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CERN - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Is This the Nerdiest Thing You Can Do in Switzerland?

Cern, the nuclear physics science center where the world wide web was invented and the higgs boson was discovered, is open to the public for free. and it’s awesome..

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A dark dome building at CERN science center in Switzerland with a curved silver-colored metal sculpture in front

The Globe of Science and Innovation houses an exhibition, and the ribbon-like steel sculpture in front is laser-cut with 396 great physics discoveries through the ages.

Photo by Billie Cohen

Switzerland is known to travelers for many good reasons: chocolate, cheese, mountains, lakes. But “world’s largest particle physics laboratory” isn’t really at the top of their minds. Nor is the fact that they can visit that lab for free, just 25 minutes outside of Geneva. In fact, I’d argue that a visit to CERN is one of the coolest—and, admittedly, nerdiest—things you can do in Switzerland.

What is CERN?

CERN ( Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire in French, or European Council for Nuclear Research) is an internationally run science center that straddles the border of Switzerland and France.

This place is a pretty big deal: It’s where the world wide web was invented in 1989, where antimatter was discovered, and where the so-called God particle (aka the Higgs boson) was identified in 2012, validating scientists’ model for how the subatomic world works. As a result, a lot of what we know about atoms and the universe—and I guess, cat memes—can be attributed to the work done here.

For nerds of various stripes, this is all major—as is the fact that CERN’s campus is the home of the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator, a 16.8-mile underground track where the world’s most brilliant minds smash tiny, speeding particles together to see what they can learn.

“What astronomers do with telescopes, we do with particle detectors,” said CERN’s head of media relations, Arnaud Marsollier, in a webinar last week. “When we look at the universe, we understand only 5 percent of it. The other 95 percent, which is dark matter or dark energy, we don’t know what it is. We know it’s there’s—we have proof of that—but we don’t know what it is. So this is exactly why we are experimenting further.”

CERN is also a rare example of successful international collaboration: A group of 23 member states manage CERN today , and more than 12,000 scientists from 110 countries use the facilities and research developed here.

Aerial view of buildings at CERN

The Large Hadron Collider is the most powerful particle accelerator ever built; it’s made of a 27-kilometer-long ring of superconducting magnets in a tunnel 100 meters underground at CERN.

Courtesy of CERN

What kind of nuclear research is going on here?

The word nuclear in CERN’s title doesn’t have to do with nuclear warheads or weaponry at all. In fact, CERN was founded after World War II by a consortium of European countries with the mission to bring scientists together to use their intelligence for peace rather than bombs. As CERN’s convention states : “The Organization shall have no concern with work for military requirements and the results of its experimental and theoretical work shall be published or otherwise made generally available.”

So why is the word nuclear in CERN’s title then? Because at the time of CERN’s founding, physics research was focused on understanding the inside of atoms—or the nucleus—and it was called “nuclear.” Today, that area of study is known as particle research. CERN develops technologies in three areas: particle accelerators, particle detectors, and computing. And the scientists here aim to answer questions including:

  • What is the unknown 95 percent of the mass and energy of the universe?
  • Why is gravity so weak compared to other forces?
  • Why is the universe made only of matter, with hardly any antimatter?
  • Is there only one Higgs boson, and does it behave exactly as expected?

In the process, their efforts have concrete, real-world applications for daily life. For example, accelerator technologies are used in cancer radiotherapy, and other tech helps with innovations in 3D color X-ray imaging and PET-scan imaging and diagnostics.

Is it safe to visit? Yes. However, over the years, some have raised concerns about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) creating microscopic black holes (it can’t) or emitting cosmic rays. So the center’s website offers detailed explanations to assuage any fears, explaining, for example, “The Universe as a whole conducts more than 10 million million LHC-like experiments per second. The possibility of any dangerous consequences contradicts what astronomers see—stars and galaxies still exist.”

Closeup of circular CERN Science Gateway

Renzo Piano designed CERN’s new Science Gateway; its tubular structure references the track of the Large Hadron Collider, and the forest planted around it suggests the connection between science and nature.

What can visitors can do and see at CERN?

The most innovative thing about this manicured, sprawling science mini-town is that everything the scientists do here is completely public. All of their research is accessible to everyone—and so is the campus. Free guided tours are offered in English and French and led by CERN staffers, such as physicists, engineers, and technicians. On the tours, guests can view the facility’s first particle accelerator, the synchrocyclotron, installed in 1957, and also peep into the control room that oversees the ATLAS experiment, which helped identify the Higgs boson in 2012. When I visited, my tour guide proudly stated, “Nothing is hidden.”

This month, CERN added another way for the public to engage with its work: a new exhibition and education center, dubbed the Science Gateway , designed by starchitect Renzo Piano. (He’s also responsible for New York’s new Whitney Museum, Paris’s Centre Pompidou, London’s Shard, and another Swiss beauty, the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern.)

“This will be a place where people meet: kids, students, adults, teachers and scientists, everybody attracted by the exploration of the Universe, from the infinitely vast to the infinitely small. It is a bridge, in both a metaphorical and a real sense. This building is fed by the energy of the Sun, landed in the middle of a newly grown forest,” Piano said in a press release about the opening.

On the outside, the building looks like two parallel tubes connected by a bridge—a nod to CERN’s accelerators—and is carbon neutral, thanks to 4,000 square meters of solar panels. More than 400 trees were also planted around it, creating the effect that it’s floating above a forest.

Inside, the Science Gateway has three exhibitions (Discover CERN, Out Universe, and Quantum World), and it hosts science shows in a theater and hands-on workshops (for school groups as well as for individual visitors). There are also public events, like the upcoming Dark Matter Day with a talk by Nobel Prize–winning astronomer Michel Mayor (November 3) and a live performance of The Infinite Monkey Cage podcast featuring physicist Brian Cox and comedian Robin Ince (January 12).

CERN's first particle accelerator, the synchrocyclotron, installed in 1957, shown lit in blue

Visitors can see CERN’s first particle accelerator, the synchrocyclotron, installed back in 1957.

