Weekend in Geneva: our itinerary

The City of Geneva is one of the world's leading centres for multilateral cooperation. Host to numerous international organisations (IOs), diplomatic missions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), it promotes humanist and universal values. Geneva is one of the world's leading centres for multilateral diplomacy. Nothing represents this international cooperation better than the Place des Nations, which houses a series of buildings linked to international diplomacy.

In the square, you'll see the "Broken Chair" statue, a chair standing on three legs, representing the plight of landmine victims. The artist wanted to show that, despite its fourth broken leg, the Chair remains upright and dignified. Looking towards the Palais des Nations, the work calls on all States to sign the Convention banning anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, to honour their commitments to assist victims and to clear polluted territories of mines. It is often here that people from other countries come to denounce human rights abuses in their homeland.

This square is also the site of the Palais des Nations, built between 1929 and 1936 in the Parc de l'Ariana. Since 1966, the Palais has housed the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). It is the organisation's most important centre after its headquarters in New York.

You can go behind the scenes during a group visit. For 1 hour, your guide will show you around the Palais des Nations, the headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, and give you a wealth of information about the UN, its employees and its impact on the world. The conference rooms and lounges are well worth a visit, as are the titanic galleries. The gallery known as "la galerie des pas perdus" has large bay windows offering a splendid view of the park and Mont Blanc. It leads to the immense main courtyard, made entirely of marble. No fewer than 10,000 conferences are held here every year to foster international relations.

Feeling peckish after your visit? Head for "le vieux bois" restaurant, just 5 minutes from the Palais des Nations, in the Parc de l'Ariana. This is a restaurant run by the Geneva Hotel School, which means that you will have access to a very fine menu, with carefully selected ingredients. Expect to pay 68 euros for a full menu: main course, starter, dessert and drinks.

On your second day in Geneva, we suggest you explore the area around Place Neuve, which is located just outside the old city walls. This was the site of one of the city's medieval gates, the "Porte Neuve", built to provide better protection for the city. But this gate has now disappeared, and on its site you will see the equestrian statue of General Dufour, an eminent figure for the city of Geneva. He was one of the founders of the Red Cross in 1863, and one of the heroes of the Sonderbund war in 1847, which paved the way for the birth of modern Switzerland with its new democratic constitution (1848).

Scan the square from left to right, and you'll see the Conservatoire de Musique, the Grand Théâtre and the Rath Museum, a neoclassical building reminiscent of a Greek temple.

We advise you to visit the latter, which is the first establishment devoted to the fine arts in Switzerland. It hosts the major temporary exhibitions of the Museum of Art and History, as well as temporary exhibitions linked to partnerships with other museums. The most recent of these? "From Dusk to Dawn", which presents the collections of the Kiev National Art Gallery.

After your visit, why not relax in front of the Parc des Bastions, the largest park in the city. It is the scene of some of the most popular events in Geneva: the Escalade race, school fetes, the bank holidays and many others that are sometimes more discreet but just as popular. As a chameleon-like park, it changes colours and activities with the seasons, adapting to all kinds of visitors. You'll be able to admire 140 trees from 200 different species: Japanese maples, American honey locusts, Atlas cedars, Caucasian pterocaryas, Himalayan weeping pines, European larches, and more.

The 140 labelled trees are presented in detail in the free "Parcs Genève" application.

The Parc des Bastions enjoys a very favourable microclimate, facing south and protected from the north wind by the Old-town hill. This location makes it possible to acclimatise and grow rare and sometimes unique trees, such as the jujube tree planted in 2017 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Geneva Botanical Garden. If your stroll through the countryside has whetted your appetite, we recommend a visit to the kiosque des Bastions, the park's restaurant, which serves both brunch and dinner. Notable dishes on the menu include snails with parsley butter, marrow bone and stale Limousin beef tomahawk on the bone. The menu pays tribute to local produce, from Lake Geneva perch fillets to excellent GRTA lamb cooked at a low temperature for seven hours for couscous, not forgetting ceviches or burrata.