Geneva breaks away from its image as a business destination and reveals a multitude of original, fun activities that are often little-known. An “unexpected Geneva” successfully showcased in Geneva Tourism’s new campaign.
On the flipside, there’s the Jet d’Eau, the Flower Clock, banks, watches and international organizations; on the tailside, there’s beaches and rafting in the heart of the city, the unusual discovery of street art on board a Thai tuktuk, magnificent vineyards to explore on foot or by bike, or hands-on workshops at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
Geneva is a delight for curious visitors ready to be surprised. Discovering this unexpected Geneva is now easy with the City pass. This card, which also comes in a version that includes free public transport, gives access to 60 activities free of charge or at very attractive prices for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Guided tours, museums, boating… the hardest part is choosing!
A welcoming countryside
Why not start by taking in the great outdoors? Geneva has beautiful countryside, where it’s not uncommon to spot numerous animals in the middle of the day, from red foxes to roe deer, herons and birds of prey, to name but a few. Accessible by bike, even for the less athletic, or by public transport, the countryside offers unsuspected bucolic landscapes, where vineyards line up neatly against the mountains and lake.
As Switzerland’s third-largest wine-growing canton, with over 1,400 hectares of vineyards, Geneva has made a name for itself in recent decades for the quality of its wines, several of which have won awards at prestigious competitions. This is particularly true of Domaine Les Hutins, in Dardagny, whose La Briva vieilles vignes won a gold medal at the International Gamay Competition, held in Lyon in January 2024. The most important grape varieties grown in the canton are chasselas, a white grape that produces fresh, delicate wines, and gamay and pinot noir for red wines, known for their depth and complexity.
Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or simply a lover of nature and charming villages, Satigny, Switzerland’s largest wine-growing commune, is well worth a visit. Wandering through the narrow streets, pushing open the door of a cosy cafĂ©, visiting the many vineyards and estates, taking part in tastings accompanied by explanations from passionate winemakers is a real pleasure. The Geneva Wine Route allows you to cycle through the canton, at your own pace, for a unique, immersive experience through countryside dotted with exceptional vistas of wine-growing landscapes and the lake, with the reassuring silhouette of the Alps on the horizon.
This perfectly-marked path links several wineries, each with its own charm and specificity. The Paul-Henri Soler estate, for example, is renowned for its “living wines”. In addition to tastings, the trail is also an opportunity to talk to the winemakers, discover local viticulture and learn about the history of small, dynamic family estates.
Picnic and fruit picking
It’s also worth taking a tour of the villages to enjoy their peaceful atmosphere and take a break for lunch or a snack on a shady terrace. Or why not experience a meal on a farm or organize a picnic by the water? 100% Genevan, of course, with local products – honey, cheeses, charcuterie… – available at farmers’ markets. There are also plenty of original family activities such as fruit-picking and cheese-making.
Witnesses to a long history, Geneva’s villages are often home to interesting buildings such as Hermance, with its 14th-century tower, as well as small art galleries showcasing the work of local artists.
This village atmosphere enlivens the heart of Carouge, the bohemian Sardinian town next to Geneva. Craftsmen, once the soul of Carouge, have now been replaced by artists and designers, giving the town a Mediterranean Soho feel. Its 18th-century houses, fountains, statues, pretty courtyards and Rue Saint-Joseph with its poetic aerial decorations make Carouge a truly unique town.
Gourmet tour
After the wine route, the chocolate route. A playful way to explore the city, with creations directly inspired by the city, such as Poubelles genevoises – a chocolate shell with a truffled heart – in the shape of the city’s old garbage cans, or PavĂ©s genevois, a recipe dating back to 1936. They take the form of small cubes of melting chocolate coated with a layer of cocoa. The Choco Pass allows you to sample a selection of chocolates from a list of emblematic chocolatiers, each with their own specialties.
Scientifically yours
Geneva has been passionate about science for centuries, as demonstrated by the Museum of the History of Science, located in the Villa Bartholoni, in the peaceful park of the Perle du Lac. The rich collection of rare and antique scientific instruments enables visitors to follow the work and progress of Geneva’s scientists from the 17th to the 19th century. The museum also traces the beginnings of modern astronomy and the development of scientific disciplines such as microscopy, electricity and meteorology.
From the science of yesteryear to the science of today, just take a bus to CERN in Meyrin. On the menu: origin of the world, Big Bang, protons, particles…
Straddling the border between Switzerland and France, CERN is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious scientific laboratories. It is home to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 27-kilometer-long machine that stretches under the French-Swiss border and was instrumental in the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. It was also at CERN that the World Wide Web was invented in 1989 and the first antimatter particles were created in 1995.
The center, which is entirely dedicated to particle physics and the study of the laws of the universe, is a hotbed of science, and aims to share its knowledge with the public. Every year, it welcomes thousands of visitors from all over the world and offers a wide range of activities for all ages.
The Science Portal
Since 2004, the Globe of Science and Innovation, a gigantic wooden sphere, has been the welcome point at CERN. This distinctive sculpture now coexists with the futuristic-looking Science Portal building.
Designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano, this unusual building features suspended tubes, evocative of CERN’s cutting-edge gas pedals, and walkways, symbols of the inseparable link between science and society.
The Science Portal, to be inaugurated in 2023, is a particle physics discovery center open to all. It includes exhibition spaces, laboratories, a modular auditorium, a store and a restaurant covering 8,000 m2.
Here, anyone from the age of 5 can slip into the shoes of a physicist during laboratory workshops, or explore the universe through immersive multimedia exhibitions. It’s also possible to visit the places where research is carried out, accompanied by CERN guides. The explanations given are truly accessible to all, making the visits all the more interesting.
But perhaps the most exciting of all the Science Portal activities are the lab workshops, which provide an insight into the work of CERN’s scientists and engineers. The workshops, which last between 45 and 90 minutes, are run by volunteers from CERN’s scientific community. The range of topics is vast, from the basics of particle detection to the use of robots in science.