Cité du Temps

Geneva


This 19th-century industrial building straddling Lake Geneva was constructed in the 1840s to provide the city's public fountains with water. Today it hosts temporary art exhibitions on its 1st floor and La Collection Swatch – the world's largest collection of the funky Swiss watches, dating from 1983 to the present – on its 2nd.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Geneva attractions

1. Musée Barbier-Mueller

0.25 MILES

This refined private gallery space, opened in 1977, is filled with objects from ancient societies – think pre-Columbian South American art treasures,…

2. Le Rath

0.27 MILES

Across the traffic-busy square from the green city park, Parc des Bastions, is this historic building – Switzerland's oldest purpose-built museum dating…

3. Maison de Rousseau et de la Literature

0.29 MILES

A 25-minute audiovisual display traces the troubled life of Geneva's greatest thinker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He was born in this house in 1712. The…

4. Horloge Fleurie

0.29 MILES

In the Jardin Anglais you'll find Geneva’s most photographed clock, crafted from 6500 living flowers. It's been ticking since 1955 and boasts the world’s…

5. Musée International de la Réforme

0.32 MILES

This modern museum in an 18th-century mansion zooms in on the Reformation. State-of-the-art exhibits and audiovisuals bring to life everything from the…

6. Cathédrale St-Pierre

0.34 MILES

Geneva's cathedral is predominantly Gothic with an 18th-century neoclassical facade. Between 1536 and 1564 Protestant John Calvin preached here; see his…