Cultural Trail around the Nations Area

Five museums and fascinating narratives retracing the history of their design, their construction, and their collections: the Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, the Ariana Museum, the League of Nations Museum, the History of Science Museum.

The museums along the walk are described in a user-friendly way. You can download the printable version of the Trail at the bottom of the page or listen to the audio guides below, which include a special interview with a representative from each institution that takes you to the heart of the collections.

Pratical Informations

The trail: Walking the trail should take 60min (not including museum visits);
Departure :The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum. Arrival : Place Albert-Thomas;
Access : public Public transport, Cars or Bicycle;
Wifi : Ariana Museum; Place des Nations; Perle du Lac park: History of Science Museum, Villa Moynier, Orangerie; Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

Cultural Trail - Nations district's audio guides

Geneva Museum hopping in the Nations district

The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens are a real open-air museum: they extend over an area of 28 hectares and feature a collection of 16,000 species from all over the world.

Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques (CJBG)

Museum of the Swiss Abroad

Through a collection of objects, portraits, uniforms, weapons, engravings, souvenirs, paintings and documents this enchantingly situated museum tells the stories of Swiss figures, who have left their mark on the world.

Domaine des Penthes

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum

As the birthplace of the Red Cross, Geneva is home to the only museum dedicated to the work of its founder Henry Dunant. The new permanent exhibition offers a thematic presentation: Defending Human Dignity, Restoring Family Links and Reducing Natural Risks.

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum

The Ariana Museum

With its rich collection of over 25,000 pieces, the Ariana Museum - the Swiss Museum of Ceramics and Glass - is the only one of its kind today in Switzerland and one of the most important in Europe in its field.

Ariana Museum
Avenue de la Paix 10
1202 Genève
Tel. +41 22 418 54 50
Open Tuesday to Sunday 10.00 – 18.00

The League of Nations Museum

We now understand the international and transnational history of the inter-war period to be critical in dealing with our contemporary world. This museum exhibits fascinating elements from the original archives of the League of Nations (1920-1946), inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

Museum of the History of Science

Unique in Switzerland, the History of Science Museum houses a collection of historic scientific instruments from the studies of Genevan scholars from the 17th to the 19th century.