lhc geneva tour

Visiting CERN Geneva: Discover The World Of Particle Physics

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.

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

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.

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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

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

• 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

Collaboration Site | Physics Results

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 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.

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 .

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How to Visit the Large Hadron Collider

Last Updated: August 18, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 81% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 87,994 times. Learn more...

The Large Hadron Collider is located in CERN on the Switzerland-French border. Most of the time, you can only visit the above ground facilities, and the Large Hadron Collider is located underground. However, once in a while, they do shut the collider down and open the area to the public, so you'll be able to visit that area. If you can't visit during that time, you'll still find plenty to see at other times of the year.

Booking a Tour

• The best thing you can do is call the reception desk at +41 (0)22 767 76 76 or email them at [email protected] to find out when the EYETS are.

• You can call +41 (0)22 767 76 76 or email them at [email protected] to find out about closures.
• Tours last for about 3 hours apiece.

• If you are reserving spots for more than 11 people, you'll need to reserve a group tour. You can make a reservation for up to 48 people, using the form on the website.

• Only 12 to 48 people can visit at once, including teachers and students. The tours are free. In general, students must be 13 and older. H
• Any teacher can fill out the reservation form online. You'll need information like the number of people attending, contact information, your preferred language, and the preferred date.

Taking Your Tour

• Pets should also be left behind.

• Also contact them if you have anyone under 16 in your group.

Taking Full Advantage of Your Tour

• You'll begin by visiting reception at 385 route de Meyrin, CH-1217 Meyrin - Geneva, Switzerland.

• Smoking is not allowed anywhere at CERN. [4] X Research source

• The permanent exhibits are both near reception.

• In the souvenir shop, you'll find things like pins, pencils, stickers, hoodies, hard hats, notebooks, umbrellas, and a wide variety of other paraphernalia.
• You can use credit cards at the souvenir shop.

Community Q&A

• Visit virtually. If you can't make it to Switzerland, you can take a virtual tour of CERN on the BBC's site at http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35780444/ . Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

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• ↑ https://home.cern/news/news/engineering/eyets-report-cool-preparation-lhc
• ↑ http://www.stfc.ac.uk/research/particle-physics-and-particle-astrophysics/cern/visit-cern/
• ↑ https://indico.cern.ch/event/717796/attachments/1623596/2703313/Code_of_conduct_for_visitors_to_CERN_EN.pdf
• ↑ https://visit.cern/safety

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

• February 2024

As promised in my French Alps trip report , here's a more detailed review of our excellent visit to CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland.

I want to share several tips about what we did right and what we could have done better. Read through if you are considering visiting CERN to make the most of your time there.

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 use CERN and Cern interchangeably throughout this post because, these days, they are both places and concepts.

The council was established in 1954 to promote scientific collaboration between European nations, which were still licking their proverbial and literal wounds from the Second World War.

They were allocated an area near Geneva where the CERN project was established on (and under) the ground. The initiative's name has since changed to the European Organization for Nuclear Research, but it's still known as Cern (and not as EONR, thankfully).

Over the years, CERN has made many amazing discoveries, some of which have led to Nobel prizes in physics and chemistry. It is best known for its huge particle collider, the Hadron Collider.

There are several underground looped tunnels where subatomic 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 worldwide. It is an amazing feat of human ingenuity.

That makes visiting CERN an uplifting experience for all, not just science buffs.

Visiting CERN: Can you see the Hadron Collider?

Yes and no. You can visit Cern 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 the collider and how it works, as well as a little bit about what life in Cern is for the 10,000+ scientists and engineers there.

Universe Of Particles - A cool exhibition with a very interesting futuristic design that teaches you about particle physics and, again, a bit more about Cern.

In addition to the exhibitions, a guided tour 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 visit, the guide explained that they do not take visitors down to the collider because the radiation levels there are not safe.

So, no, we did not get to see the actual collider. However, we did see several models and heard a lot about it.

Considering its actual size (about 27 kilometers long!) I don't see how you can actually "see" more than a small part of it going underground. Either way, you can't see it "working."

According to our guide (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, specifically physics. The exhibitions were thorough, and our guide was a professional physicist who could answer all of the questions posed by our group's science buffs.

Even if you're not into physics, the tour would be enjoyable. The exhibitions are interactive and exciting, and the entire project is moving: European nations are 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 free tour gives you that unique "behind the scenes" look into the project. Our guide was fascinating, and it was cool to walk past these gates:

The tour also takes you to a special exhibition with a 20-minute multimedia show projected on the walls and on the equipment around you. It's really cool and great fun for kids.

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 can 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 to 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 might 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 -

4. Be prepared for a long visit

This isn't a place you can run through in 20 minutes. The exhibitions alone are 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 longer if we had more time.

