St Pierre Cathedral and the Old Town

Geneva’s Old Town crowns a low hill on the left bank, and at its summit stands St Pierre Cathedral. Begun in the 12th century and remodelled in the 16th, it became a Protestant church during the Reformation in 1535, and it was here that John Calvin preached and turned Geneva into the Protestant Rome. The result is a striking contrast: Romanesque and Gothic architecture behind an 18th-century neoclassical portico, and inside a nave stripped of most of its decoration, with fine carved capitals, stained glass and the ornate Gothic chapel of the Maccabees as exceptions. Entry to the cathedral is free. The real treat is the climb to the towers, 157 steps up the north tower, for a sweeping panorama of the roofs, the lake, the Jet d’Eau and, on clear days, the Alps. Beneath the cathedral is an extensive archaeological site, described as the largest north of the Alps, where walkways lead through the remains of earlier churches and Roman and pre-Roman settlements. Around the cathedral, the Old Town’s lanes lead to the Place du Bourg-de-Four, Geneva’s oldest square, lined with cafés, and down to the Reformation Wall in the Parc des Bastions.

Planning the visit: from 1 October to 31 May the cathedral opens from Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 17:30, and on Sunday from 12:00 to 17:30, with the towers closing at 17:00. From June to September it opens earlier and closes later. Entry to the church is free; the towers charge a small fee, and the archaeological site has its own ticket. Services and concerts can restrict access to parts of the building, so check the cathedral website before a special trip.

Making the most of it: climb the towers first, while your legs are fresh, then visit the nave and the chapel of the Maccabees, and finish underground in the archaeological site, which needs about an hour. The stairs are narrow and steep near the top, so they do not suit everyone. On a clear day the view stretches from the Jura to Mont Blanc.

Around the Old Town: allow a couple of hours to wander. Maison Tavel, the oldest house in the city, is a short walk away, and the Place du Bourg-de-Four is the place for a coffee or a fondue. Walk down through the Parc des Bastions to see the Reformation Wall, with its giant statues of Calvin and his fellow reformers. The lakefront and the Jet d’Eau are ten minutes downhill.