Geneva scavenger hunt
Tucked away in the heart of the city, this peaceful pedestrian square honors the legendary virtuoso composer Franz Liszt, offering a quiet, leafy retreat steeped in Geneva’s rich musical history.
Built into the historic city walls within the leafy Parc des Bastions, this monumental stone memorial features towering statues of key figures who established Geneva as the epicenter of the Protestant Reformation.
Renowned for its world-class acoustics and lavish Beaux-Arts auditorium, this historic 19th-century concert hall stands as a crown jewel of Geneva’s cultural and musical heritage.
Standing gracefully in the Jardin des Alpes along the lakeshore, this intricate neo-Gothic mausoleum was built to honor the eccentric Duke of Brunswick, who bequeathed his immense fortune to the city of Geneva.
St. Pierre Cathedral is a majestic landmark that famously blends Romanesque and Gothic architecture with a striking 18th-century Neoclassical portico. It is best known as the home church of John Calvin, where visitors can still see the simple wooden chair used by the leader of the Reformation.
Geneva scavenger hunt
Tucked away in the heart of the city, this peaceful pedestrian square honors the legendary virtuoso composer Franz Liszt, offering a quiet, leafy retreat steeped in Geneva’s rich musical history.
Built into the historic city walls within the leafy Parc des Bastions, this monumental stone memorial features towering statues of key figures who established Geneva as the epicenter of the Protestant Reformation.
Renowned for its world-class acoustics and lavish Beaux-Arts auditorium, this historic 19th-century concert hall stands as a crown jewel of Geneva’s cultural and musical heritage.
Standing gracefully in the Jardin des Alpes along the lakeshore, this intricate neo-Gothic mausoleum was built to honor the eccentric Duke of Brunswick, who bequeathed his immense fortune to the city of Geneva.
St. Pierre Cathedral is a majestic landmark that famously blends Romanesque and Gothic architecture with a striking 18th-century Neoclassical portico. It is best known as the home church of John Calvin, where visitors can still see the simple wooden chair used by the leader of the Reformation.

Geneva Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour

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Explore the city at your own pace with a self-guided experience.
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Make a day of itInteractive guides by World City Trail, delivered with your tickets.

What is a city guide?

Your own guide to Geneva on your phone: hand-picked places, each with why to go, what to order and a practical tip.

  • Tick places off
  • Your own notes
  • One tap to Maps
  • Open now, near me
  • Works offline
  • Print it or save as PDF
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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Loved by thousands of travelers and locals

  • No time limit – use your ticket whenever you want
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Included: your personal Trail Map with every city you finish, the kilometres you walk and your flag collection. See an example →

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Everything you need for a flexible self-guided city experience

Explore the city at your own pace

✔ Discover hidden gems & highlights
✔ Enjoy a flexible self-guided experience
✔ Explore freely with no schedule
✔ Perfect for couples, students, companies, friends & families

How your city experience works

✔ Instant ticket purchase
✔ Easy access via the World City Trail app
✔ Quick setup with your booking details
✔ Start anytime and explore freely
✔ Pause and resume anytime

Why travelers choose this tour

✔ Instant access after purchase
✔ Optional AI voice narration — listen instead of read
✔ Discover top attractions & food spots
✔ Customize your route anytime

From Calvin's pulpit to the opera: Geneva in riddles

The Geneva scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. Between the station quarter, the lake shore and the hill of the Old Town you walk around 44 minutes and 3.5 km in all, linking 10 stops, and with the riddles and stories on top the game fills about 3 hours, starting whenever you decide.

Highlights include the Brunswick Monument on the lakefront, the National Monument in the Jardin Anglais, St Peter's Cathedral where Calvin preached, the Reformation Wall in the Parc des Bastions and the Grand Théâtre on Place de Neuve. The route links the lake shore with the old hill town, so you see both sides of Geneva in one walk.

  • Durationabout 3 hours
  • Walkingabout 44 min · 3.5 km
  • Stops10
  • LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Chinese

Riddles between the lake and the Old Town hill

Reformers in stone, a duke in a Gothic tomb

Every stop sets one riddle, solved with your eyes rather than a guidebook: the four reformers on the Reformation Wall and the motto carved above them, the pinnacles of the Brunswick Monument, Helvetia and Geneva standing side by side in the Jardin Anglais. A sharp eye matters more than any knowledge of Swiss history.

A duke's will, a pianist's romance, light after darkness

The answers unlock Geneva's stories: why Duke Charles II of Brunswick left his fortune to the city on condition that it built him a worthy tomb, how Franz Liszt and Marie d'Agoult came to live here in 1835, and what Post Tenebras Lux means to the city of Calvin. With the audio narration on, you can watch the boats on the lake while you listen.

