two nights in

Geneva

Geneva, Switzerland's second-most populous city and the largest French-speaking city in Switzerland, is one of the world's major centres of international diplomacy, having served as the site of the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross since its foundation in 1863. Although the United Nations is now headquartered in New York, the organization still retains a large presence in Geneva at the Palais des Nations and many of its sister/child organizations, such as the World Health and International Labour Organizations. Wikivoyage

Population 209,061 (Wikidata)

Live guide From your hotel

Before you go

Emergency numbers in Switzerland

Visas and entry What your passport needs for Switzerland
Tourist office · 830 m Tourist Information Centre

Getting there

Remembered in this browser only, with the last few you used.

Best-documented sights

All of them in the guide

Within a kilometre of the centre, ordered by how well documented each is — not by a "best" anyone decided. Each opens on the map in the guide. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited there.

Through the year

  1. International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights

    March

    The International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH) an international event dedicated to cinema and human rights, held annually in Geneva.

    Official site Wikipedia

  2. Fête de la Musique

    June

    For three days in June, the whole City of Geneva is a stage. Actually, there are on the order of 40 of them.

    Official site

  3. Fêtes de la Batie

    July – September

    A 16-day arts festival (usually starts the last weekend of July and through most of August) with installations and live shows in over 20 venues across the city.

    Official site

  4. Geneva International Film Festival

    November

    The Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF) (French: Festival international du film de Genève) is an annual film festival founded in 1995.

    Official site Wikipedia

Annual events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage (Geneva); descriptions from Wikipedia where it has one, photos from Wikimedia Commons. Dates move year to year — check before you plan around one.

Markets

  • Marché Helvétique

    1. Monday: closed
    2. Tuesday: closed
    3. Wednesday: 06:30–14:15
    4. Thursday: closed
    5. Friday: closed
    6. Saturday: 06:30–14:15
    7. Sunday: closed

    06:30–14:15

    440 m from the centre

  • Marché de Plainpalais

    Opening hours

    Tu, Fr 06:30-14:15; We, Sa, Su 06:30-17:15 "winter"; We, Sa, Su 06:30-18:15 "summer"

    680 m from the centre

  • Carouge Market

    Marché de Carouge

    Opening hours

    We,Sa 06:00-14:00; Mar-Oct Th 16:00-21:00

    1.8 km from the centre

Markets mapped on OpenStreetMap, with their hours where someone has added them. Check locally before you go.

Eating nearby

All 74 places to eat

Somewhere to run

Getting around

Train stations: Genève-Champel 880 m, Genève-Eaux-Vives 1.1 km, Geneva Railway Station 1.3 km, Lancy-Pont-Rouge 2.4 km, Genève-Sécheron 2.6 km, Genève-La Praille 2.7 km, Genève-Stade 3.2 km, Lancy-Bachet 3.3 km, Chêne-Bourg 3.7 km, Chambésy 4.6 km, Genève-Aéroport 4.6 km, Vernier 4.8 km, Les Tuileries 5.6 km

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Places © OpenStreetMap contributors, as of 9 October 2026. Description from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA). Events from Wikidata and Wikivoyage, population from Wikidata.