Tour of the UN Office in Geneva

If you find yourself in Switzerland with some time for a professional development day, I highly recommend the tour of the UN Office in Geneva (UNOG). Here’s the link to the information about the tour. If you’re a language or international relations buff, the tour offers a really interesting view into the facilities and workings of the UN in Geneva, and it’s the second-largest UN facility, after New York City.

Once in Geneva, if you’re coming from the Gare Cornavin, take the #15 tram to the end of the line at Nations, then walk up the hill about half a kilometer to the public entrance for the UN compound. Make sure to bring your passport, and you can take photos anywhere on the tour, but no videos. While you’re waiting for the tour to start, you can also browse the UN’s well-stocked bookstore, which has various UN-branded souvenirs plus all kinds of books on international cultures, international relations, diplomacy, etc.

The tour itself costs 13 Swiss francs and takes you through most of the major conference rooms in both the new and old sections of the Palais des Nations. The guide for my tour was terrific, and she even pointed out the interpreter booths in most of the conference rooms! My favorite parts of the tour were the assembly hall (after seeing so many pictures of it, it’s truly inspiring to be there in person!) and the Council Chamber, which has beautiful murals and has served as the location for many important negotiations over the years. The tour takes about an hour and is offered in a variety of languages, although there were (oddly enough!) no French tours running while I was there. It’s definitely a worthwhile investment of an hour if you’re in the Geneva area.