Lake level, hilltop, then the Bastions

On foot it comes to around 44 minutes over 3.5 km: down to the quays, across the Rhône to the Jardin Anglais, up the steep lanes to St Peter's Cathedral and down again to the Parc des Bastions and Place de Neuve. Google Maps shows every leg, including the climb into the Old Town.

Coffee on the Bourg-de-Four

No timer is running, so stop for a coffee on the Place du Bourg-de-Four beside the cathedral, follow the app's tips to a chocolate shop and pick the game up again later or another day. When it is switched on, the Jet d'Eau rises over the lake during the first part of the walk.

See the route and attractions →

How it works

  1. Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
  2. Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
  3. Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.

Delegates, families and office teams in Geneva

A free afternoon between meetings

Geneva is full of delegates and business travellers, and this game turns a gap in the schedule into about 3 hours of riddles, beginning a short walk from Cornavin station. When the next appointment calls, stop and finish another day.

Children, flowers and a giant chessboard

Kids enjoy the flower clock in the Jardin Anglais, General Dufour on horseback on Place de Neuve and the giant chess games locals play in the Parc des Bastions. An adult plays in every team, and the lakeside promenade gives younger players room to run.

Office teams on a Geneva outing

Teams of up to 5, each player on their own phone, start at the Basilica of Notre-Dame and gather again at Victoria Hall. Because the whole route runs through public parks, quays and squares, an outing needs nothing beyond one ticket per player.

Good to know

  • Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
  • No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
  • Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
  • Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
  • Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
  • Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.

The route: from Notre-Dame by Cornavin via the lake and the Old Town to Victoria Hall

10 stops · about 44 min walking · start: Basilica of Notre-Dame · finish: Victoria Hall

The hunt starts at the Basilica of Notre-Dame near Cornavin station and heads down to the lake and the Brunswick Monument. After crossing to the Jardin Anglais and the National Monument, you climb into the Old Town to St Peter's Cathedral, then continue to the Museum of Art and History, the house where Liszt and Marie d'Agoult lived and the Reformation Wall. Place de Neuve and the Grand Théâtre come next, and the hunt finishes at Victoria Hall. Every clue is on a monument, a façade or a wall in the open air, so neither the cathedral nor the theatre asks you for a ticket during the game, and if your hotel is nearer the lake or the Bastions, the app lets you begin there and reshuffles the order.

Open the route map ↗

  1. Basilica of Notre-Dame

    1Basilica of Notre-DameStart

    Geneva's main Catholic church stands a short walk from Cornavin station and was built in the mid-19th century in the Gothic Revival style. It reflected the growing Catholic community in the city of Calvin, and its pointed arches, pinnacles and tall windows deliberately recall the French cathedrals of the Middle Ages.

  2. Brunswick Monument

    2Brunswick Monument

    This richly decorated mausoleum on the lakefront holds Duke Charles II of Brunswick, who died in Geneva in 1873 and left his fortune to the city on condition that it build him a worthy tomb. The city modelled it on the Gothic tombs of the Scaliger family in Verona, so look up at its pinnacles and canopied niches.

    Read the full story →

  3. National Monument

    3National Monument

    In the Jardin Anglais two bronze women stand together: Helvetia, who represents Switzerland, and Geneva. The monument by Robert Dorer was unveiled in 1869 and celebrates Geneva joining the Swiss Confederation in 1815.

  4. St Peter's Cathedral

    4St Peter's Cathedral

    Building began around 1160 on a hill that was already a place of worship in Roman times, and the cathedral became Protestant during the Reformation in the 1530s. John Calvin preached here, and the neoclassical portico with its columns was added to the medieval church in the 18th century.

  5. Museum of Art and History

    5Museum of Art and History

    One of the largest museums in Switzerland, it opened in 1910 in a monumental building by the architect Marc Camoletti. Its collection includes Konrad Witz's altarpiece of 1444, whose Miraculous Draught of Fishes is set on Lake Geneva and is one of the earliest realistic landscapes in European painting.

  6. Liszt and Marie d'Agoult's House

    6Liszt and Marie d'Agoult's House

    In 1835 the young pianist Franz Liszt and Countess Marie d'Agoult, who had left her husband for him, came to Geneva and lived in this house. Their first daughter, Blandine, was born in the city that year, and Liszt taught piano at the newly founded Geneva Conservatory.

  7. Reformation Wall

    7Reformation Wall

    This 100-metre wall in the Parc des Bastions was begun in 1909, the 400th anniversary of John Calvin's birth, and runs along the old city moat. Its central statues show William Farel, Calvin, Theodore Beza and John Knox, and above them is carved Geneva's motto, Post Tenebras Lux, light after darkness.

