Sightseeing Tours

Sightseeing Tours

Boat Tours

The Compagnie Générale de Navigation boards passengers on both sides of the pont du Mont-Blanc and serves multicourse meals aboard special Belle Epoque steamship cruises. Separate, hour-long CGN loops of the lower lake point out local sights. Swissboat and the Mouettes Genevoises jointly operate smaller-scale guided tours that take in castles, famous homes, ports, and parkland along the lake every day from April to October. Trips last anywhere from 40 minutes to two hours; recorded commentary is in English. The boats leave from two spots on the quai du Mont-Blanc -- opposite the Monument Brunswick (Swissboat) and opposite the Hotel Palace Hilton (Mouettes Genevoises) -- as well as from the Eaux-Vives waterfront between the Jet d'Eau and the Jardin Anglais. The Mouettes Genevoises also operate nearly three-hour natural-history tours of the Rhône. Live commentary is in English, and the boats depart from place de l'Ile.

Fees & Schedules

Compagnie Générale de Navigation (CGN. 0848/811848. www.cgn.ch). Mouettes Genevoises (8 quai du Mont-Blanc, Les Pâquis. 022/7322944. www.mouettesgenevoises.ch). Swissboat (4 quai du Mont-Blanc, Les Pâquis. 022/7324747. www.swissboat.com).

Bus Tours

Key Tours conducts two-hour bus-and-minitrain tours of the International Area and the Vieille Ville, leaving place Dorcière daily at 2 PM as well as at 10 AM May-October and 3:15 PM July and August. Each circuit costs 45 SF, and recorded commentary is in English. Between May and October you can also opt to catch the minitrain (independent of the bus tour) at place du Rhône for a trip around the Vieille Ville. Between March and October, a second minitrain leaves from the quai du Mont-Blanc for a tour of the International Area and Right Bank parks, and a third departs the Jardin Anglais for a ride along the Left Bank quays. Each loop lasts between 30 and 75 minutes; the cost is 7-19 SF. Afternoon bus tours of the Geneva countryside are also available May-October. A KeyPass, good for 24 or 48 hours for either 49 SF or 98 SF, grants free access to bus and minitrain tours, public transport, and all museums that have entrance fees.

Fees & Schedules

Key Tours (7 rue des Alpes, Les Pâquis. 022/7314140. www.keytours.ch).

Walking Tours

English-speaking guides linked to Genève Tourisme lead a two-hour walk through the Vieille Ville every Saturday at 10 AM. Additional weekday circuits at 10 AM, as well as 6:30 PM outings on Tuesday and Thursday, take place between June and late September. The cost is 15 SF. Unscheduled thematic tours for five or more people cost 40 SF per person and trace the history of watchmaking, Henry Dunant's legacy, literary Geneva, or one of 17 other subjects. English-language audio guides to the Vieille Ville last 2 1/2 hours and cost 10 SF plus a 50 SF deposit. The map, CD, and player must be returned within four hours.

Fees & Schedules

Genève Tourisme (18 rue du Mont-Blanc, Les Pâquis. 022/9097000). Service des Guides (18 rue du Mont-Blanc, Les Pâquis. 022/9097030).