Geneva's Top Sights and Their Cost
Geneva’s headline sights sit within a short walk of each other, and every one of them has a specific price attached, which beats guessing at the ticket window.
Jet d’Eau
Free to view from any harbor quay, and free to walk toward along the Jetée des Eaux-Vives pier when conditions allow. The fountain throws 500 liters a second to 140 meters at 200 km/h, and shuts down automatically in a strong bise wind or a hard frost, so check before making it the whole point of your afternoon.
St. Pierre Cathedral
Construction began around 1160, four centuries before the Reformation that made it Calvin’s home church. The nave is free. Climbing the north and south towers, 157 steps, runs CHF 7 adult, CHF 5 reduced, CHF 4 youth (7-16); the archaeological crypt underneath is a separate CHF 8 adult, CHF 4 reduced or child; combined towers and crypt come to CHF 12 adult, CHF 8 reduced, CHF 7 youth.
Palais des Nations
Guided tour only, booked exclusively at ungeneva.org : CHF 25 adult, CHF 22 student, senior or disabled, CHF 14 for ages 14-17, CHF 13 for ages 6-13. A physical passport or national ID is checked at the Pregny gate, and the building’s under renovation, so the exact route shown can vary. Search Geneva sightseeing and UN tour combinations on GetYourGuide if you’d like it bundled with something else.
Musée d’Art et d’Histoire
The MAH’s main building on Rue Charles-Galland is a monumental 1910 Beaux-Arts structure. The permanent collection, spanning roughly 4,000 years, is free every single day.
Old Town and Place du Bourg-de-Four
Geneva’s oldest public square, built over a former Roman forum, centers on an 18th-century fountain; the bistros here price for tourists, so glance at a menu before you sit. Maison Tavel, rebuilt in 1334 and the city’s oldest private house, is free and holds the Magnin Relief, a large-scale model of the fortified pre-1850 city.
Lake Geneva, either bank
Walk or cycle both shorelines for free, or take the CGN paddle-steamer Geneva Tour cruise, CHF 20 adult, for an hour on the water between late April and mid-October.
The verdict
The Jet d’Eau, the cathedral nave, the MAH’s permanent collection and both lakeshores cost nothing; budget separately, in CHF, not euros, for the towers, the UN tour and a cruise. Old Town hotels in Geneva can be compared on Booking.com . See the Geneva walking tours guide for a route linking several of these on foot.
Before you go
Bring a passport or national ID if the UN tour is on your list; nothing else here requires one.