CERN Science Gateway

CERN Science Gateway

CERN Science Gateway
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
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 discoveries, the science and the technologies of CERN.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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  • Mervyn
    Shrewsbury, United Kingdom3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit
    This is a great place to visit, and it is free! We were guided by a PhD student on placement there so he was able to explain the technical and scientific background, he was very enthusiastic and keen to share his undoubted knowledge, even I, as a non scientist, understood it. Since we visited they have opened new visitor centre, so maybe they might, like other visitor attractions, end the tour with a cafe and a shop!
    Visited October 2022
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 20 October 2023
  • Despoina V
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful experience.
    A visit to CERN in Geneva is an exhilarating plunge into the fascinating world of particle physics. The sprawling facility, home to the renowned Large Hadron Collider, offers a captivating journey through the history and forefront of scientific discovery. The guided tour provides valuable insights into complex concepts, making them accessible to a broad audience. The interactive exhibits and simulations add a dynamic element to the experience, allowing visitors to grasp the intricacies of subatomic exploration. Witnessing experiments in progress and touring the Control Centre underscore the dedication and precision involved in unraveling the mysteries of the universe. While the sheer technicality may be challenging for those without a scientific background, the overall impact of CERN's commitment to advancing human knowledge leaves an indelible impression, making this visit a must for science enthusiasts and curious minds alike.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 18 December 2023
  • kiana b
    2 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Good day trip
    Loads of interactive activities are available in many languages. One of the staff Kevin was especially helpful at explaining concepts to us and giving advice on activities for our time in Geneva so thank you Kevin ! We also had the Geneva transport card so the entire experience was free from Geneva
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 19 December 2023
  • Suzanne
    177 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fun day out
    The way in is not clearly signposted from the tram stop (we joked if you weren't smart enough to find the way in you weren't smart enough for the exhibits!) There were a number of exhibits not working, but very polite signs explaining that it was new and they were having teething problems. If we hadn't been able to get on a tour I might have been a little disappointed- but it was completely free so can't complain too much! The cafe does reasonably priced and quite good food. The website says the tour booking opens 1hour before the timeslot but that wasn't the case, it was 2 hours before, its frustrating but they do explain why you can't book in advance. But, it was a very fun time anyway!
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 29 December 2023
  • Alien Covenant
    Lisbon, Portugal188 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Interesting display of scientific aspects of physics
    Interesting display of scientific aspects of physics, worth a visit near Geneva. The permanent exibitions are quite interesting and insightful. The admission procedure makes little sense, and is a waste of time, since you need to register online to receive a code that is then not used at all, and you just walk in towards the exibitions.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 31 December 2023
  • Jerry T
    Saint Louis, Missouri7 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Super Interesting!
    I went on the tour with relatively low expectations but someone in my party wanted to go. The tour was incredibly fascinating - highly recommended to anyone. CERN does a great job of explaining incredibly complex science and has interesting interactive exhibits that gives you an understanding of the research happening.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 4 February 2024
  • cphlor
    136 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    An Interesting Experience
    I had read various mixed reviews before coming, but was pleasantly surprised! Although perfectible, the combination of exhibitions, laboratory experiences and site visit gave a good overview of what goes on there. Fundamental particle physics is not necessarily the easiest of subjects to present to a mixed public. For those expecting to descend 100m underground to see the LHC, expect to be disappointed. But if you're happy with getting to go on-site, and seeing some of what is going on then it is worth the visit. One improvement though - the registration "procedure" needs reviewing. As you enter the building you find yourself in a sea of anxious visitors, busily tapping away on their phones trying to work out what is going on. Even to get into the (albeit free) exhibitiom you have to register and take your code to the welcome desk to exchange for non-existinh wristbands, and you are waved in regardless. Not the best advert for how the place functions.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 9 March 2024
  • Karen M
    Milton Keynes, United Kingdom598 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Love it!
    Been twice now.. obviously heard about CERN, but to go and visit was great. Informative and lots of fun. You can spend hours learning whilst enjoying yourself. If you are in Geneva visiting, it’s a must.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 16 March 2024
  • Adrian B
    Bakewell, United Kingdom631 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A fascinating experience
    A short tram ride from central Geneva is this extraordinary place. Superb exhibits to help an understanding of the hadron collider. Sign up for a free tour if you can, but you can't do this until you get there. Truly one of the most fascinating places I have ever visited. Café good too.
    Visited March 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 19 March 2024
  • Mary M
    Eugene, Oregon83 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Absolutely go
    Got there early, the reception was open. Scanned a QR code to make my reservation on the 10:30 guided tour. Great experience, the tour was led by a guy with a PhD in particle physics. Very informative. Get there before 9 to snag the first guided tour of the day. Easy to get to on the 18 tram.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 8 May 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,683 reviews
Excellent
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Poor
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RonaldSR
Amstelveen, The Netherlands37 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Family
Very old fashioned way of visitor treatment. Hourly guided tours with limited capacity and no reservation option so you come to CERN and you are either lucky or not to join into a tour. We travelled there on Saturday morning only to find out the next 3 tours (3 hours) were fully booked. Not a good experience at all. They should either hire more tour guides of arrange for on-line reservation I believe….
Written 14 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Meenakshi50
Manchester, UK51 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020 • Family
What could have been a fascinating tour ended up feeling dull. The lack lustre presentations from staff didn’t help (maybe get actors) and it’s almost impossible to get a guided tour and when we enquired at reception about these the person was very unhelpful and off putting and discouraged us from putting our names on the waiting list. What struck me were there no people of colour represented anywhere on any of the pictures. Are there no black physicists in Europe? Maybe HR at Cern has not heard of Diversity. I am not sure what this museum wants to tell us as it’s not well organised. Maybe just read about the universe and don’t waste your time traipsing around here. This museum needs an overhaul and some dynamic input and at least arrange more tours for those of us who have travelled miles to visit and were unable to see underground.
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ghislaine S
Bristol, UK7 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2022 • Family
We haven’t been on the guided tour yet but it would have to be an out of this world trip to make up for the travesty so far.
No booking and CERN provided an explanation for this. You are advised to turn up 2 hours early to get a spot on a guided tour.
Arrived before 11am and queued for 45 minutes before we realised that the desk was closed, the 1 pm tour was full. Staff fully expected all of the queue to stand there for 2 hours until they opened the booking for the 3pm tour. The staff were absolutely ambivalent about kids, elderly and the rest standing in 35C heat for what ended up being 21/2 hrs just to book a tour. Got to go back and get in the queue again later to pick up the ticket.
No cafe, no food, no water (although there is a vending machine)
We are sticking it out because my 13yr old is physics mad and wants to work here.
Feeling very cross about the whole experience- and these people are in charge of this phenomenally expensive peice of equipment.
Written 25 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CK1890
Lincoln, UK65 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
The exhibition and tour are really interesting and great. The organisation of getting booked onto a tour has no online booking and you must turn up in person and wait in a queue until you reach the front and a tour has space for you. Then you will wait another 30 min or so until the start of that tour, so don't get there too late to avoid disappointment. The exhibitions can be visited on their own without queuing and are worthwhile in themselves. There is a shop but no refreshment facility, which can make the visit less accommodating. The tour and exhibitions are very worthwhile though and they are building a new facility which will open in the next couple of years that will expand their ability to cater for tourists. You need to remember that this is primarily a scientific establishment and that the tours/exhibition are free.
Written 5 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jim R
Southend-on-Sea, UK222 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2019
I used to love Physics at school, but this left us both totally bewildered 😳 it’s not explained in layman’s terms to start your basic understanding and then progress and build on it.
We tried to book a tour, but they sell out fast. The website is a mess, so confusing to use.
Unless you love Particle Physics,this will bore you.
Written 1 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kaiser_sd
Washougal, WA31 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021
The free exhibition allows you to know enough about CERN. The one-hour guided tour was really not necessary especially that we waited 2 hours for it. Conclusion, scientists might not be the best type of tourist guides. The guide was a scientist from Argentina. He was very friendly but his English was a bit hard to understand, especially when he did his science talk :)...Also, he wasn't prepared for the guided tour at all. He said he had not entered the site that we were supposed to visit for 2 years. We saw the first generation of the collider, it was a 30 mins amazing video show. After that, he tried to paraphrase all that was explained in the video....all in all, its worth visiting exhibition and may be the 3 hour guided tour if you are a big fan of physics since it says it will take you underground..but we don't know... BTW, Its all free! The Globe was closed for renovation.
Written 24 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jarka
London, UK3 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2023 • Family
Tickets can be obtained for the tour a maximum of one hour before the tour. There can be a maximum 24 people in each tour.