How to visit

CERN is a 25-minute tram ride from Geneva’s city center, and some hotels may even offer free transport cards.

The Science Gateway ‘s exhibitions are open Tuesday–Sunday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (reception opens at 8 a.m.). Tours can be booked at the Science Gateway on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Visiting CERN – 11 Tips That Will Help You Make the Most of the Hadron Collider Tour

  • By Traveling Anne
  • February 28, 2024
  • In Europe Travel Destinations

As promised in my French Alps trip report , here's a more detailed review of our excellent visit to CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland. There are several tips I want to share as well, about what we did right and what we could have done better.  Read through if you are thinking of visiting CERN so you can make the most of your time there.

Visiting CERN: 11 tips that will help you make the most of the hadron collider tour

What is CERN all about?

You may occasionally see the name Cern, not as an acronym. It's not the name of a town or a village though. Rather, it's an acronym for a long title in French:  Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire.  Which translates into: The European council for nuclear research. I will be using CERN and Cern interchangeably throughout this post because these days it's both a place and a concept.

The council was established back in 1954 in an effort to promote scientific collaboration between the nations of Europe, at the time still licking their proverbial and literal wounds of the second world war. They were allocated an area near Geneva where the CERN project was established on (and under) the ground. The name of the initiative has since changed into the  European Organization for Nuclear Research but it's still known as Cern (and not as EONR, thankfully).

There have been many amazing discoveries made in CERN over the years, some of which have lead to nobel prizes in physics and chemistry. It is best known for its huge particle collider, aka the Hadron Collider.

There are several underground looped tunnels where sub-atomic particles are accelerated in phases and then enter the largest loop of all: the Hadron collider. Beams of particles are made to smash into one another at specific stations within the collider and the results are recorded to be further analyzed by scientists across the globe. It really is an amazing feat of human ingenuity. That makes visiting CERN an uplifting experience for all, not just science buffs.

Visiting CERN: Can you actually visit the Hadron Collider?

Yes and no. You can visit Cern and be above the collider. The main road which runs through the main complex that surrounds the main research station - known as The Atlas Project - is open to the public. There is a visitors center there which includes two permanent exhibitions -

Microcosm - The story of collider and how it works, as well as a little bit about what life in Cern is for the 10,000+ scientists and engineers who work there.

Visiting CERN: The Microcosm Exhibition

In addition to the exhibitions, there is a guided tour that takes you "behind the scenes". I have seen photos of people wearing helmets and looking at what appears to be part of the collider. During our own visit, the guide explained that they do not take visitors down to the collider because the levels of radiation there are not safe.

So, no, we did not get to see the actual collider. We did get to see several models and hear a LOT about it. Considering its actual size (about 27 kilometers long!) I don't see how you can actually "see" more than a very small part of it going underground. Either way, you can't see it "working". According to our guide (who was also a physicist and a shift leader at Cern) there's not much to be seen. The particle beam is silent and invisible.

Who should be visiting CERN?

Cern is a must-visit for anyone who loves science and specifically physics. The exhibitions are thorough and our guide was a professional physicist who could answer all of the questions thrown at him by our group's science buffs.

Even if you're not into physics, I think the tour would be enjoyable. The exhibitions are interactive and exciting and there is something very moving about the entire project: European nations working together to promote science and peace.

And finally...

11 quick tips that will help you make the most of your visit

1. book the tour.

The tour is entirely free and it gets you that unique "behind the scenes" look into the project. Our guide was fascinating and it was really cool to walk past these gates:

Visiting CERN list of tips

The tour also takes you to a special exhibition with a 20 minutes long multimedia show projected on the walls and on the equipment around you. Really cool and great fun for kids.

Multi media show at CERN

2. Guided tours fill up really fast

They open up for registration 15 days ahead of the date, in the morning (Switzerland time) and as far as I could see, registration closes within a couple of hours. They re-open three days ahead of the date for latecomers and I guess if there are no-shows, you can try and wriggle your way into a group.

3. Be prepared to take pictures on the guided tour

With all the fences and guards, we thought they may ask us not to take pictures. Quite the opposite. Our guide said they want us to take as many pictures as possible! Keep your camera ready during the tour because photo-ops pop up literally as you walk around while visiting CERN. Like taking pictures of street signs -

Street pictures taken while Visiting CERN

4. Be prepared for a long visit

This isn't a place you can run through in 20 minutes. The exhibitions alone are well-worth 1-2 hours (possibly longer if you are interested in physics). The tour takes up another two hours of your time. All in all, three hours is the bare minimum. We spent five hours at Cern and could have stayed for longer if we had more time.

5. Check for opening hours

There are different opening hours for the exhibitions. The visitors center and the Microcosm exhibition open at 8:30. The Universe Of Particles opens at 10. There are several time slots for the guided tours. Check your times and make sure you allocate at least an hour for each exhibition and 2 hours for the tour (including showing up 15 minutes in advance to get your badges). The good news is that everything is close-by, so it only takes a couple of minutes to get from one exhibition to the other.

6. Bring your own food

Google maps knows of a couple of cafeterias at Cern which we had planned on checking out. Nothing quite like enjoying a croissant while rubbing shoulders with a local version of Sheldon Cooper, right? I thought this would add to our "Visiting CERN" experience.

As it happens, these cafeterias are out of bounds for us mere mortals. The only way to get a coffee or any food is at the local gas station. It's very close to the visitors center, so not a long walk, but the prices are quite Swiss (i.e. expensive!) and the food quality is nothing to write home about - basically what you'd expect to find in a gas station store. They do have a really cool espresso machine that generates so much steam while making your coffee, you might think they're running it through the Hadron collider itself!

Visiting CERN: Even the coffee looks "sciency"

7. Eat and drink before the tour

If you didn't bring anything to eat, grab something - anything - at that gas station. The tour isn't short and you can't eat or drink anywhere during the tour. You also can't leave the tour once you started because you have to be accompanied by the guide when inside Cern. So -especially if you're traveling with kids - make sure everyone is well fed before you start the tour.

