Cosmopolitan Geneva is home to a large number of international organisations including the Red Cross and the World Health Organisation. Switzerland's main French-speaking city, and the country's third-largest is a little too polished and lacks the atmosphere found elsewhere in Switzerland but it is still worth stopping here for a day or two if you're in the region. The Red Cross Museum is the main attraction but there are also several other good free museums.

Practical Information

INFORMATION CENTRES & USEFUL NUMBERS

Arcade d'Information de la Ville de Genève

Port de la Maehine, Genéve

Tel (022) 311 9970

Website www.geneve-tourisme.ch

Open Mon noon-6pm, Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm

Centre d'Accueil et de Reseignements

Rue du Mont-Blanc, Genève

Tel (022) 731 4647

Open mid Jun-31 Aug 9am-11pm daily

Police

Tel 117

Fire

Tel 118

Ambulance

Tel 144

LAUNDRY

Lavseul

29, rue de Monthoux, Genève

Tel (022) 735 9051

Coming & Going

AIR

Geneva's Cointrin Airport (website www.gva.ch/en/) handles flights within Europe, including some budget airlines. The airport is 5km from the city centre and it is served by frequent trains (SFR 3). A cheaper option is bus 10, which cotst SFR 3 and runs between the airport and Gare Cornavin every 10 minutes.

BUS

Gare Routière on Place Dorcière is the city's bus terminal with Eurolines buses to London and Barcelona.

TRAIN

Geneva's main train station, Gare du Cornavin, has frequent ttrains to destinations throughout Switzerland as well as international trains to Barcelona, Hamburg, Milan and the TGV to Paris.

FERRY

Between May and September Compagnie Général de Navigation (tel (022) 312 5223) operates boats to destinations on Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) including Lausanne and Montreux. Ferries depart from Quai du Mont-Blanc. Eurail passes are valid on these ferries.

Local Transport

Geneva's public transport system (website www.tpg.ch) is made up of buses, trolley buses and trams. Single fares range from SFR 2 to SFR 3 and a day pass costs SFR 10.

Accommodation

City Hostel Geneva

2, rue Ferrier, 1202 Geneva
Tel (022) 901 15 00

Youth Hostel Geneva GE

Rue Rothschild, 1202 Genève
Bus 1, 13 (stop: Butini)
Tel (022) 732 62 60

Sights

Cathédrale de St Pierre

This cathedral, built in the 12th and 13th centuries, dominates Geneva's old town. The cathedral's tower offers good views of the surrounding neighbourhood.

Cour Saint-Pierre, Genève

Admission SFR 3

Open Jan-May Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun noon-6.30pm; Jun-Sep Mon-Sat 9.30am-6.30pm, Sun noon-6.30pm; Oct-Dec Mon-Sat 10am-5.30pm, Sun noon-6.30pm

CERN

Over 7,000 scientists work at the world's largest particle physics laboratory and it is here that Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. Although it won't appeal to most travellers, physics students should get a kick from the 27km-long particle accelerator. There is a science exhibit here but you should book a tour in advance if you want to see more of the complex. Space on guided tours is limited and advance booking is essential. Visitors are required to bring their passport as part of the centre is in France.

Route de Meyrin, Meyrin

Bus 9, Y

Tel (022) 767 8484

Website www.cern.ch

Admission free

Tours Wed 2pm, Sat 9am, 2pm

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire

Geneva's Museum of Art & History is an important museum by Swiss standards. It's not that popular with international visitors though, as the big museums in Barcelona, Paris and Milan are only a train ride away.

17, avenue de la Paix, Genève

Bus 8, F

Admission SFR 10, students SFR 5

Open Wed-Mon 10am-5pm

Musée d'Histoire Naturelle

Geneva's natural history museum featuers an aquarium as well as dioramas and dinosaurs.

1, route de Malagnou, Genève

Bus 1, 8, 12, 16, 20, 27

Admission free

Open Tue-Sun 9.30am-5pm

Musée d'Histoire des Sciences Genevois

This science museum concentrates on the city's history of scientific research and it is a more serious museum in stark contrast to the user-friendly hands-on science museums elsewhere in Europe that are more geared towards kids.

Ville Bartholoni, 128, rue de Lausanne, Genève

Bus 4

Tel (022) 418 5060

Admission free

Open Wed-Mon 10am-5pm

Musée de l'Horlogerie et de l'Emaillerie

Geneva's horology museum has displays of watches and clocks and their importance to the local economy.

15, route de Malagnou, Genève

Bus 1, 8, 12, 16, 20, 27

Admission free

Open Wed-Mon 10am-5pm

Petit Palais

This small art museum features works by Cézanne, Chagall, Monet, Picasso and Renoir.

2, terrace St Victor, Genève

Bus 1, 3, 5, 8, 36

Admission SFR 10, students SFR 5

Open Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat-Sun 10am-5pm

Red Cross Museum

This excellent museum has exhibits that detail the work carried out by the Red Cross from the organisation's inception to the present day.

17, avenue de la Paix, Genève

Bus 8, 18, F, V, Z

Tel (022) 748 9525

Website www.micr.ch

Admission SFR 10

Open Mon & Wed-Sun 10am-5pm

United Nations

Although it's no more than a big office building, a lot of travellers want to take a peek at the European headquarters of the UN.

Avenue de la Paix, Genève

Admission SFR 8.50, students SFR 6.50

Open Jan-Mar Sat-Sun tours 10am, 2pm; Apr-May tours 10am, 2pm daily; Jun-Aug 9am-6pm daily; Set-Oct tours 10am, 2pm daily; Nov-Dec Sat-Sun tours 10am, 2pm

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