World City Guide

Key Attractions

Cathdral de St Pierre (St Peter’s Cathedral)
Built between 1160 and 1289, St Peter’s Cathedral is surprisingly small. Even more surprising is its combination of Romanesque, Gothic, and neo-classical styles. The austerity of the main body of the church is wholly appropriate for a building in which John Calvin preached (1536-1564). However, the 15th-century Chapel of the Maccabees, restored in 1875, is a riot of gilded embellishment against blue and red grounds that recall the decoration of Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch by William Burges. The neo-classical faade was added in 1750. Under the cathedral is one of Europe’s largest underground archaeological sites with some good 14th-century mosaics, while the top of the north tower offers fine views over the old town and lake.

Cour St-Pierre
Tel: (022) 311 7575. Fax: (022) 310 0225.
Transport: Bus 2, 3, 5, 7 or 17; tram 12 or 16.
Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1000-1200 and 1400-1700, Sun 1100-1230 and 1330-1700 (Oct-May); Mon-Sat 0900-1900 and Sun 1100-1900 (Jun-Sep).
Admission: Free (cathedral); SFr3 (north tower).

Jardin Anglais (English Garden)
The English Garden, dating from 1854, is home to the Monument National, a statue of two young women – the ‘Republic of Geneva’ and ‘Helvetia’ – symbolising Geneva’s attachment to the Swiss Confederation on 12 September 1814. Within the park there is an elegant bronze fountain and L’Horloge Fleurie (Flower Clock) – decorated with over 6300 plants – that was installed in 1955 to honour Geneva’s watch-making industry. The clock is the largest in the world – five metres (16.4ft) in diameter and 17.7m (58ft) in circumference. Its second hand advances nearly 27cm (10.6 inches) per second.

Quai Gnral Guisan
Transport: Bus 2, 9 or 10.
Opening hours: Daily 24 hours.
Admission: Free.

Jet d’Eau (Water Fountain)
The famed Water Fountain is the Eiffel Tower of Geneva, an impressive 140m (459ft) fountain that dominates the Geneva harbour and all modern depictions of the city. The Jet was originally the safety valve for the city’s water supply and is Europe’s tallest fountain. This water showpiece is illuminated at night, however, during the day, the fountain takes care of the special effects for itself – when the sun shines, a rainbow hovers behind the powerful jet of water, which spurts straight up into the sky at a speed of 200kph (125mph).

On the Rive Gauche, off Quai Gustave Ador and the Horloge Fleurie in the Jardin Anglais.
Operating hours: Daily 0930-2315 (Mar-mid-Oct), subject to weather conditions.

Mur des Rformateurs (Reformation Wall)
Construction of the 60ft (18m) Reformation Wall began in 1909, on the 400th anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. The monument is dedicated to the four figures central to the Reformation movement – John Calvin (1509-64), Thodore de Bze (1513-1605), John Knox (1513-72) and Guillaume Farel (1549-65).

Promenade des Bastions
Transport: Bus 3 or 5.
Opening hours: Dawn to dusk.
Admission: Free.

Jardin Botanique (Botanical Gardens)
Geneva’s world-renowned Botanical Gardens were created by the botanist A P de Candolle, in the Parc des Bastions in 1817. Relocated to their present site in 1901, the 28-hectare (69-acre) gardens have greenhouses with tropical plants from six continents, a pond brimming with aquatic plants, thousands of flowers, a garden of the senses, an aviary and a park of rare animals, as well as a research laboratory, herbarium collection and extensive library.

Chemin de l’Impratrice 1, 1292 Chambsy
Tel: (022) 418 5100. Fax: (022) 418 5101.
Website: www.cjb.unige.ch
Transport: Bus 4 or 18.
Opening hours: Daily 0930-1700 (Oct-Mar); daily 0800-1930 (Apr-Sep); greenhouses closed Fri.
Admission: Free.

Palais des Nations (Palace of Nations)
This vast building, designed in the form of a double horseshoe and set in a park with century-old trees, is the largest United Nations centre after New York. It was built between 1929 and 1937 to host the League of Nations, the precursor to the UN. Visits are extremely popular and allow entrance to certain conference rooms (including the Council Room with frescoes by Jos Maria Sert, and the Assembly Hall) and an opportunity to sign the Livre d’Or, the golden book of peace.