8. Wear comfortable shoes and dress according to the weather

The guided tour has you walking about one mile on foot. Not too bad but enough to be more enjoyable with comfortable shoes. You will be walking outside for a short bit as well, so if it looks like it might rain, gear up accordingly.

9. Park near the big dome

There's plenty of parking, or at least there was on the day of our visit, but you can't just park anywhere. The best place for you to park would be next to the big brown dome. Just east of the dome, towards the Swiss side of Cern, there is a big parking lot that's free to park at.

10. Watch a movie about the project before visiting CERN

I wanted to get our kids acquainted with Cern before we came and to be honest, I didn't know a whole lot about it other than that's where they had recently discovered the Boson-Higgs and that people were afraid they might create a black hole in the process, swallowing up the entire earth (which turned up to be a slight exaggeration).

The movie we watched was available on Netflix. It's called "Particle Fever" and you can buy or rent it on Amazon too .

11. Don't worry about the language barrier

Cern is technically in both Switzerland and France (the border runs in the middle) but everyone there speaks English. More importantly, the exhibitions all have English labels or English narration options and the guided tour is available in English. That's not something you typically find in French science (or other) museums so it's worth mentioning here.

And one last tip...

12. Have fun!

Visiting CERN is fun! There's a lot of humor to be found in the exhibitions. Lots of red buttons to push and see whether you actually create a black hole that can swallow up the entire earth. It hasn't happened to us but who knows, you might just get lucky!

Have fun while visiting CERN!

Have you ever visited Cern? Got any tips to add? Please share those in the comments section below. You can also leave me questions about visiting CERN and I'll try and give you the best answer I can.

Awesome tips i will give 5 out of 5 stars for these tips i totally loved it.❤

Thank you so much, Asher!

Is it possible to use photo in the chapter 3? I am writing a post for students and schoolchildren and I need photo like that.

Check your email 🙂 I sent you an email with a couple of questions so we can take it from there.

Thanks for the info. Our rental auto does not permit us to drive into Switzerland. Do you know if there is ample free car parking on the French side and we can just walk 5 minutes to Reception?

Hi Paul, I couldn’t find the answer on their website so I emailed Francois Briard, head of CERN’s Visits center who has visited and commented on this post before 🙂 He was very prompt and helpful but unfortunately the answer is that there is no available parking space on the French side that’s within walking distance from the visitors center. He added that you shouldn’t count on parking by the side of the road because French commuters have these filled up by 8AM. His suggestion was to get bus Y line from Saint-Genis-Pouilly and that can drop you at the CERN bus stop. I hope this helps! Enjoy your visit to CERN!

Thanks for the very accurate and useful tips! Our website has been rebranded a bit giving even more information.

François, head of CERN’s Visits Service 😉

Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment, François! I’m glad you liked my post!

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Bright minds: visitors take pictures at the Cern particle physics research facility. The Large Hadron Collider is 27km long.

Fun, physics and the God particle: a tour of Cern, Switzerland

Science and art meet on a mind-blowing visit to the European Organization for Nuclear Research, while the fairytale streets of the Swiss capital are a wonder, too

T here is something retro and subterranean about the maze of narrow corridors ahead of us. Exposed steel pipes run along the ceilings, the floors are shiny linoleum and the doors are moulded wood. It looks as if it has barely changed since it was built back in the 1950s.

Welcome to the European Organization for Nuclear Research, better known as Cern , home to the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Beyond the design, what is more retro, liable to make you misty-eyed for a bygone era, is how it all came into being.

In a burst of idealism after the war, scientists petitioned the UN to open a research centre where countries, including Britain, could work together in a spirit of peace, harmony and progress, collaborating and sharing data on how the universe is made.

“Science isn’t interested in religion or borders,” says our guide for the morning, particle physicist Dr Conor Fitzpatrick. “You’ll see Palestinian physicists working alongside Israeli ones.” Dr Fitzpatrick pauses for a moment and points to a small, unassuming plaque hanging on the wall that reads: “Where the web was born.” Here in 1989, Tim Berners-Lee came up with the idea as a means of sharing information with scientists in different universities and institutes.”

Back in time: a harbour cruise on Lake Geneva.

Cern, near Geneva, is the holy grail for physicists. There isn’t really anywhere else quite like it, which is why I’m here with my son, an A-level physics student, who is thrilled as we walk through the corridors of the theoretical physics department. He nudges me to look into some of the small offices either side of us, as if we are on a physicists safari. There they are, theoretical physicists in their natural habitat, sitting at desks deep in contemplation or scrawling indecipherable formulae on whiteboards, trying to figure out where all the dark matter is hiding.

The pinnacle of any visit here is, of course, to find out more about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which, as Dr Fitzpatrick explains simply, is two hollow pipes that contain two beams of protons, insulated like a giant thermal flask. The LHC is huge, around 7km in diameter and 27km in circumference. You cross the French border several times if you go around the ring.

The most exciting time to be here, says Dr Fitzpatrick, was 4 July 2012 when they shared the news that they had observed a new particle “consistent with the Higgs boson”, otherwise known as the “ God particle ”. “The atmosphere was incredible,” he recalls. “There were queues outside the auditorium; people had heard the rumour and they were sleeping in queues to get in.”

Dr Fitzpatrick’s natural passion for his subject is infectious – at some points I think I even understand what he’s talking about. At first it sounds simple enough and I wonder how I could possibly have failed my physics O-level. “We’re interested in the area before the Big Bang, when energy was high and that energy allows us to form fundamental particles. As we collide particles, it allows us to create ones that didn’t exist at this time – 13.8bn years back when energy was last this high.”

Take your time: Bourg-de-Four Square in Geneva’s old town.

Uh-huh, I see. “Everything we see and touch is matter. For every matter particle there has to be an antimatter particle. During the Big Bang, antimatter was produced but what happened to it? Did it disappear over time?”

