Geneva, Switzerland: A Multi-Cultural Center

One of the main reasons for that is the multi-cultural feel to the city. It's home to a multitude of international organizations, more than 200 in fact, with many national government organizations choosing to base themselves in the city. It's perhaps best known for international diplomacy, with the European headquarters of the United Nations (UN) based there.

The Palais des Nations was originally built in the 1930s and it started life as the headquarters of the League of Nations. That was dissolved a few years later and then the complex became the European base of the UN. It's something that is immediately obvious as you pass it, with its rows of flags of member countries and a striking sculpture outside of a chair with one leg missing. Sensibly enough called Broken Chair, it's a protest against land mines.

Just a little further up the road is the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, which is inside the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross. But most of the major attractions in Geneva are to be found in the city itself. We were on a road trip around Switzerland when we visited, so we had the benefit of a car to get into the centre, although that did prove to be an issue at times, with traffic jams at peak times, as you get in every city around the world. Then, of course, there is the thorny issue of finding somewhere to park.

The United Nations headquarters at Geneva.