4 Best Sights in Geneva, Switzerland

The museum focuses on three major challenges in today's "Humanitarian Adventure:" defending human dignity, restoring family links, and reducing natural risks. The artifacts and artwork in each section are complemented by the life-size videos of 12 witnesses sharing their heart-wrenching personal stories that include surviving a land mine in Kabul and identifying tsunami victims in Japan. An audio guide, available in English, is included in the price.

An architectural anachronism when it was completed in 1887, this serene Italianate structure now houses the Musée Suisse de la Céramique et du Verre (Swiss Museum of Ceramics and Glass). Stoneware, earthenware, porcelain, and glass covering 700 years of East–West exchange populate the upper floors; contemporary work rotates through the basement.

Walk-around glass cases display age-old sundials and astrolabes, microscopes and telescopes, barometers and ornate globes that collectively document the evolution of modern science. Descriptions are in English. The neoclassical Italianate jewel that houses the collection, the Villa Bartholoni, dates from 1830.

The humble setting adds authenticity to this detailed look at a neutral but thoroughly competent military force. Uniformed models, weapons, prints, and documents proceed in chronological order through the eventful history of la Garde Genevoise from 1814 to the present, including a Napoleonic officer's outfit, Guillaume-Henri Dufour's personal effects, and a full-scale re-creation of a Genevois border post during World War II.