The more you learn, the more weirdly wonderful it is. There’s an artistic element to it, too. Fitzpatrick shows us something called the wire chamber: golden and gleaming with layers of tungsten wires, it looks like a measuring instrument straight out of His Dark Materials . “Resident artists record what they see here because some of the designs are so beautiful,” he says. People were in tears, he says, when it was taken out of use.

It’s time for lunch, and we sit in Cern canteen with Dr Fitzpatrick and his wife, who between them have matter covered. He specialises in antimatter and she is an assistant professor in dark matter. So what’s the difference between the two? Patiently they explain. Antimatter is produced by lightning and cosmic rays, and is predicted by standard particle physics theories. Dark matter cannot be seen using light, which is why no one has found it yet. “Ah, I see,” I say. Afterwards I feel quite pleased with myself, but my son is mortified, telling me this is easily the most embarrassing question I could ask a particle physicist. At least I tried, I tell him.

C ern is easy to visit. It’s 20 minutes by bus from Geneva train station, which is a three-minute walk from where we’re staying. 9 Hotel Pâquis is a great value design hotel with a bijou pool. We’re in an area that is more lively and interesting than the Geneva I had expected. Instead of wall-to-wall banks and designer watch shops, the streets are lined with cafés and bars. We enjoy a delicious Lebanese kebab and mezze after midnight on crowded tables spilling out on to the pavement.

Questions of physics: sculptures at Cern.

When I meet my walking guide the next morning, she isn’t overly impressed. “You do realise you’re in the middle of the red light district?” she says, and leads us briskly through the narrow streets towards the Geneva I imagined: remote, elegant and icily exclusive, with sweeping boulevards and grand fin-de-siècle hotels overlooking the lake. We take a river boat on Lake Geneva and spot, in the hills, Villa Diodati, where Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley famously spent three rainy summer days in 1816, creating stories to tell each other – one of which became Frankenstein . She points out one of the hotels on the waterfront, where Dostoevsky stayed, gambling so heavily he had to sell his wife’s wedding ring.

But we’re not here for literary anecdotes; my son is restless for more physics. So we head for Bern and the Einstein trail – a two-hour train trip from Geneva. Bern is a fairytale city, one of the smallest capitals in Europe, with medieval spires and cobbled streets. Threading through it like a green ribbon is the star of the city, the river Aare, where people swim, paddleboard and kayak in its opal waters.

Einstein moved to Bern in 1903 for two years, living with his wife Mileva Marić and son Hans Einstein. In a modest apartment on the third floor of a narrow house, he developed the theory of relativity. Einstein was certainly in the right place to contemplate the nature of time. From his sitting room window he would have heard the Zytglogge clock tower striking the hour. Built in the early 13th century, the clockwork mechanism was the pride of Bern and one of the most advanced in Europe. It still has to be wound by hand each day.

A 20-minute walk across the city from his apartment is the Einstein Museum . Small but informative, it features pages of his febrile scrawl, formulae and equations. There is more about the man himself, too, his interests and passions: social justice, civil rights, pacifism and… falling in love. Those he loved, along with his two wives, included, apparently, a physicist, a spy, a librarian and “perhaps” a nightclub dancer.

Go with the flow: a bridge over the Aare River in Bern.

We wander back along the river to our hotel, Hotel Allegro , which has lovely views across the old town. My son stays put and I’m sent on an errand, a trip to McDonald’s instead of a pricy supper – barely a saving at 20 Swiss Francs (£16), and that’s only for him. The next evening is more opulent: mushroom soup and rosti in the candlelit baroque splendour of Kornhauskeller , an old wine cellar with frescoed vaulted ceilings.

Early the next morning, we take a tour of the clock tower, climbing the steep medieval stairs for an impressive view across the ancient tiled roofs of the city, then a look at the clock mechanism itself. An intricate structure of cogs and wheels, it is powered by a pendulum that has marked each second for the past 800 years, the perfect point to end our adventure in time.

One-way flights on Swiss International Air Lines start from £74 to Zurich and £83 to Geneva. The Swiss Travel System provides a range of travel passes and also includes the Swiss Museum Pass, with free entrance to 500 museums and exhibitions. Prices from £185 for 3 days in second class . To book a guided tour of Cern visit home.cern . Hotel Allegro Bern has doubles from £114 . 9 Hotel Pâquis has doubles from £106 . For more information on Switzerland, visit myswitzerland.com . For packages, trains and air tickets, go to [email protected]

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CERN – Globe de la science et de l’innovation Esplanade des Particules 1 1217 Meyrin

Discover the largest particle physics laboratory in the World. There are many options to visit this giant of science. Two permanent exhibitions, guided tours and a cycle route engage you in the discovery of particle physics.

General information

In the Universe of Particles exhibition, explore the issues CERN's physicists are trying to solve: given that the entire universe is made of particles, where do they come from? Why do they behave in the way they do? Discover the massive apparatus used by physicists at CERN and how the developed technologies impact your everyday life at the Microcosm exhibition. Interview engineers and physicists on their daily job. And if you have more time on site, follow the LHC circuit at ground level with the Passport to the Big Bang cycle path, to understand in situ this giant machine. Guided tours available by reservation only.

Group & pricing information

Booking information.

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Conference rooms, globe of science and innovation - 1st floor, discover the surroundings.

CERN – Globe de la science et de l’innovation Esplanade des Particules 1 1217  Meyrin Switzerland

CERN – Globe de la science et de l’innovation Esplanade des Particules 1 1217 Meyrin Show Route

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CERN Accelerating science

Language switcher, guided tours for individuals (less than 12 people), come and discover an emblematic site at cern in a visit led by our official guides. mandatory registration onsite..

ATLAS Control Center

Every year, CERN welcomes almost 100 000 visitors from all over the world, who come to learn about its installations from our official guides. Guided tours of CERN are free of charge.

The meeting point for tours is the CERN Reception How to get to CERN

Mandatory registration at the main desk, upon availability and maximum 2 hours in advance. No online registration.

https://visit.cern/guided-tours-individuals

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Virtual tours and talks, lab workshops, public events at science gateway campus.