5. Check for opening hours

The exhibitions have different opening hours. The visitors center and the Microcosm exhibition open at 8:30, and 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 few 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. There's nothing 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 food is at the local gas station.

It's very close to the visitors center, so it's not a long walk, but the prices are quite Swiss (i.e., high!), and the food quality is nothing to write home about - basically what you'd expect to find in a gas station store.

They have a cool espresso machine that generates so much steam while making your coffee that you might think they're running it through the Hadron Collider itself!

7. Eat and drink before the tour

If you didn't bring anything to eat, grab 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 start 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. It's not too bad, but it's enough to be more enjoyable with comfortable shoes. You will also be walking outside for a short bit, 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 to park would be next to the big brown dome. Just east of the dome, towards the Swiss side of Cern, a big parking lot is 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 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! The exhibitions are full of humor. There are lots of red buttons to push to 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 you ever visited CERN? Do you have 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 to 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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How to plan a visit to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva

by Nick Brennan | Dec 15, 2017 | UK Prepaid Sim | 0 comments

If you’re a science geek, or just love new experiences, then a visit to the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, might be on your “to-do” list for your next European vacation.

In this handy guide we’re going to explain how to plan your visit, how to get to CERN and the best way to explore the venue.

A little bit about the Large Hadron Collider & CERN

The name CERN is derived from the acronym for the French “Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire”, or European Council for Nuclear Research. Founded in 1954, the CERN laboratory sits above the French/Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures.

There’s a great two minute YouTube video from the Science Channel that gives you a quick overview of CERN.

Founded in 1954, the CERN laboratory sits astride the Franco-Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now has 22 member states  including Australia, Korea and Vietnam.

At CERN engineers and physicists are exploring the fundamental structure of the universe. They’re using the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments to study the basic constituents of matter – the fundamental particles that make up our universe and you and me and all of us.  In the Large Hadron Collider, the particles are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. This  process gives physicists clues about how the particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature.

The instruments used at CERN are purpose-built particle accelerators and detectors . Accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before the beams are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

The main particle accelerator itself is deep underground, with a circumference of 27km (16.7 miles). And did you know that CERN is home to half of the world’s particle physicists?

Where is it located?

CERN is located just near Geneva Airport. It’s about a 20 minute tram ride from the center of Geneva. More on the location below!

Booking your CERN visit

CERN is not your usual tourist attraction. You can’t just show up on the day for a tour. You need to book in advance on the CERN website. Here’s what to do:

• Tours in English take place Mondays to Saturday at 11am and 1pm. The tour lasts two hours.
• Each tour has a maximum of 12 people.
• 15 days in advance at 8:30am CET (11:30pm Pacific Time), the CERN website opens up six spaces for a tour . For example, if you wanted to visit on 15 January, then on 1 January the website will have six spaces available for that tour.
• 3 days in advance again at 8:30am CET (11:30pm Pacific Time), t he CERN website releases the remaining six spaces .
• All tour spaces are on a first come first served basis. Tours are very popular and will fill quickly, particularly in summer time. Currently there are three times more requests for tours as there are spaces, and spaces can fill within seconds of being released on the CERN website. So you may want to set a reminder on your phone to log onto the CERN website at the appropriate time to book your tour.
• The tour itself is free.

How to get to CERN

If you’re travelling from Geneva, skip ahead to the next paragraph. We travelled from Zurich, which required a round trip train from Zurich to Geneva. You will soon find out that everything is expensive in Zurich, including train travel. A return train trip from Zurich to Geneva will cost 52CHF (that’s $52USD). You can buy your ticket from the Swiss Rail website  (scroll to the very bottom of the website and select the small “en” letters next to the clock in the bottom left, to change the website language to English). We purchased a Saver Day Pass which effectively allowed unlimited travel (although we only did the round trip from Zurich to Geneva). The trip itself is 2.5 hours each way and takes you through some very pretty countryside. The train departs from central Zurich train station, and arrives also at the central Geneva-Cornavin train station.

It’s very easy to reach CERN from Geneva. Head to the Geneva-Cornavin main train station in Geneva, and take tram number 18 to “CERN” (which is the final stop between CERN Globe and Reception). You’ll need to purchase a “Tout Genève” ticket from the ticket vending machine (the cost is 3 Swiss Francs  which is about $3USD) and you can pay with cash or a credit card. But also remember that most Geneva hotels provide free public transport passes so don’t forget to ask for yours if you’re staying in a Geneva hotel.

Make sure to arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of your tour.

It’s easy to check transport directions and the arrival and departure times for the tram by looking on Google Maps which provides detailed public transport information and route planning for Geneva. You’ll need data on your cell phone to use Google Maps, so you might want to pick up a Europe Prepaid SIM Card here in the USA before you head on your vacation.

