Things to see in Geneva

Straddling the Franco-Swiss border, the laboratory of the European Council for Nuclear Research is the world-leading particle physics research organisation. It's most famous for being where Sir Tim Berners-Lee created the world wide web, and for its Large Hadron Collider, the world's biggest and most powerful particle accelerator, which sends particles racing round a 27km (16 miles) underground ring. Visitors can see the awe-inspiring LHR for themselves on a guided tour, while CERN's outreach building, a 27m high illuminated sphere called The Globe of Science and Innovation, hosts a permanent exhibition helping you get your head around particle physics. Children should at least be 12 years old. A bit of preparation ahead of the visit is helpful to understand the explanations you will hear at CERN.

Officially the oldest private house in Geneva, this 12th century property in the Old Town was rebuilt after a fire in 1334 and remains a fascinating example of medieval architecture in Geneva. Bought by the city in the 1980s, its six floors now showcase Genevese living from the 14th to the 19th century. Don't miss the original 12th century vaulted cellars and the relief map in the attic showing Geneva as it looked before its defensive walls were destroyed in 1850. The museum sometimes hosts temporary exhibitions, too.

Completely renovated in 2013, this museum documents the work of the Red Cross from the humanitarian vision outlined by founder Henry Dunant in 1863, through the many conflicts worldwide where its work has been so vital. The permanent exhibition, entitled The Humanitarian Adventure, is split into three thematic sections, each comprising moving video interviews with witnesses to the Red Cross' work. Particularly affecting is the section detailing how the Red Cross reunites families following war or genocide, while the collection of 6 million record cards containing the fate of prisoners of war during WWI is extraordinary.

This little artisan town, around 2km (1 mile) south of Geneva’s city centre, is full of book and antique restorers, glass blowers, watchmakers, clothes designers, hatters, trendy bistros and smart restaurants. In 1772, the Kingdom of Sardinia came to set up a town to rival Geneva. Carouge changed hands frequently but, in 1816, the town was annexed to Geneva and became Swiss. Its architecture therefore remains Italianate in style and the narrow streets are straight and orderly, with apartments looking onto wide, green courtyards. Populated by Geneva's bohemians, Carouge makes for an interesting alternative to the slick city centre.

Geneva's world-renowned Botanical Gardens were created by the botanist A P de Candolle in the Parc des Bastions in 1817. Relocated to their present site in 1904, the 28-hectare (69-acre) gardens have greenhouses with tropical plants from six continents, a pond brimming with aquatic plants, a rose garden, an arboretum, a garden of the senses, an aviary and a park of rare animals, as well as a research laboratory, herbarium collection (open by appointment) and an extensive library. In total, the gardens consist of around 14,000 different plant species from around the globe.

If your knowledge of Swiss timepieces begins and ends with cuckoo-clocks (which originated in Germany anyway), prepare for enlightenment. Geneva and the nearby Jura region have long been associated with clocks and the Patek Philippe Company counts among the finest manufacturers of Swiss watches. The exhibition is split into two main sections: the first displays antique watches from the 16th to the 19th centuries, many of them considered masterpieces of their kind, while the second showcases watches made by Patek Philippe from 1839 to the present day.