We arrived at 10:30 for the tour at 11:00. Tickets for this tour were gone and there were people already queuing for the next tour at 12:30.

So we joined the queue which was very quickly growing. All new comers were making first their way to the receptionist and then walking around the queue counting number of people.

For one hour we were staring at the receptionist who was staring at the clock to make sure she will start her “next please” no more than 1 hour before the next tour starts.

We were lucky enough to get tickets to the next tour, but there were lots of disappointed people behind us. I am not sure if they had the will to stay in non-moving queue for the tour that started 2.5 hours later. I would not.

The guide himself was excellent. What a shame that I had to listen to his really interesting talk tired, annoyed and humiliated.

CERN, people are coming by to see you from all over the world. Surely you can do better than this!
Written 30 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AdeLange
Willemstad, Curaçao5 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2023 • Family
CERN is an amazing Institute.

Unfortunately the visit experience is not so amazing. Due to cancellations in the past they have decided to not allow any reservations. The result is a system where you have to compete with the other 400 visitors for 24 available spots on the guided tour. Both times it was completely booked up in 10 to 20 seconds after opening.

Please allow people to make a reservation, charge €25 per person which is refunded when people show up and kept when people don't show up.

There will be no no-shows and a whole lot less dissapointment going round. Remember the mission of the visitor center is to make people love CERN for the speadhead of science and innovation it really is!

At the reception they told us about 1800 people visit per day. With only 100 being allowed in the tours.

1700 people therefor leave, just like us, slightly dissapointed.

Written 5 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lynne T
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK180 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2023 • Friends
Really interesting tour, which was not too complex for anyone who wasn’t a scientist. It takes you to see the original collider, and gives you lots of interesting information and history. The only downside was the dreadful queuing system. You cannot book tickets in advance and have to queue for tickets in an hours time (by which time we had already been queuing for one hour). You then have an hour to wait and there are no facilities close by. The small museum takes 10 minutes and there is no cafe. We ended up buying a sandwich in a petrol station and eating it on the forecourt. I can’t believe that all the reviews that mention how bad the system is has not made CERN change the system.
Written 10 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Menno
Amersfoort, The Netherlands1,261 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2023 • Couples
It’s quite hard to find the parking space due to all the construction works around CERN. The free exhibition next to it is very small and a visit takes 20 min. at most.
We tried a guided tour, but didn’t manage. We arrived around 10 am, when we heard the next tour was full. For you can only make a reservation an hour in advance, we had to stay in line for another hour with only the hope of getting on a guided tour.
We lost our morning trying to visit CERN, but left disapointed.
Written 1 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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