Vieille Ville

Geneva


A stroll around Geneva's beautiful Old Town is a must. Its main street, the Grand-Rue, shelters the Maison de Rousseau et de la Literature at No 40, where the 18th-century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born. Nearby, the part-Romanesque, part-Gothic Cathédrale St-Pierre is where Protestant John Calvin preached from 1536 to 1564. Beneath the cathedral is the Site Archéologique, an interactive space safeguarding fine 4th-century mosaics and a 5th-century baptismal font. You can trace Calvin’s life in the neighbouring Musée International de la Réforme.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Geneva attractions

1. Cathédrale St-Pierre

0.09 MILES

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

4. Musée International de la Réforme

0.11 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…

5. Maison de Rousseau et de la Literature

0.14 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…

6. Musée d’Art et d’Histoire

0.15 MILES

Built between 1903 and 1910, this elegant museum holds masterpieces such as Konrad Witz' La pêche miraculeuse (c 1440–44), portraying Christ walking on…

7. Musée Barbier-Mueller

0.17 MILES

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

8. Parc des Bastions

0.19 MILES

It's all statues – not to mention a giant chess board – in this green city park where a laid-back stroll uncovers Red Cross cofounder Henri Dufour (who…