By air
Geneva (GVA), ~5 km
Europe · Switzerland
Geneva, Switzerland
A lake, a fountain and world diplomacy
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to September — summer
Don't miss
The Jet d'Eau
St Pierre Cathedral
The Palais des Nations
The Flower Clock
Things to do
The Jet d'Eau
The old town
The UN
A day in Chamonix
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Choinowski · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Layers
A quieter corner
Carouge's Italianate old town
Questions travellers ask
What should I see in Geneva?
The Jet d'Eau, St Pierre Cathedral, the Palais des Nations and the Flower Clock. Wander the old town, too.
What time of year is best for Geneva?
May to September, in summer. Bring layers.
What else is worth exploring from Geneva?
Carouge's Italianate old town, or a day in Chamonix.
What should I order in Geneva?
Fondue, and lake perch.
About Geneva
- Lakeside
Where it is
Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the largest in French-speaking Romandy, in the far south-west of the country where the Rhône flows out of Lake Geneva, in a canton almost surrounded by France, with the Jura mountains to the north-west.
History
An Allobrogian town taken by the Roman Republic in 121 BC, Geneva became in 1541 the city of John Calvin, a Protestant Rome. Its citizens beat off a night attack by the Duke of Savoy in 1602, it joined the Swiss Confederation in 1815, and the Geneva Conventions were signed here; after the First World War it hosted the League of Nations.
People
Genevans speak French, and the city is one of the most international in the world, home to diplomats and staff of many global organisations. Each December the Escalade festival recalls the defeat of the 1602 attack, when children in costume sing from door to door and chocolate cauldrons are smashed.
Known for
- The Jet d'Eau fountain
- The Palais des Nations and international organisations
- St Pierre Cathedral and the old town
- Swiss watchmaking
- CERN, the particle physics laboratory
Did you know?
Geneva hosts more international organisations than any other city in the world, among them the European headquarters of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.