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Visiting CERN Geneva: Discover The World Of Particle Physics

cern geneva

While exploring all that Geneva, Switzerland has to offer, take time to visit the CERN laboratory located on the French-Swiss border outside the city. Best known as the European Council for Nuclear Research, the acronym CERN actually stands for the French Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire.

Founded in 1954, this European joint venture with 23 member states uses the largest and most complex instruments in the world to study the smallest particles that constitute matter to gain insights into the fundamental laws of nature.

Here’s what you need to know before your visit to CERN.

Table of Contents

Visitor Information

History & background.

CERN, Geneva

When World War II ended, Europe was no longer world-class in scientific research and advancement, and scientists were taking their knowledge and talents to the United States. A few visionaries, following the example of other international organizations, dreamed of creating an atomic physics laboratory in Europe.

The first to put forward a proposal was French physicist Louis Broglie at the European Cultural Conference which opened on December 9, 1949 in Lausanne. The proposal was given support at the fifth UNESCO General Conference in June 1950 held in Florence. At this conference, Isidor Rabi, an American physicist and Nobel laureate put forth a resolution authorizing UNESCO to “assist and encourage the formation of regional research laboratories in order to increase international scientific collaboration.”

The first resolution to establish CERN was adopted in December 1951 at a UNESCO intergovernmental meeting. An agreement was signed two months later to establish a provisional council.

Switzerland was chosen as the host country because of its location in central Europe, its long-standing as a stable country, and the safeguards it had in place to ensure research funds weren’t misappropriated to the military.

Exhibitions

CERN, Geneva particle_accelerator 2

The Universe of Particles Exhibition lets visitors explore the fascinating universe of particles-the smallest building blocks of the universe and everything in it. Located on the ground floor of the Globe of Science, the exhibit shows tracks left by cosmic rays, the world’s first web server, and explains experiments through an interactive exhibit.

The Big Bang Show is a fascinating video exploring the origins of the universe. It’s presented in English every quarter hour (:15) and at (:45) in French.

Explore the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) underground facilities by bike with Passport to the Big Bang, an interactive cycle route. It features 10 exhibition platforms along the 27-kilometer ring to tour the world’s largest particle accelerator. The platforms are accessible all year long and no reservation is needed.

How to Book A Tour

For individual visitors.

Tours for individuals in groups of less than 12 cannot book in advance. The Globe permanent exhibition and the movie Discover Cern do not require booking. For individual guided tours that include a visit to the Synchricyclotron and the Atlas Visitors Center, you must register at the main desk one hour in advance. No underground visits are included.

Groups of 12 or more can book tours online 9 months in advance. Tours include interactive exhibitions, guided tours of the CERN site, and lab workshops for students. Additional activities (film screenings, science shows, etc.) may be added one month in advance. Tours are organized in groups of 24 and conducted in French or English.

Group tours are offered Tuesday-Saturday. Sundays are reserved for individual tours.

How to Get There

CERN Tram

By Car/Coach

The GPS location is 1 Esplanade des Particules, Meyrin, Switzerland. From the Swiss side, follow the sign for Aeroport, Lyon, or Meryrin. From Meyrin, head toward St. Genis just across the French border. You will see CERN on the left side of the Route de Meyrin right before the border crossing.

If coming from the French side, head for St.Genis and the border. CERN will be on the right side immediately past the border crossing

By Train/Public Transport

A direct train from Geneva to CERN departs from the Geneva/Lyon station and arrives at Myren, CERN in about 20 minutes. A train operates daily and departs every 15 minutes

A direct bus departs hourly Monday-Friday from Verier, Blandonnet, and arrives at CERN in approximately 8 minutes.

Other Things to Know Before Visiting CERN

CERN, Geneva

  • Arrive at Reception 20 minutes before your tour starts.
  • Wheelchairs are available at Reception if needed.
  • Free WI-Fi is available at the site.
  • French and English are spoken. Some staff members speak other languages.
  • Only groups with restaurant access can use the ATM located inside the fenced area.
  • There is an onsite gift shop that accepts major credit cards. Cash is accepted but change is only given in Swiss francs and euros.
  • You can learn more and prepare for your visit at Discover CERN online.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can visitors tour the underground facilities at cern.

Underground tours are rare and limited to small groups. Visits to the LHC tunnel aren’t allowed, but you can visit the experimental tunnels during LHC shutdowns. 

Is taking photos or videos allowed during the visit?

Yes, photos and videos are allowed anywhere at CERN as long as you don’t interfere with the rights and privacy of others. 

Is it possible to dine at one of the cafeterias at CERN?

The restaurants inside the fenced area are limited to groups on guided tours that have been granted access by request during booking. Restaurants in the area are available to anyone and can be reached on foot or by public transport.

Courtesy of Wikimedia for the image header.

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CERN Accelerating science

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Virtual tour of the LHC

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Opening hours

Heures d'ouverture

CERN Science Gateway is open from Tuesday to Sunday

  • Reception from 8.00 a.m. to 18.00 
  • Exhibitions and other activities from 09.00 to 17.00
  • Last entry at 16.30  
  • Shop from 8.00 to 18.00 (Tuesdays and Thursdays opens at 8.30 due to inventory operations)
  • Big Bang Café from 8.00 to 17.00

Exceptional closures 

CERN Science Gateway will be exceptionnaly closed on the following days:

  • Tuesday 1 October 2024
  • Wednesday 2 October 2024
  • Tuesday 24 December 2024
  • Wednesday 25 December 2024
  • Tuesday 31 December 2024
  • Wednesday 1 January 2025
  • Saturday 4 January 2025
  • Sunday 5 January 2025

Reduced programme 

There won't be any guided tours on the following periods:

  • From Saturday, 21 December 2024 to Sunday, 5 January 2025 inclusive 

Atlas-Calorimeter

Switzerland: Einstein, Art & a Visit to CERN

Science and art enthusiasts will delight in this unique journey to Switzerland, which showcases Albert Einstein, exceptional Swiss museums, and a visit to the Supercollider campus at CERN which houses the world’s most advanced scientific equipment. Experience a behind-the-scenes meeting with scientists who work on a detector on the Large Hadron Collider. Take guided tours of Kunsthaus Art Museum's modern art collection, and in Bern, visit Einsteinhaus, where Einstein lived. Savor delicious Swiss wines and food, including a traditional raclette fondue lunch in the medieval town of Gruyères.

