Sights in Geneva
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Jet d'Eau
Calling the Jet d'Eau a fountain is an understatement. The water shoots up with incredible force (200km/h, 1360HP), to create a 140m-high plume. At any one time there are seven tonnes of water in the air, and much of it falls on spectators who venture out on the pier.
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Musée International de la Croix Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge
Compelling multimedia exhibits at the Musée International de la Croix Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge trawl through atrocities perpetuated by humanity. Against the long litany of war and nastiness, documented in films, photos, sculptures and soundtracks, are set the noble aims of the organisation created by Geneva businessmen and philanthropists Henri Dunant and Henri Dufour in 1864. Take bus 8 from Gare de Cornavin to ‘Appia’ stop.
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European Organisation for Nuclear Research
European Organisation for Nuclear Research, 8km west near Meyrin, is a laboratory for research into particle physics and was founded in 1954. It accelerates electrons and positrons down a 27km circular tube (the world's biggest machine) and the resulting collisions create new forms of matter - in 1996 it created antimatter for the first time. The lab can be visited by a free three-hour guided tour; book at least one month in advance.
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CERN
Founded in 1954, CERN, 8km west of Geneva near Meyrin, is a laboratory for research into particle physics. It accelerates electrons and positrons down a 27km circular tube (the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s biggest machine) and the resulting collisions create new forms of matter. Three-hour guided visits need to be booked at least one month in advance and you need your ID or passport.
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Palais des Nations
Home to the UN since 1966, the Palais des Nations was built between 1929 and 1936 to house the now-defunct League of Nations. Admission includes an hour-long tour and entry to the gardens, where a grey monument sprouts, coated with heat-resistant titanium, donated by the USSR to commemorate the conquest of space. An ID card or passport is required for entry.
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Cathédrale de St-Pierre
Started in the 11th century, Cathédrale de St-Pierre is mainly Gothic with an 18th-century neoclassical facade. Atop its 157-step northern tower, a stunning panorama of the city, Jet d’Eau and mountains fans out. June to September, organ and carillon concerts fill the place with soul.
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Jardin Anglais
Jardin Anglais is Geneva’s flowery lakeside garden, landscaped in 1854 on the site of an old lumber-handling port and merchant yard. Geneva’s most photographed clock, crafted from 6500 living flowers, has ticked since 1955 and boasts the world’s longest second hand (2.5m).
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Musée de Carouge
Geneva’s bohemian streak strikes in Carouge, where the lack of any real sights – bar fashionable 18th-century houses overlooking courtyard gardens and Musée de Carouge, displaying 19th-century ceramics – is part of the charm.
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Promenade des Bastions
Promenade des Bastions, containing a massive monument to the Reformation: the giant figures of Bèze, Calvin, Farel and Knox are flanked by smaller statues of other important figures and depictions of events instrumental in the spread of the movement.
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Quai du Mont-Blanc
Flower gardens, statues and great views of Mont Blanc (clear days only) abound on this northern lakeshore promenade, which leads past the fun-filled Bains des Pâquis to Parc de la Perle du Lac, where Romans built ornate thermal baths.
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Musée Barbier-Mueller
Venerating world culture, the Musée Barbier-Mueller has objects from so-called primitive societies, including pre-Columbian South American art treasures, Pacific Island statues, and shields and weapons from Africa.
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Maison Tavel
Little is left to remind you of the age of Geneva’s oldest house, 14th-century Maison Tavel, although its displays provide an intriguing account of 14th- to 19th-century urban life in Geneva.
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Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
Konrad Witz’ La pêche miraculeuse (c 1440–44), portraying Christ walking on water on Lake Geneva, is a highlight of the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire.
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Musée International de la Réforme
Protestant John Calvin preached here between 1536 and 1564; see his seat in the north aisle of the cathedral and trace his life in the Musée International de la Réforme.
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Musée D’art Moderne et Contemporain
Set in an industrial 1950s factory, the Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain plays host to young, international and cross-media exhibitions.
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Espace Rousseau
The Espace Rousseau is home to a 25-minute audiovisual display tracing the troubled life of Geneva’s greatest thinker, born here in 1712.
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Site Archéologique
Site Archéologique an interactive subterranean space displays fine 4th-century mosaics and the tomb of an Allobrogian chieftain.
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Patek Phillipe Museum
A treasure trove of precision art, this museum displays exquisite timepieces from the 16th century to the present.
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Tour de L'Île
Along the southern side of the Rhône is the 13th-century Tour de L'Île, once part of the medieval city fortifications.
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Musée d'Histoire Naturelle
Kids adore the stuffed bears, tigers, giraffes and Swiss fauna in the Musée d’Histoire Naturelle.
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Rousseau's Birthplace
Walk south down the narrow, cobbled Rue de la Cité until it becomes Grand-Rue. Rousseau's birthplace is at No 40.
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La Cité du Temps
La Cité du Temps hosts a lounge bar and restaurant, and contemporary art exhibitions.
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Parc de l'Ariana
The peacock-studded lawns of Parc de l'Ariana ensnare the UN, a couple of museums and the Jardin Botanique.
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Maison des Arts du Grütli
Maison des Arts du Grütli is the place for contemporary photography, theatre and art happenings.
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