    Read the full story →

  8. Place de Neuve

    8Place de Neuve

    Place de Neuve lies at the foot of the Old Town, where the Porte Neuve, one of the gates of the old city fortifications, once stood. Today it is framed by the Grand Théâtre, the Conservatoire de Musique and the Musée Rath, and at its centre stands the equestrian statue of General Guillaume-Henri Dufour, who led the federal army in 1847.

  9. Grand Théâtre de Genève

    9Grand Théâtre de Genève

    Geneva's opera house opened on Place de Neuve in 1879, and its richly decorated façade recalls the Paris Opera of the same period. A fire in 1951 destroyed the stage and much of the auditorium, which was rebuilt with a modern interior and reopened in 1962.

  10. Victoria Hall

    10Victoria HallFinish

    This concert hall was paid for by Daniel Barton, the British consul in Geneva, and named after Queen Victoria when it opened in 1894. It is the home of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and after a fire in 1984 its richly decorated hall was restored.

59 reviews for Geneva Scavenger Hunt and Self-Guided Tour

  1. Rated 5 out of 5

    Riley-Hungary –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  2. Rated 5 out of 5

    Nora-Portugal –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  3. Rated 5 out of 5

    Galih– Indonesia –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Sangat bagus, persiapkan power bank dan batrai dalam keadaan penuh…

  4. Rated 5 out of 5

    Zoey-Croatia –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  5. Rated 4 out of 5

    Harper-Belgium –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  6. Rated 5 out of 5

    Nora-Estonia –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  7. Rated 5 out of 5

    Julian-Russia –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  8. Rated 5 out of 5

    Dylan-Belgium –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  9. Rated 5 out of 5

    France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    c’était très intéressant nous avons bien profité de notre visite

  10. Rated 5 out of 5

    Jack-Germany –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  11. Rated 2 out of 5

    Aurora-Romania –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  12. Rated 5 out of 5

    Naomi-France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  13. Rated 5 out of 5

    Liam-Slovakia –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  14. Rated 5 out of 5

    Cooper-Germany –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  15. Rated 3 out of 5

    Emily-France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  16. Rated 5 out of 5

    Emily-Denmark –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  17. Rated 5 out of 5

    Emma-Belgium –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  18. Rated 5 out of 5

    Switzerland –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    peut être avoir une surprise à la fin de l’aventure

  19. Rated 5 out of 5

    Sabrina– France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Très bon itinéraire et textes historiques.

  20. Rated 5 out of 5

    Victoria-Netherlands –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  21. Rated 5 out of 5

    Harper-Croatia –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  22. Rated 4 out of 5

    Anthony-UK –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  23. Rated 5 out of 5

    Claudia– Switzerland –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Es war eine tolle Tour für die ganze Familie.

  24. Rated 4 out of 5

    France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Très bien mais pas assez explicite, quand on arrive au lieu. Il faut cliquer sur ” je suis là” alors que dans certains dès qu’on est arrivé, l’énigme s’ouvre .

  25. Rated 5 out of 5

    Christopher-Germany –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  26. Rated 5 out of 5

    Emily-Germany –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  27. Rated 5 out of 5

    Michael-Slovenia –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  28. Rated 4 out of 5

    Marjolein– Netherlands –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Leuke manier om de stad te leren kennen. Mooi op je eigen tempo met af en toe een koffie pauze.

  29. Rated 5 out of 5

    Nicholas-Spain –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  30. Rated 5 out of 5

    Connor-Germany –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  31. Rated 5 out of 5

    barbara– France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Super sympa pour découvrir la ville !

  32. Rated 5 out of 5

    Lucy-Germany –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  33. Rated 3 out of 5

    Laura-Switzerland –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  34. Rated 5 out of 5

    Lyz– France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Très bonne activité qui peut être faite en famille ou entre amis. Une belle balade, une meilleure connaissance de l’histoire de la ville de Genève et des énigmes intéressantes. La possibilité de jouer en équipe rajoute un intérêt pour les adolescents et le fait de ne pas avoir de limite de temps permets de profiter de chaque endroit

  35. Rated 4 out of 5

    Nicole– Switzerland –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Eine schöne Idee, neue Städte kennen zulernen und einige Informationen zu den Hot Spots zu erhalten. Bei dieser Variante für Genf empfand ich allerdings die Variationen der Rätsel als ziemlich eingeschränkt. Ab der Hälfte wusste man schon, es gibt entweder einen Zahlen – oder Buchstabencode als Lösung. Daher eher etwas langweilig.

