewellery, sweet delights in the boutiques of Geneva’s master chocolatiers.

Twelve centuries of ceramic art. The art of fire at the Swiss Museum of Ceramics and Glass. At first sight, the Ariana is an architectural marvel in a magnificent setting. The vaulted ceiling full of stars and the great hall’s audacious colonnades surprise the visitor in the sumptuous palace built at the end of the 19th century. With the collection of 25,000 items from Switzerland, Europe and the Middle and Far East. the Ariana is one of Europe’s great museums specialising in the art of fire.