Visiting CERN in Switzerland
Is it possible to visit the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) as a tourist to Geneva? Are there any guided tours? Which parts can be seen?
Best Answer
CERN Individual Tours
CERN organises both individual tours as well as group tours. The advantage of individual tours is that group tours can have very long waiting lists (sometimes even for months). Individual tours include (quoting from the CERN webpage on individual tours):
A tour for individuals offers an introduction to CERN, allowing visitors to discover the history of the Laboratory and the latest scientific developments. The tour consists of a visit to a historic area of CERN and to the operations centre of one of the experiments. Immersive audio-visual presentations complement the information provided by the tour guide. The tour is in English or French and lasts around two hours.
If you want to have a chance to visit the underground facilities at CERN you must book a group tour. Quoting from the CERN webpage on individual tours:
Please note that this tour does not include an underground visit.
CERN Group Tours
Group tours are available for parties of 8 to 48 people. These tours can include an underground visit, although this is not guaranteed. The CERN webpage on group tours provides a reservation form for group tours. Quoting from the same page:
Tours are organized from Monday to Saturday mornings and afternoons. Each tour lasts about 3 hours and comprises an introduction followed by a film, visits to experimental areas and/or to an accelerator. Please note that underground visits are not guaranteed. For safety reasons children under 13 years of age are not admitted.
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Quick Answer about "Visiting CERN in Switzerland"
- Individuals. Registration on site upon availability.
- Groups (min. 12 people) Must be booked online, up to 9 months in advance.
- All our guided tours are free. Reservation is required. Places are limited. Underground tours of detectors are very limited. The Large Hadron Collider tunnel cannot be visited.
Can you visit CERN as a tourist?
Yes. Participants in guided tours enter the CERN sites, and all visitors must wear a personal visitor's card prominently.Is CERN open to the public?
As the capacity for underground visits is limited, access to the underground facilities will be by reservation only, and tickets must be obtained from the CERN Open Days website. For safety reasons, children aged 12 or under will not be admitted to the underground sites.Can you visit the Hadron Collider Switzerland?
Six LHC underground sites will be opened for visits during the Open Days: ATLAS \u2013 point 1, ALICE \u2013 point 2, LHC Radio Frequency \u2013 point 4, CMS \u2013 point 5, LHC accelerator \u2013 point 6 and LHCb \u2013 point 8. These sites are only accessible to those who are at least 12 years old.Is CERN worth visiting?
CERN is a must see! You really must visit CERN while in Geneva. It is located right on the border of France so the tram journey from central Geneva is very enjoyable with great views and only takes around 20 minutes.Geneva, visiting the CERN
More answers regarding visiting CERN in Switzerland
Answer 2
I visited CERN years ago and toured the underground installations. That was when the LHC was still under construction. Seeing the ATLAS instrument up and close was quite impressive. Now that the LHC is shut down for maintenance underground tours are supposed to start again, but no mention of them is made on the CERN website. I would suggest you keep checking.
If CERN start does indeed start giving tours of the underground experimental areas expect to have to book them at least half a year in advance. More information will be on their website (see the linke mentioned in the previous answer)
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