What we love in Geneva is this urban nature. A walk along the lake, a ride on a boat and then a café on a terrace in the Old Town. The Rhône crossing the city, saying hi to the building with its crystal-clear water. Welcome to Geneva!

The symbol of the «world’s smallest metropolis» is the “Jet d’eau” – a fountain with a 140-metre-high water jet at the periphery of Lake Geneva. Most of the large hotels and many restaurants are situated on the right-hand shore of the lake. The old town, the heart of Geneva with the shopping and business quarter, holds sway over the left-hand shore. It is dominated by St. Peter’s Cathedral, however the actual centre of the old town is the Place du Bourg-de-Four, which is the oldest square in the city. Quays, lakeside promenades, countless parks, lively side streets in the old town and elegant shops invite guests to stroll. One of the best-maintained streets is the Grand-Rue, where Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born. The «mouettes», a type of water taxi, enable crossings to be made from one lakeshore to the other, while larger vessels invite visitors to enjoy cruises on Lake Geneva.  
  
Geneva is Switzerland’s most international city, as it is where the European seat of the UNO is based. Even the International Red Cross directs its humanitarian campaigns from here. Besides being a congress city, Geneva is also a centre for culture and history, for trade fairs and exhibitions. The «Horloge Fleuri», the large flower clock in the “Jardin Anglais” (English Garden), is a world-renowned symbol of the Geneva watch industry.  
  
Culturally, this city on the westernmost fringe of Switzerland has much to offer. International artists perform in the Grand Théâtre and Geneva Opera House, and an extremely diverse range of museums such as the “Musée international de l'horlogerie”, a watch museum with a collection of jewellery watches and musical clocks, and the International Museum of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, which provides an insight into the work of these humanitarian organisations, invite city guests to visit them.  
  
A rewarding excursion destination is Mont Salève, which is situated in neighboring France. The cableway lifts visitors to an altitude of 1100 metres in less than five minutes, giving rise to outstanding vistas across the city of Geneva, Lake Geneva, the chain of Alps, the Jura and Montblanc. Geneva lies idyllically between Alpine peaks and vineyards by the largest lake in Western Europe.

Geneva

The symbol of International Geneva. The Palais des Nations (United Nations Office at Geneva - UNOG), built between 1929 and 1936, is the European headquarters of the United Nations. This centre of world diplomacy welcomes more than 25,000 delegates every year. A great number of artworks are displayed in its rooms. The building can be visited every day.

Geneva originally built the Palais des Nations for the League of Nations founded in 1919. After the second World War and the dissolution of the League, the building was ready to welcome the European seat of the newly constituted United Nations (UNO). It is the second largest UN centre, the first being the headquarters in New York, and as large as the Versailles Palace.  
  
Amongst the many works of art, the most amazing is probably the ceiling of the ‘Human Rights and Alliance for Civilisation Room’ painted by the artist Miquel Barcelò and donated by the Spanish government.

A Diplomatic Center - The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) - Geneva