Avenue de la Paix 14
Tel: (022) 907 4896. Fax: (022) 907 0032.
E-mail: visit-gva@unog.ch
Website: www.unog.ch/frames/visit.htm
Transport: Bus 5, 8, 11, 14, 18, F, V or Z.
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1200 and 1400-1600 (Apr-May and Sep-Oct); daily 0900-1800 (Jul-Aug); Mon-Fri 1000-1200 and 1400-1600 (Nov-Mar).
Admission: SFr8.50; concessions available.

MAMCO (Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art)
Situated in a former factory, this museum extends over four floors that are best visited from top to bottom. One of the permanent displays is L’Appartement, a faithful reproduction of a Parisian collector’s flat, for which he has loaned his own furniture, paintings and sculptures.

Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers 10
Tel: (022) 320 6122. Fax: (022) 781 5681.
E-mail: mamco@mamco.ch
Website: www.mamco.ch
Transport: Bus 1 or 4 to Ecole-de-Mdecine; tram 12 to Rond-Point de Plainpalais or 13 to Place de Cirque.
Opening hours: Wed-Sun 1200-1800, Tues 1200-2100.
Admission: SFr8; concessions available.

Muse International de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge (International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum)
With a powerful combination of audiovisuals, sculpture, computers and documentation, this extraordinary museum tells the story of the founding of the Red Cross by Henry Dunant, as well as its present humanitarian actions. It is Geneva’s most impressive and original museum. The Caf Dinant also is a multimedia area.

Avenue de la Paix 17
Tel: (022) 748 9525. Fax: (022) 748 9528.
Website: www.micr.org
Transport: Bus 8, F, V or Z.
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1000-1700 (museum); Mon, Wed-Fri 1000-1700, Tue, Sat-Sun 1130-1430 (Caf Dinant).
Admission: SFr10; concessions available.

Muse d’art et d’histoire (Museum of Art and History)
The Museum of Art and History presents a multidiscipline approach to history – from prehistoric times to the present – through important collections of fine art, archaeology and applied art, including arms and armour, costumes and musical instruments. The most celebrated work is Konrad Witz’s early 15th-century painting, Le pche miraculeuse.

Rue Charles-Galland 2
Tel: (022) 418 2600. Fax: (022) 418 2601.
E-mail: mah@ville-ge.ch
Website: http://mah.ville-ge.ch
Transport: Bus 1, 3, 8, 17.
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1000-1700.
Admission: Free.

Muse de l’Horlogerie et de l’maillerie (Clock and Watch Museum)
Set in an attractive Palladian townhouse, this museum traces the development of Genevois clock making, which began in the 17th century and reached its height in 1785. Of particular interest is the watch that was owned and made by Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s grandfather – in the form of a skull that splits in half to reveal the time – and an astronomic automated clock made in 1711.

Route de Malagnou 15
Tel: (022) 418 6470. Fax: (022) 418 6471.
E-mail: mhe@ville-ge.ch
Website: www.ville-ge.ch/geneve/culture/musees/musees/horlogerie.htm
Transport: Bus 1, 8, 20, 27 or 88; tram 12 or 16.
Opening hours: Wed-Mon 1000-1700.
Admission: Free, SFr4.50 (temporary exhibitions).

Maison Tavel (Tavel House)
The one-towered Tavel House is named after the noble Tavel family, who lived here in the 14th century. Today a museum, it provides an insight into the day-to-day lives of Genevois from the 14th to 19th centuries. The attic houses the Magnin Maquette of 1896, a huge relief model of Geneva before 1850, with its city walls still in place.

Rue du Puits-Saint-Pierre 6
Tel: (022) 418 3700. Fax: (022) 418 3701.
E-mail: mah@ville-ge.ch
Website: www.ville-ge.ch/geneve/culture/musees/musees/tavel.htm
Opening hours: Mon, Wed-Sun 1000-1700, closed Tues.
Transport: Bus 2, 7, 16 or 36; tram 12.
Admission: Free; SFr1.50-2.50 (temporary exhibitions).