Details about the tour

If you’re a science geek, or just love exploring new locations, you’ll totally geek out on this tour. Each tour is conducted by an employee of CERN, such as a physicist, so they are a wealth of knowledge and will happily answer any questions you may have.

First, when you get off the tram, you’ll want to head across the road to your left to the brick main building, where you check-in and get your visitor pass.

Also inside this building is the gift shop where you can buy souvenirs of your visit to CERN.

Second, during the two hour tour, you’ll be walking quite a lot, maybe about 1-2 miles in total, so make sure to wear comfortable shoes. There are some short staircases.

Third, you can take photos of anything, anywhere! In fact, our tour guide actively encouraged everyone to take as many photographs as they want!

The tour starts with a short 10 minute video presentation about the history of CERN and its current work. It’s really informative and the guide will answer any questions you may have at the end of the video. After the video, the tour starts. You’ll get to learn about how the Large Hadron Collider was built, how they inject particles into the collider tunnel, and how the data is analysed.

This is a photo of a section of the tubing used deep underground to accelerate particles at near to the speed of light.

Next up you’ll walk across to the massive engineering building where you’ll see the room where scientists sit and analyse the results of the hundreds of particle collisions taking place deep underground.

After a tour of this building, you’ll get to see the original CERN particle accelerator — the beginning of the current exploration into the start of our universe.

We highly recommend this tour for anyone who is curious about the world in which we live. It was extremely informative and thought provoking, and represents an amazing global collaboration of scientists across the world working together.

And while you’re here, go visit France — it’s just a few yards away!

CERN is located literally on the French/Swiss border. In fact it’s so close that if you walk just a few hundred yards up the road, you’ll cross over into France! There’s nothing really there, but it’s a pretty cool photo opportunity for Facebook or Instagram.

Here’s the border crossing into France:

Here’s some French street signs:

And here we are heading back into Switzerland at the Swiss border crossing:

There were no guards or officials at the border crossing when we visited, but you should still carry your passport in case you need to show it when crossing over or coming back.

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CERN Accelerating science

Around the LHC in 252 days

12 November, 2019

By Corinne Pralavorio

For the teams involved in the DISMAC (Diode Insulation and Superconducting Magnets Consolidation) project, the LHC tour is a long adventure. On 7 November, they opened the last and 1360th LHC magnet interconnection, 252 days after having opened the first. The electrical insulation work of the magnets’ diodes is done in sequence: opening of the interconnection, cleaning, installation of the insulation, electrical and quality tests, welding, and so on. The teams work sequentially, and the diode insulation is scheduled to be completed next summer.

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What Is CERN?

I n 2012, researchers announced they had found what they believed was the Higgs boson , representing a triumph of science. Yet, researchers made the find not by looking through a telescope or analyzing data collected from a spacecraft. They found Higgs through decades of painstaking research at colliders around the world, notably CERN in Geneva, Switzerland.

What is CERN? CERN stands for the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (or the European Center for Nuclear Research). Their research was painstaking because the life of the Higgs boson is infinitesimally short. It breaks into smaller particles in much less time than it takes to blink. Scientists at CERN spent $10 billion over the decades chasing the elusive particle [source: Overbye ].

The discovery put CERN on the front page. Yet, most people still have no idea what the scientists at CERN actually do. We can help with that.

Inside CERN

CERN, which mainly focuses on particle physics, has existed since the 1950s. At the end of World War II , Europe was a mess and its scientific community a shambles. Scientists in the United States, which included many plucked from Europe, had taken the lead in physics.

In 1949, French quantum physicist Louis de Broglie proposed that Europe try to recapture its scientific glory by creating a multinational atomic physics laboratory.

CERN Members and Observers

A few years later, CERN was born and built just outside Geneva. The 12 founding states included Belgium, Denmark, France, West Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Yugoslavia.

As of January 2023, 23 countries, including Israel, Poland and Finland, are CERN members, and each one gets two spots on the CERN council (the decision-making body) but a single vote on such decisions. CERN's Director-General, Fabiola Gianotti, essentially functions as the leader.

The United States is not a member but an observer state — that is, one that can attend meetings and get info but not vote on CERN matters [source: CERN ]. (Speaking of the U.S., it contributed $531 million for the construction of several LHC components.)

CERN's Goals

CERN's job was to find out how the universe worked. No big deal, right?

Scientists decided the best way to accomplish this monumental task was to build giant machines that slammed subatomic particles into one another . The hope was that these so-called atom smashers would give researchers a glimpse back to the time just after the universe came into being.