(415) 597-6720

Arrive at Zürich International Airport and transfer to the Glockenhof hotel. For travelers arriving early, there are optional afternoon excursions by train to the summit of Uetliberg for panoramic views of Zürich and the lake 1500 feet below, and by foot through Old Town’s network of cobbled streets, along the banks of the River Limmat, including a stop at the Fraumünster Church to admire the vibrant artistry of Chagall’s stained glass windows that illuminate the choir in primary colors. Or you may choose to spend the afternoon at leisure to relax and recover from jet lag. This evening, meet fellow travelers at a welcome reception at the hotel. Hotel Glockenhof (R)

Following breakfast, gather in a private room at the hotel for a welcome orientation and first lecture, followed by a specially arranged visit to the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), the largest Swiss national multidisciplinary research center. After lunch at the PSI, visit the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) campus for panoramic views of Zürich and to learn about Albert Einstein at the university where he studied and taught—and whose faculty includes 20 more Nobel laureates. The evening is at leisure to delight independently in one of Zürich’s many fine restaurants.  Hotel Glockenhof (B,L)

This morning tour the Kunsthaus art museum to see its comprehensive collection of Swiss art and other European masterpieces by the likes of Manet, Magritte, Matisse, Mondrian, Monet, and Munch— merely confining ourselves to the letter M! From there we depart Zürich for Bern, where we’ll enjoy traditional Swiss fare at a favorite restaurant, followed by a refreshing walking tour of the best-preserved historic town center in Switzerland—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the Einstein House, where Albert Einstein lived while working as a patent examiner and had his miracle year of 1905 when he published four groundbreaking papers on the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, the special theory of relativity, and the equivalence of mass and energy. And tour the Einstein Museum, which features fascinating insights and artifacts pertaining to both his work and personal life. Check in at our luxury hotel, where we’ll continue our lecture series, followed by dinner together at another restaurant gem. Bellevue Palace (B,L,D)

In the morning—following the third installment in our fascinating lecture series—depart for Geneva through the craggy mountain and verdant lowland scenery of the Gruyère district, famous for its cheese. Stroll the charming village of Gruyères along the cobblestone street that slopes down from the impressive hilltop castle, past whitewashed shops decorated with flower boxes, flags and hanging wrought iron signs, and savor a traditional raclette luncheon. Arriving in Geneva, tour the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum to learn how local businessman Henri Dunant, shocked to see wounded soldiers left to fend for themselves, inspired a local charity to begin providing relief—identifying themselves with inverted Swiss flags—and then the Swiss parliament to convene international conferences culminating in the Geneva Conventions. Dunant shared the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. Check in to our hotel just steps from the historic Quai du MontBlanc lakeside promenade, and from this central location enjoy an evening at leisure to explore on your own. Mandarin Oriental (B,L)

View rare and antiquated scientific instruments together with methods and discoveries from the 17th to the 19th centuries at the Musée d’Histoire des Sciences housed in Villa Bartholoni, one of Geneva’s most beautiful neoclassical buildings. After lunch at one of Geneva’s fine restaurants, choose between an afternoon at leisure or optional excursions, including a boat tour and walking tour of Old Town, and a visit to the Bodmer Library and Museum in the company of Cornell's European Studies librarian, Sarah How. Martin Bodmer inherited a large fortune and was a scholar, bibliophile, and collector. During World War II, he worked with the Red Cross to get books into the hands of prisoners of war and served as the vice president of the Red Cross after the war. His collection in the refined suburb of Cologny includes some of the oldest copies of the New Testament, a Gutenberg Bible, a First Folio of Shakespeare, and a copy of Newton’s Principia owned by Leibniz. The final lecture of our series sets up tomorrow’s visit to CERN, then the remainder of the evening is again free to explore Geneva on your own.  Mandarin Oriental (B,L)

This morning, head to CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research), the world’s largest particle physics laboratory and one of the most sophisticated centers of scientific research. Special arrangements have been made for private, guided tours and exclusive behind-thescenes presentations of CERN. Meet with scientists at one of the detectors for a behind-the-scenes look at the site, above ground facilities, and a private talk regarding the ongoing research. After a vigorous discussion of the Standard Model over lunch at the CERN cafeteria, continue on the to the main center of CERN to explore the Microcosms Exhibit and the Universe of Particles Sphere. In the evening, savor reminiscences of all our adventures in Switzerland over our farewell dinner.  Mandarin Oriental (B,L,D)

Check out of the hotel and transfer to Geneva International Airport for return flights to the U.S. (B)

Map

$7,995 per person, double occupancy $1,500 single room occupancy supplement

PROGRAM RATES INCLUDE All accommodations, meals, and excursions as specified in the itinerary, including six hotel nights • Comprehensive program of briefings, lectures, and presentations • Transfers for all participants on group arrival and departure dates • Gratuities to guides, drivers, porters, and wait staff for all group activities • Entrance fees • Welcome wine reception • Baggage handling • House wine, beer, and soft drinks with all group lunches and dinners • Water on motorcoaches • Complete packet of pre-departure information • Professional tour manager throughout the program

PROGRAM RATES DO DOT INCLUDE U.S. domestic and international airfare • Passport/visa expenses • Medical expenses and immunizations • Travel and trip cancellation insurance • Private transfers or airport transfers outside of group arrival and departure days • Personal excursions or deviations from the scheduled tour • Airline baggage charges • Meals not specified in the itinerary; dishes and beverages not part of the included meals; liquor or soft drinks except as noted • Laundry or dry cleaning • Telephone, fax, internet, and email charges • Room service • Other items of a personal nature

This is a moderately active program. Travelers should be able to walk unassisted for 2-4 miles over the course of a day and be prepared to be on their feet for 1-2 hours at a time during excursions or museum visits. Additionally, there will be cobblestones and uneven terrain to navigate at times and occasionally sites with stairs and no elevator access. All participants should be in good health and capable of keeping up with an active group of travelers.

