Photos: C messier, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Terragio67, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Indiana Landmarks, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo credits
Photos: C messier, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Terragio67, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Indiana Landmarks, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Geneva old town and the Reformation
Your local guide
Camille Favre
View profile
Highlights
- Calvin's chair inside St. Pierre Cathedral
- Excavated remains beneath the cathedral, explained
- The Reformation Wall in the Parc des Bastions
- Maison Tavel, the oldest house in Geneva
- The Treille promenade above the old town
About this tour
This session walks Geneva's old town through the lens of the Reformation, from Calvin's chair inside St. Pierre Cathedral to the excavated remains beneath it. You see the Reformation Wall in the Parc des Bastions and pass Maison Tavel, the oldest house in the city. It ends along the Treille promenade above the old town.
The guide checks sound inside the cathedral, then moves down into the archaeological site before finishing outdoors at the wall and promenade. Questions can come in about Calvin, the Reformation or the layers found beneath the cathedral throughout. A short list of the sites and their dates is sent on afterwards.
This suits history readers with an interest in the Reformation and how Geneva became one of its centres. It also suits former visitors who saw the old town without knowing this history behind it.
Included
- Live video walk with a local guide
- Questions to your guide all the way
- A short list of places to visit later
Not included
- Internet connection
- Travel to the city
Itinerary
-
Welcome and sound check 7 min
The guide joins the video call, checks the picture and sound with you, and gives you a quick sense of Geneva before heading out.
-
St. Pierre Cathedral 21 min
Inside St. Pierre Cathedral the camera finds the plain wooden chair where John Calvin is said to have preached. The guide explains how the Reformation stripped the cathedral's original Catholic decoration down to bare stone.
-
The archaeological site 21 min
Beneath the cathedral the camera moves through the excavated remains of earlier churches built on the same spot since Roman times. The guide explains what each layer reveals about Geneva before Calvin arrived.
-
The Reformation Wall 21 min
The camera holds on the Reformation Wall in the Parc des Bastions, its statues of Calvin and other reformers carved into a long stone screen. The guide finishes on the Treille promenade, past Maison Tavel, the oldest house in Geneva.
-
Your questions 14 min
Time to ask anything about Geneva: prices, safety, food, or whatever you are curious about.
-
A short list to keep 6 min
Before you go, the guide sums up with a few things worth remembering: a dish to try: Fondue and Vieille Ville, worth a slower look.
Good to know
- A stable wifi or mobile connection makes the picture smoother than a shaky one.
- Any phone, tablet or laptop with a camera works. You watch, the guide does the walking.
- Times are shown in Zurich time, so check the time where you are before you book.
- The session is not recorded, and recording it yourself is not allowed. Feel free to take your own notes.
- Ask questions any time, out loud or in the chat. The guide will pause to answer.
- Sessions run in small groups, up to 12 people, so there is room for everyone to ask something.
Questions about this tour
What will the session cover?
The guide walks through Geneva, showing you St. Pierre Cathedral and Palace of Nations live on camera, plus whatever else you would like to see.
What happens if my connection drops?
Rejoin with the same link within a few minutes and the guide will catch you up on anything you missed.
Can I ask the guide questions during the session, or is it a fixed script?
Anything, any time. Sessions leave room for your own questions throughout, not just at the end.
Do I need to know the history already?
No background needed. The guide explains everything as it comes up.
How it works
- You get one join link after booking.
- Join from any device: phone, tablet or laptop.
- We meet on Google Meet; the link comes with your booking. I walk Geneva live with my phone and you ask anything as we go.
Times shown in Zurich time (CET)
Cancellation
Flexible
- Cancel up to 24 hours before the start: full refund.
- Cancel less than 24 hours before the start, or no-show: no refund.
- If the guide cancels or the date does not reach its minimum group: full refund.
- Cancel in My Account → Bookings; the refund is calculated from the start time in the tour's local time.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Reviews appear here after travellers have completed this tour.
How reviews work
Only travellers who booked and paid through Locals Guide and whose tour took place can leave a review, within 60 days of the tour. Every review is marked "Verified booking". We check reviews before they appear and publish positive and negative ones alike; we remove only reviews that break our rules (insults, personal data, unrelated content). Guides cannot pay for, edit or hide reviews, and ratings are the plain average of all published reviews.
Next: Mon 26 Oct · 12 seats left From 24,00 €
Book