Discover the Jardin Anglais, Geneva's most beautiful promenade

The area is also famous for the Horloge Fleurie de Genève, which attracts busloads of tourists from all over the world, particularly from Asia. Many people are sometimes disappointed by its relatively simple appearance, but the clock is actually best known for its technical feat: the seconds hand, at 2.5 metres long, is the largest in the world. Since its creation in 1955, the clock has been adorned with 6,500 plants, which are regularly maintained by Geneva's Services des Espaces Verts et de l'Environnement. They are arranged in eight circles that change colour with the seasons.

As well as the flower clock, the Jardin Anglais is also home to several statues, including one of Sir Winston Churchill and one of Geneva's founder, Henri Dunant. Visitors can also enjoy a magnificent view of Lake Geneva and the surrounding mountains.

Other attractions include the monumental "Four Seasons" fountain, at the heart of the Jardin Anglais. It is aligned on an axis parallel to the lake and the Hôtel Métropole, along with the restaurant, the bandstand and a small rustic pavilion.

Geneva's Jardin Anglais was created by filling in the lake at the end of the 19th century, when the city's fortifications were destroyed. It bears witness to the development of the harbour at that time. In the 1850s, the Garden was already home to the monumental Four Seasons fountain, and in 1862 the Mont Blanc Bridge was built nearby.

Originally known as the "Promenade du Lac", the Jardin Anglais was the first park in the city to be laid out in the English style, with curved paths and freely planted trees. In 1955, the Horloge Fleurie was added to the Jardin, rapidly becoming Geneva's most photographed monument. The Garden is also home to several hundred-year-old trees, including a purple beech planted in 1895 for the National Exhibition, as well as a giant cedar, a majestic sequoia, a large-flowered magnolia, horse chestnuts, a tulip tree and other species.

At present, the town is keen to ensure that its green spaces are managed in an environmentally-friendly way. As a result, the garden's plants are grown without the use of chemicals. The same is true of the Horloge Fleurie, whose thousands of mosaic plants are grown and maintained naturally.