Jim Alexander is a professor and director of graduate studies in the Department of Physics at Cornell University. He is part of a global collaboration conducting data analysis and detector commissioning at the CMS experiment at CERN, searching for signatures of new physics phenomena such as the existence of dark matter.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS Complete Terms and Conditions including a Statement of Responsibility will be made available to you at the time of registration, or in advance upon request. A signed “Terms & Conditions, Release from Liability, Assumption of Risk and Binding Arbitration Clause” is required from each applicant prior to participation on the tour.

AIR ARRANGEMENTS U.S. domestic and international airfare is not included in the program rates. Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc., can help with airline arrangements for this trip and can be reached at 877-376-1754. You are also welcome to book your air transportation through your local travel agent, an online travel site, or the airline of your choice.

GROUP SIZE This program is limited to 30 participants, including travelers from Cornell’s Adult University and Commonwealth Club of California.

ELIGIBILITY We require membership to the Commonwealth Club to travel with us. People who live outside of the Bay Area may purchase a worldwide membership. To learn about membership types and to purchase a membership, visit our  membership page  or call (415) 597-6720.

INSURANCE We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance, which is available for coverage of expenses in conjunction with cancellation due to illness or accident. Baggage insurance is also recommended. In the event you must cancel your participation in the travel program, trip cancellation insurance may be the only source of reimbursement. Information will be sent upon registration and can be viewed  Travel Insurance Services website

A NOTE ABOUT RATES Tour rates are based upon current fuel prices, currency values, taxes, tariffs, and a minimum number of participants. While we will do everything possible to maintain the listed prices, they are subject to change. If there are significant changes, details and costs will be advised prior to departure

RESERVATIONS & PAYMENTS A deposit of $1,000 per person is required to reserve space on this program.

Final payment is due May 30, 2022, and needs to be by check or bank transfer. For those who register after May 30, 2022, full payment is due upon registration.

CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS Upon payment of the $1,000 per person deposit, all reservations are subject to the cancellation provisions set forth below and by which the passenger agrees to be bound. Cancellations shall not be in effect until they are received in writing and confirmed by Commonwealth Club Travel. Deposits are refundable until the final payment deadline (May 30, 2022).

Cancellations after May 30, 2022: All payments are 100% non-refundable, regardless of the booking date. Trip cancellation insurance is strongly recommended.

NOTE: Neither the Commonwealth Club nor the tour operator accepts liability for any airline cancellation penalties incurred with the purchase of nonrefundable tickets.

HEALTH All participants should be in good health and capable of keeping up with an active group of travelers. By forwarding the deposit for passage, the passenger certifies that he/she does not have any physical or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/ herself or other passengers. SARSCOV-2 (COVID 19) vaccinations are a requirement for participation on this program. Up-to-date COVID-specific protocols and requirements for this destination will be sent to confirmed participants and are available upon request. Every reasonable effort will be made to operate the program as planned; however, should unforeseen world events and conditions require the itinerary to be altered, the tour operator reserves the right to do so for the safety and best interest of the group. Any extra expenses incurred in this situation are the responsibility of the participant.

CALIFORNIA SELLER OF TRAVEL PROGRAM CST #2088800-40; 2096889-40

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The leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation. The Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. Each year, we bring nearly 500 events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy to our members and the public, both in-person and via extensive online and on-air listenership and viewership.

The views of Club speakers are their own and their participation does not constitute or imply endorsement or recommendation by Commonwealth Club World Affairs.

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Mailing Address: P.O. Box 194210 San Francisco, CA  94119–4210

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CERN Accelerating science

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Collaboration Site | Physics Results

Closing of the ATLAS calorimeters

ATLAS Visits

How to visit in person.

To schedule an onsite visit to the ATLAS experiment, please contact the CERN Visits Service .

The ATLAS Visitor Center has a permanent exhibit with interactive screens outside the Control Room and a 3D movie which explains how the detector works and why the collaboration pursues its quest for fundamental knowledge. CERN also has two permanent exhibitions Universe of Particles and Microcosm that provide unique experiences in understanding the secrets of matter and exploring the mysteries in our universe.

ATLAS

ATLAS Virtual Visits

How to visit remotely.

An ATLAS Virtual Visit connects a classroom, exhibition or other public venues with scientists at the experiment using web-based video conferencing. It is a chance for you to have a conversation with the scientists working on ATLAS.

Group Visits

For groups of at least 10 visitors, you can schedule a Virtual Visit by completing this form.

Open Visits

We also schedule periodic visits for individuals or small groups to join. You can see a list of upcoming Open Virtual Visits here . Select the one you want and register.

Outreach & Education,Visits & Virtual Visits to ATLAS,ATLAS

ATLAS Virtual Tours

Explore atlas virtually.

Take a virtual tour around the ATLAS detector in the cavern, located around 80 meters below ground at interaction point 1 of the LHC. Alternatively, walk around the detector and control room using Google's street view .

Virtual tour

IMAGES

  1. School Trips to Switzerland CERN

    cern switzerland tour

  2. Fun, physics and the God particle: a tour of Cern, Switzerland

    cern switzerland tour

  3. Visit CERN in Switzerland

    cern switzerland tour

  4. Wesley students visit CERN in Switzerland

    cern switzerland tour

  5. CERN and Mont Blanc: Dark and Frozen Matter: Switzerland and France

    cern switzerland tour

  6. A Brief Tour Of The Large Hadron Collider, CERN Switzerland

    cern switzerland tour

VIDEO

  1. Motorbiking to CERN during winters

  2. A virtual tour of CERN #ATLASExperiment #CERN #livestream

COMMENTS

  1. Welcome

    Guided tours Plan your visit Accessibility Opening hours ... Public events at CERN are organised with the support of the CERN & Society Foundation. Thursday. 18 Apr /24. 19:30 - 21:30 The Virtuous Circle of Knowledge and Innovation Event Wednesday. 24 Apr /24. 18:00 - 20:00 ...

