Geneva, city of parks

The stunning public parks in Geneva contribute to its reputation, its beauty and its quality of life. Throughout its history, the City has benefited from generous donations totalling almost 310 hectares of parkland, making it the “City of Parks”.

More than sixty public parks and green areas can be found in the city on both shores, covering some 310 hectares accounting for about 20% of the municipal territory.

History and development

Many of these parks are former private estates. While a number of them were acquired by the City of Geneva over time, some of the largest were bequeathed to the City from the 19th century onwards by prominent families.

And the tradition has continued to this very day: the initial donation of the Bois de la Bâtie by the Turrettini family in 1869 was followed by bequests from the Plantamours, in the form of Parc Mon Repos in 1898, and the Favres with Parc La Grange in 1917, and more recently the donation by the Hentsch family of the park of the same name inaugurated in 2016.

These generous donations, together with the active policy of the City aimed at developing, maintaining and acquiring new green areas, have helped turn Geneva into the “City of Parks”, offering the local population the chance to enjoy sumptuous landscaped areas.

Multi-purpose parks

The parks play numerous roles: in addition to the social, cultural, aesthetic and pedagogical aspects, they provide environmental benefits and biodiversity which are essential to life.

A green heritage to explore

Explore the outstanding green heritage of the parks, promenades, squares, quays and gardens which are part and parcel of the beauty and renown of Geneva, either by using the map or by clicking on the names of the parks indicated on the list below.

Recalling the history of these parks, the descriptions are accompanied by stunning photos and engravings drawn from another of the City’s outstanding cultural heritages: the iconographic collections of Geneva Library.