Geneva's Guided Attraction Tours
Geneva’s landmark tours are almost all guided-only or timed-entry, so showing up and hoping rarely works here. Four are worth booking properly.
Palais des Nations, guided only
The United Nations’ European headquarters at Pregny cannot be visited independently; every visit is a scheduled guided tour booked at ungeneva.org . Adults pay CHF 25, students, seniors and disabled visitors CHF 22, youths 14-17 CHF 14, and children 6-13 CHF 13. A passport or national ID is checked at the Pregny gate, a driving licence will not do, and the building is mid-renovation, so the route shown can shift between bookings. New slots release on the 20th of the previous month and go quickly.
CGN lake cruises
Compagnie Générale de Navigation’s Belle Époque paddle steamers run a one-hour “Geneva Tour” harbor cruise for CHF 20 per adult, sailing between late April and mid-October; longer excursions run out to Nyon, Yvoire, Lausanne and Chillon Castle. Check current sailings on cgn.ch , or browse Lake Geneva boat tours on Viator for combined sightseeing packages.
St. Pierre Cathedral, tower and crypt
The nave is free, but the two towers (CHF 7 adult) and the archaeological crypt beneath the cathedral (CHF 8 adult) are ticketed separately, or CHF 12 combined. The climb is 157 steps to a 360-degree view over the Old Town rooftops to Mont Blanc on a clear day.
CERN Science Gateway
Entry to the Renzo Piano-designed exhibition halls in Meyrin is free, and booking a slot online up to a month ahead is worth doing in summer. What can’t be booked ahead is the guided lab tour: those release on-site through the CERN app two hours before each start time, first-come first-served, and only a fraction of daily visitors land one. Search Geneva landmark and museum tickets on GetYourGuide covers combined options for the day.
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum
Next to the UN in Pregny, the permanent exhibition “The Humanitarian Adventure” costs CHF 15 for adults and CHF 10 reduced, with pay-what-you-want admission on the first Saturday of each month.
The verdict
Book the Palais des Nations first, since its slots vanish fastest, and treat CERN’s lab tour as a bonus you might not get rather than something to plan around. For a full day combining several of these, see the Geneva day trips guide for what else the CGN boats reach along the lake.
Before you go
Carry a physical passport or ID card to the UN tour regardless of nationality; digital copies and driving licences are turned away at the gate.