Geneva sits at the southwest tip of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), with the Alps visible on clear days. The city is small, walkable, and packed with sights for its size — a function of being the global headquarters of dozens of international organisations and a centre of Protestant Reformation history.
The old city (Vieille Ville) rises above the lake on the left bank, centred on the medieval Cathédrale Saint-Pierre where John Calvin preached. The narrow streets around the cathedral, leading down to Place du Bourg-de-Four, are the prettiest in the city. The Reformation Wall in the Parc des Bastions is the city's most distinctive monument, and the Maison Tavel nearby is the oldest house in the city.
The right bank holds the UN district — the Palais des Nations and the powerful International Red Cross Museum — plus the train station and the Pâquis quarter. On the lake itself, the Jet d'Eau — a 140-metre water jet — has become Geneva's symbol; the Flower Clock sits a short walk away in the Jardin Anglais.
For art, the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire is the largest in Switzerland and free. The MAMCO houses contemporary art in a converted factory in Plainpalais. The Barbier-Mueller has outstanding tribal art, the Patek Philippe Museum is the world's finest watch collection, and the Musée d'Histoire des Sciences is set in a free neoclassical villa. Outside the centre, the CERN particle physics laboratory offers free public tours by booking, and the Carouge district south of the centre has a Sardinian-influenced character all of its own.