The peaceful city of Geneva is situated on the south-western end of Lake Geneva. Geneva is the second most populous city in Switzerland and being home to a UN headquarters, it is a political hub. Geneva is also known as a wonderful shopping and culinary city, but also as one of the most expensive cities in the world. Geneva is a wonderful destination by itself, and also as a base to exploring the surrounding area of the lake and the Alps around it
1. Jet d’Eau – The most famous and notable landmark in Geneva is the Jet d’Eau. The Jet d’Eau is a large fountain located in the lake, visible from almost everywhere in the city. The fountain shoots water 140 meters (459 ft) to the air, to the enjoyment of tourists and locals walking the promenade, or the more adventurous boats that get close enough to get soaked by it
2. Palais des Nations (UN) – The Palace of Nations was built between 1929 and 1936 to serve as the headquarters of the League of Nations, the body that preceded the UN. It became the UN headquarters in 1946, and is officially called The United Nations Office at Geneva, or UNOG. This UN office is the second largest UN office in the world, after New York. A much recommended guided tour is available in the premises, enabling you to enter the most important auditoriums in the complex, where discussions between representatives of all the countries in the world take place
3. Lake Geneva – The most beautiful feature in Geneva is the lake it resides on. Geneva is the largest city on the shores of Lake Geneva (or lac Léman). Geneva offers a long beautiful promenade on the banks of the lake. You can also take a cruise on the lake, rent a small paddle boat, or if you want to make an entire day of it, you can rent a car and drive all around the lake in a single day (it’s about 200 km or 124 miles). Driving around the lake you will also visit other beautiful places like Laussane (the second largest city on the lake) and Montreux, and could also get up to the alps that surround the lake (possible for example from Montreux with a mountain train or funicular) for wonderful panoramic view. Here’s my list of the best attractions around lake Geneva
4. Old town – The center of the old town of Geneva is located on a hill around the Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, which can be seen from almost everywhere in the city. The small steep streets are home to restaurants and cafés and offer wonderful atmosphere. Also in the area is the Rue du Marche shopping street. The wide and long street runs on parallel to the lakefront and is home to many expensive fashion designer boutiques, as well as more affordable fashion chains
5. Mont Salève – From Geneva you can take bus number 8 to the Cable car of Mont Salève, which will carry you to an altitude of 1,100 meters. From there, you’ll have one of the best panoramic views of the city and the lake
6. CERN – CERN or the European Organization for Nuclear Research is home to more than 10,000 physicists and engineers trying to unlock the secrets of the universe. CERN is home to the famous Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – the largest and most powerful particle collider ever built (and one of man’s greatest engineering achievements), which sole purpose it to simulate the very first moments of the universe after the Big Bang. The LHC is built in a circular tunnel 27 km (17 mi) long, as deep as 175 meters (574 ft) under the France–Switzerland border. CERN offers a very interesting (and free of charge) exhibition called “Universe of Particles Exhibition”, that deals with the physics and targets of the LHC, the engineering achievements of building it, and even the day to day lives of the scientists that live here
7. The Botanic Gardens and Broken Chair – The impressive Broken Chair sculpture stands in front of the Palace of Nations. Made of 5.5 tons of wood and at a height of 12 meters (39 ft), the monument symbolizes opposition to land mines and cluster bombs. A short walking distance from the broken chair and the Palace of Nations are the botanical gardens of Geneva. Originally opened in 1817 and moved to the current location in 1904, the gardens include 14,000 species of 249 different families from around the world, and you could easily spend an hour or more strolling the beautiful and peaceful gardens
8. Ariana Museum – The Ariana museum is a ceramic and glass artwork museum, containing some 20,000 objects from the last 1,200 years, from all around the world. Through the artifacts, one can see the artistic and technological changes from era to era, and from different geographic locations. The museum building was constructed in the late 19th century, and is located near the Palais des Nations
9. Art and History Museum – Located at the old town, the Art and History Museum is one of Switzerland’s three largest museums. The museum holds large collections of applied and fine art, archaeology, weapons, Greek and Roman art treasures, Middle Eastern and Eastern Mediterranean antiquities, Roman and Etruscan pottery, Egyptian funerary art, and more
10. Day trip to Chamonix and Aiguille du Midi – Chamonix in France is about an hour drive from Geneva. Chamonix is one of the oldest ski resorts in France, located near the Aiguille du Midi peak, and not far from the Mont Blanc peak – the highest peak in the Alps at 4,809 m (15,778 ft). Chamonix is the base for many sports activities like mountain climbing and paragliding, but the best attraction for the standard tourist, and a good reason to drive here from Geneva, would be the remarkable cable-car to the summit of Aiguille du Midi at 3,842 m (12,605 ft). The amazing cable-car holds several records like the the highest vertical ascent cable car in the world, and it was the world’s highest cable car for about two decades when it was built. The cable-car will take you over the clouds for a real Alps experience