  36. Rated 5 out of 5

    Lucas-Germany –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  37. Rated 5 out of 5

    Jonathan-Austria –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  38. Rated 5 out of 5

    Leo-Australia –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

  39. Rated 5 out of 5

    Robert– United States –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    We really enjoyed this despite all the walking involved. The challenges were unique and not so easy to solve. Good way to view a lot of ground and see some history of Geneva. Only downside is there was no transportation ever found, even at the end.

  40. Rated 4 out of 5

    Yohann– France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Très sympa, permet de bien découvrir les lieux emblématiques de la ville.

  41. Rated 4 out of 5

    Jenny-United States –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    It was great, cute introductory tour for Geneva! It’s annoying you automated get charged for the price of two people though.

  42. Rated 4 out of 5

    France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Moyen ludique de découvrir des lieux à son rythme. Dommage que l’on ne puisse pas être en mode offline, pour éviter de consommer des data à l’étranger

  43. Rated 5 out of 5

    United Kingdom –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Very fun

  44. Rated 5 out of 5

    France –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Super activité ! A tester dans d’autres villes

  45. Rated 5 out of 5

    Netherlands –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Super leuke en leerzame manier om Genève beter te leren kennen.

  46. Rated 5 out of 5

    Germany –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Die Tour hat Spaß gemacht! Eine schöne Runde durch die Stadt.

  47. Rated 5 out of 5

    United Kingdom –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    We had a lot of fun and learned many things about the city. I would definitely recommend it!

  48. Rated 5 out of 5

    United Kingdom –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Way more better than I expected and also had fun!!

  49. Rated 5 out of 5

    United Kingdom –

    Collected on GetYourGuide

    Nice and challenging riddles. Enjoyable way to explore Geneva. Looking forward to using this app in other cities as well. Customer service was impeccable. Thank you Aphrodite for your help

  50. Rated 5 out of 5

    HansDe –

    We played the game as a school with my students. They had a really nice time, me too, and it is a nice way to get to know the city. They also excersized their minds, trying to solve the riddles, some of them difficult even for me, but with the use of hints everything worked smoothly!

Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.

Frequently asked questions

Can the Geneva hunt be played between lunch and dinner?

Yes, if the afternoon is a long one: the game takes about 3 hours. You walk around 44 minutes over 3.5 km and 10 stops, from the station quarter to the lake and up to the cathedral, and the rest goes on riddles and on stories about Calvin, a duke's tomb and a famous romance. You can pause at any stop and come back another day.

Is the first stop near the station, and where does the game finish?

It is: the first riddle waits at the Basilica of Notre-Dame, a short walk from Cornavin station, and the last at Victoria Hall, the concert hall close to Place de Neuve. If you would rather start by the lake or in the Old Town, the app can open the game at another stop.

Who leads us round Geneva, and at what time?

Nobody leads you, and no time is set. The booking reference arrives by email after you book online; type it into the World City Trail app and the game is ready whenever you are, from an early start to a summer evening by the lake. Every player has a ticket of their own, and the riddles about Calvin and the duke run on all the team's phones at once.

Do the cathedral towers or the Grand Théâtre need a ticket?

At St Peter's Cathedral, the climb up the towers and the archaeological site beneath the church both charge admission, and the Grand Théâtre and Victoria Hall sell tickets for their own performances. The game needs none of these, because every riddle is solved outside.

Is there something for children between the lake and the Bastions?

With an adult in their team, children usually love the flower clock in the Jardin Anglais, General Dufour on his horse and the giant chessboards in the Parc des Bastions, right beside the four stone reformers. The climb into the Old Town is steep and partly cobbled, so the route does not suit wheelchairs and is tiring with a pushchair.

Is there a Chinese or Italian version of the Geneva hunt?

Both exist, alongside English, German, French, Spanish and Dutch, which makes seven languages. Each player picks one in the World City Trail app, so colleagues from different countries can follow the same route in their own languages.

Our Geneva office wants a team outing: how does it work?

Book a ticket for each colleague and form teams of no more than 5; every team solves the same 10 riddles on its own phones. Place de Neuve, a few steps from the finish at Victoria Hall, is an easy spot to gather everyone afterwards.

What should we pack for lake wind and Old Town slopes?

A phone with a full battery and mobile data, a power bank for a long day and comfortable shoes for the climb to St Peter's. When the bise blows down the lake from the north-east, a windproof jacket makes the quays far more pleasant.

First riddle: the Basilica of Notre-Dame by Cornavin

One ticket per player, booked online, is all it takes before the booking reference lands in your inbox. Then step out of Cornavin station, walk the few minutes to the basilica and open the first riddle in front of its Gothic Revival façade.

Book your tickets →

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