Place · Old Town (Vieille Ville)
Maison Tavel
Geneva’s oldest house is a free museum of the city’s history with a huge relief model of Geneva in 1850; it is a good rain or midday stop in the old town.
- Free entry
- Rain-day pick
- Relief model of Geneva
- Works with kids
- Mostly indoors
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 10Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…The old town is cobbles and steep lanes
- Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
- Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
- Central Europe ↗Six of the nine countries here — Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia — charge a time-based motorway vignette, mostly digital and linked to the number plate; buy it before the first motorway past the border, because cameras, not toll booths, do the checking.
- Central Europe ↗Temporary police checks at internal Schengen borders are common in this region in 2026 (Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia among others — check): keep your passport on you on every cross-border train, bus and road even though there is no fixed control post.
- Switzerland ↗Switzerland is in the Schengen area but not the EU: check entry rules, the EU Entry/Exit System and any travel authorisation requirement for your passport on official sources.
- Switzerland ↗Switzerland is outside the EU customs area: allowances on meat, alcohol and tobacco are strict and checked at borders.
- Switzerland ↗Motorways need a vignette (sticker or e-vignette) before you drive on them.
- Lake Geneva Region ↗Trains between Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux run all day; check the last train home before a late dinner.
- Geneva ↗The old town is cobbles and steep lanes: bags go by tram or car to the door, never on a walk.
- Geneva ↗Most shops and many restaurants close on Sunday; plan meals and errands for Saturday or Monday.
More
Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, best time to go, opening hours
Go now?
hours and prices: check on the day- Open
- Hours unknown
- Crowds
Go any open hour; quieter in the morning
MonTueWedThuFriSatSunQuietest Mon–Fri · busiest Sat, Sun · desk estimate
- Tickets
- Adult: free
- Time to spend
- 45–60 min · up to 90 min if you linger
Best time to go
Quiet most of the year; school groups on weekday mornings.
By weekday: quietest Mon–Fri, busiest Sat, Sun.
Opening hours
- Note
- Hours are not printed until verified for your date: check the official page or ask locally.
- Hours note
- Tue–Sun, usually 11:00–18:00; closed Monday (check).
Which month is quietest
- Janbusy
- Febbusy
- Marbusy
- Aprbusy
- Maybusy
- Junbusy
- Julheavy
- Augheavy
- Sepbusy
- Octbusy
- Novbusy
- Decheavy
Quietest Jan–Jun · Sep–Nov · busiest Jul–Aug · Dec.
Estimate: desk reasoning from season, weekend and holiday patterns; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.
Weather here, next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work
Getting in
- Stop
- Walk from the cathedral; the house is on Rue du Puits-Saint-Pierre
- Ticket
- free · official site
- Stairs
- Not recorded
- Shoes
- Shoes on.
Accessibility
- PartialStep-free entrance
- Check firstLifts
- Check firstAccessible toilet
- PartialWheelchair · A historic building with stairs and narrow doors; lifts exist but check on the day.
- NoStroller · A historic building with stairs and narrow doors; lifts exist but check on the day.
Sensory load
- Sensory load2/5 Low
Exposure: low
What to bring and the rules
- A small bag · Ask at the desk about lockers for large bags.
- Ask at the desk about lockers for large bags.
- Photos without flash are usually fine in the permanent galleries; check signs.
Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.
Bailouts
- rain: Stay inside; it is the rain plan
- heat: Stay inside: it is cool
Nearest rescue anchor: C — Cathedral square benches (field-verify)
Problem
Red lines
- No flash photography in the galleries.
- Bags larger than a small backpack go in a locker (check).
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
Eat nearby
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
Tickets, prices and entry
Tickets & entry
- Where to buy
- No ticket needed.
- Bags & lockers
- Ask at the desk about lockers for large bags.
- Photos
- Photos without flash are usually fine in the permanent galleries; check signs.
- What's closed
- MondayClosed on Mondays (check).
- Public holidayscheckExtra closures around 25 December and 1 January.
“Check” dates move year to year: confirm on the official page for your date.
| Ticket | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Permanent collection | free | Check for temporary-exhibition tickets (CHF, 2026 estimate). |
What to see, in order
01
Relief model of 1850
A large hand-made model of the old city before the walls came down.
02
Medieval house
The oldest surviving private house in the city.
How to do it well
- 1Go after the cathedral for a warm, dry break.
- 2Check the hours on the museum site: closing days can change.
Facilities
- toilets
- Inside the museum (check).
- tickets
- Free permanent collection.
- shade
- Indoor.
Time on site, inside and your plan
Time on site
Minimum
30min
Worthwhile
45min
Typical
60min
p95
90min
How much time do you have?
Enough for a typical visit (60 min).
Nothing else in our notes is a short enough walk from here for the time that is left.
Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.
Inside, in order
Relief model of 1850
A large hand-made model of the old city before the walls came down.
Medieval house
The oldest surviving private house in the city.
Step-free check, who it suits, facilities
Step-free check
- Step-free entrance: partly · partly
- Lifts: check · check
- Accessible toilet: check · check
- Wheelchair: partly · partlyA historic building with stairs and narrow doors; lifts exist but check on the day.
- Stroller: no · noA historic building with stairs and narrow doors; lifts exist but check on the day.
A historic building with stairs and narrow doors; lifts exist but check on the day.
With kids
- with kids
- The relief model interests older children; toddlers will find little to do.
- child price
- check
Combine with
Combine with
- 3 minSt Pierre Cathedral
- 4 minBourg-de-Four square
- 8 minReformation Wall
Walk the Old Town (Vieille Ville) area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes
Best photo time
Deep dive
Questions, photos, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Is it free?
The permanent collection is free; temporary exhibitions may charge.
Checked 2026-09-29 · Voykit desk
How long do I need?
About 45 minutes.
Checked 2026-09-29 · Voykit desk
Photos
Deep dive
Sources
- secondaryVoykit – Geneva guide
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Source: Price
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates. The official site has the current price.
Source: Opening hours
Source: Best hour
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
The quietest window written into this guide. Crowd levels are desk estimates, not counts.
Source: Bag rating
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Rated for the whole walking cluster, from desk research, not for this entrance.