  2. Tours for families and individual visitors

    If you visit on your own, with your family or friends our daily guided tours are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Connect to our exclusive web app when arriving at Science Gateway to check guided tour availabilites and to register. Discover CERN's first accelerator, the synchrocyclotron, installed back in 1957.

  3. Plan your visit

    If you are interested in visiting CERN, the world's largest particle physics laboratory, you can find all the information you need on this webpage. You can learn about the different types of visits, the booking process, the safety rules and the accessibility options. You can also explore the CERN Science Gateway, a new flagship project that will offer a unique experience of science and ...

  4. How do I visit CERN?

    CERN has a rich educational and cultural programme. As an integral part of this programme, tours of the Laboratory are free of charge. Find out more about CERN tours via visit.cern, which includes frequently asked questions about CERN tours.. How to get to CERN.

  5. Discover CERN

    Accelerate: explore CERN's particle accelerators. Scientists from all over the world join forces at CERN to answer profound questions about the Universe. Let them guide you through the laboratory! ... Use our headsets to take a virtual tour. Collaborate with other visitors to lower a piece of experiment underground. Design your own experiment ...

  6. Home

    At CERN, we probe the fundamental structure of particles that make up everything around us. We do so using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments. ... Take an immersive tour of CERN's accelerators ... Switzerland; CERN & You. Doing business with CERN; Knowledge transfer; CERN's neighbours; CERN & Society Foundation;

  7. CERN

    CERN Science Gateway is a place to explore CERN and science through authentic, innovative and inspirational experiences. Through immersive multimedia exhibits, hands-on lab workshops, science shows, events that blend science and culture, innovation-prototyping workshops and tours of authentic CERN places - all guided by CERN people - visitors of all ages and backgrounds can engage in the ...

  8. Families and individual visitors

    Admission to CERN Science Gateway is free for everyone. Families, individual visitors and small groups (fewer than 12 people) can freely access our three interactive exhibitions, as well as science shows and films (subject to availability). In addition, you can sign up for guided tours and lab workshops on a first-come, first-served basis.

  9. What to Know About Visiting CERN in Switzerland

    How to visit. CERN is a 25-minute tram ride from Geneva's city center, and some hotels may even offer free transport cards. The Science Gateway 's exhibitions are open Tuesday-Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (reception opens at 8 a.m.). Tours can be booked at the Science Gateway on a first-come, first-served basis.

  10. Visiting CERN

    9. Park near the big dome. There's plenty of parking, or at least there was on the day of our visit, but you can't just park anywhere. The best place for you to park would be next to the big brown dome. Just east of the dome, towards the Swiss side of Cern, there is a big parking lot that's free to park at. 10.

  11. Welcome

    Guided tours Science shows Plan your visit Opening hours Getting here Accessibility PUBLIC EVENTS. Public events at CERN are organised with the support of the CERN & Society Foundation. Thursday. 7 Mar /24. 19:30 - 21:30 From particle physics to medicine Event Thursday. 18 Apr /24. 19:30 - 21:30 ...

  12. Fun, physics and the God particle: a tour of Cern, Switzerland

    The Swiss Travel System provides a range of travel passes and also includes the Swiss Museum Pass, with free entrance to 500 museums and exhibitions. Prices from £185 for 3 days in second class ...

  13. CERN

    CERN - Globe de la science et de l'innovation Esplanade des Particules 1 1217 Meyrin. Discover the largest particle physics laboratory in the World. There are many options to visit this giant of science. Two permanent exhibitions, guided tours and a cycle route engage you in the discovery of particle physics.

  14. Guided tours for individuals (less than 12 people)

    Description. Every year, CERN welcomes almost 100 000 visitors from all over the world, who come to learn about its installations from our official guides. Guided tours of CERN are free of charge. Tours last about 1 hour. It is not possible to leave a tour before the end. Maximum 5 persons per registration. Tours are organised in groups of 24 ...

  15. Visiting CERN Geneva: Discover The World Of Particle Physics

    Switzerland was chosen as the host country because of its location in central Europe, its long-standing as a stable country, and the safeguards it had in place to ensure research funds weren't misappropriated to the military. ... Tours include interactive exhibitions, guided tours of the CERN site, and lab workshops for students. Additional ...

  16. Immersive tour of the accelerator complex

    The panoramas project was originally developed to provide an immersive visual aid to help prepare interventions on the CERN facilities. A public version has been released to offer an immersive experience for everyone.

  17. Virtual tour of the LHC

    At CERN, we probe the fundamental structure of particles that make up everything around us. ... Virtual tour of the LHC Go to resource. CERN. Related Resources. HL-LHC drone footage Point 1 Video Accelerators 18 May, 2022. LHC tunnel stock footage ... Switzerland; CERN & You. Doing business with CERN; Knowledge transfer; CERN's neighbours; CERN ...

  18. Opening hours

    Opening hours. Shop from 8.00 to 18.00 (Tuesdays and Thursdays opens at 8.30 due to inventory operations) CERN Science Gateway will be exceptionnaly closed on the following days: There won't be any guided tours, and the number of lab workshops and science shows will be reduced on the following periods:

  19. Switzerland: Einstein, Art & a Visit to CERN

    Science and art enthusiasts will delight in this unique journey to Switzerland, which showcases Albert Einstein, exceptional Swiss museums, and a visit to the Supercollider campus at CERN which houses the world's most advanced scientific equipment. Experience a behind-the-scenes meeting with scientists who work on a detector on the Large Hadron Collider. Take guided tours of Kunsthaus Art ...

  20. Visit

    To schedule an onsite visit to the ATLAS experiment, please contact the CERN Visits Service.. The ATLAS Visitor Center has a permanent exhibit with interactive screens outside the Control Room and a 3D movie which explains how the detector works and why the collaboration pursues its quest for fundamental knowledge. CERN also has two permanent exhibitions Universe of Particles and Microcosm ...