5 Best Sights in Rive Gauche (Left Bank), Geneva

The city first planted this gigantic, and accurate, floral timepiece in 1955 to highlight Geneva's seminal role in the Swiss watchmaking industry. Some 6,500 plants are required four times a year to cover its 16-foot-wide surface.

The city's landmark fountain, which shoots 132 gallons of water—the equivalent of four standard bathtubs—459 feet into the air every second at 125 mph, can be seen throughout downtown. The parks and promenades around the lake offer the opportunity to see it from almost 360 degrees, and a wooden walkway on the pier at dock Gustave-Ador makes it easier to view up close.

Conceived on a grand scale and erected between 1909 and 1917, this solemn 325-by-30-foot swath of granite pays homage to the 16th-century religious movement spearheaded by Guillaume Farel, Jean Calvin, Théodore de Bèze, and John Knox. Smaller statues of major Protestant figures, bas-reliefs, and inscriptions connected with the Reformation flank the lifelike giants as they hover over Bern, Geneva, and Edinburgh's coats of arms. Roger Williams is surrounded by Pilgrims praying on the deck of the Mayflower, and near Oliver Cromwell is the 1689 presentation of the Bill of Rights to King William and Queen Mary by the English Houses of Parliament. The Reformation's—and Geneva's—motto, Post Tenebras Lux (After Darkness, Light), spreads over the whole. The location is just below the Vieille Ville.

Through the use of period artifacts, carefully preserved documents, and engaging audiovisuals, the museum takes visitors on a thematic and chronological journey of the Protestant Reformation. This remarkably friendly museum explores its influence as a religious, cultural, and philosophical phenomenon and traces its roots from the early 16th century through today. The sparkling 18th-century premises, on the site where Geneva voted to adopt the Reform, connect by underground passage to the Site Archéologique. There are free audio guides in 10 languages including English.

Archaeologists found multiple layers of history underneath the Cathédrale St-Pierre when its foundations began to falter in 1976. Excavations have so far yielded remnants of two 4th-century Christian sanctuaries, mosaic floors from the late Roman Empire, three early churches, and an 11th-century crypt. The first Romanesque cathedral on the site was built in 1000. Audio guides in English and careful lighting help navigate the (reinforced) underground maze that remains.