Accordingly, CERN started building its very first accelerator, the Synchrocyclotron, in 1957. The Synchrocyclotron crashed and smashed its way toward 33 years of service. CERN now operates several accelerators and one decelerator in a building complex that straddles the Swiss and French border. The cost of the experiments is spread over the member states [sources: Exploratorium , CERN ].

Working at CERN

By 2014, 2,400 full-time employees and 1,500 part-timers, were working at CERN, while more than 600 institutes and universities had access to its facilities to start unraveling a variety of mysteries, such as antimatter , black holes , subatomic particles and the events that occurred a split second after the Big Bang .

Moreover, 10,000 scientists from 113 countries — half of all the particle physicists on the planet — stop by CERN for research each year. And it's not just scientists either.

People work at a variety of jobs including engineers, experimental physicists and even accountants. Scientists from member states get the first crack at a position, although CERN always considers senior scientists from other countries [sources: Exploratorium , CERN ].

Connecting the World

In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee, a British scientist, helped to invent the World Wide Web by developing hypertext transfer protocol, or http. Berners-Lee was keen to create a network of interactive computers so scientists all over the world could share data [source: CERN ].

The Hadron (Collider) at the Heart

At the heart of the European laboratory is the world's largest and most powerful particle accelerator, an atom smasher called the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

CERN's Large Hadron Collider is made of a 17-mile (27-kilometer) ring of superconducting magnets and a series of accelerators that shoot high-energy particles through the apparatus like a bullet through a gun. Located 328 feet (100 meters) below ground, the collider blasts particle beams in one direction, while another beam travels in the opposite direction.

Kaboom! Kablam! Splat!

Use any exclamation you want. At top speed, the particles smash into each one at 99.9999991 percent the speed of light [source: CERN ].

Every time the protons smash into one another, it creates a complex spray of other particles. Many of those particles last for less than a second but leave a trail of subatomic breadcrumbs that scientists can follow. To follow that trail, scientists rely on two highly complex particle detectors, which allow them to see the elementary building blocks of our universe.

One of those detectors is ATLAS. The machine, which is about 148 feet (45 meters) long and 82 feet (25 meters) high, helped find the Higgs boson particle. ATLAS is half as large as Notre Dame (the cathedral, not the university) and weighs as much as the Eiffel Tower (the one in Paris, not Las Vegas).

CERN scientists use ATLAS and the other detectors (ALICE, CMS, LHCb, LHCf) to study stuff you read about only in sci-fi books, such as whether other dimensions exist, what type of unifying force might be in the universe and if there's evidence of dark matter .

Only two detectors, ATLAS and CMS, were devoted to solving the Higgs boson mystery. All CERN experiments at the LHC are distinct and run by a worldwide collaborating team of scientists [sources: ATLAS, CERN ].

Analyzing CERN Data: Now That's a Big Job

Smashing particles together at nearly the speed of light is one thing; interpreting the data from those collisions is another.

Particle collisions in the LHC happen at nearly 600 million times a second [source: Sakai]. The information spewing out of those crashes can tell us volumes about the inner workings of the atom and the forces that hold the atom together, but we certainly can't record all of the information from the detectors.

Overwhelming Amounts of Data

ATLAS, for example, could fill 100,000 CDs with data every second. Instead, ATLAS, like the other detectors, can record only a "smidgen" of info, roughly enough to put on 27 CDs per minute [source: ATLAS].

While that number is only a portion of the available information, it's still an overwhelming amount. The detectors transfer what they find to the CERN Data Center, where technicians and researchers use computers to digitally reconstruct each collision.

During reconstruction, scientists test their theories of how particles behave. They compare computer-simulated collisions to the actual collisions. A disparity between the two might signify new science, something that had gone unexplained [source: Sakai].

Each day, the data center processes one petabyte of information. It would take 223,000 DVDs to hold all the information in a petabyte [source: McKenna ]. To make things more difficult, scientists pore through 30 petabytes each year, which makes new science incredibly difficult to find [sources: CERN , McKenna ].

Given those staggering numbers, CERN's data hub can't crunch such numbers all by itself. Instead, scientists rely on the planet's largest computing network, the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid, an association of 170 computer centers in 40 countries.

The grid is the "most sophisticated data-taking and analysis system ever built for science." It runs more than 2 million jobs a day and can transfer 10 gigabytes of data from its servers every second. Without the grid, the Higgs boson might have gone undiscovered [source: WLCG ].

Atomic Vacation

If you're ever vacationing in Geneva, you can tour CERN for free, but be sure to visit the website first and submit a request. Don't forget your passport or identity card.

Also, leave your children under 13 (for group tours) at home, along with high-heeled shoes, sandals and flip-flops. You can't smoke, either [source: CERN ].

Lots More Information

Author's note: how cern works.

I like to think that if Einstein were around in 2012, he would have been delighted to hear about CERN's research and discovery. I reference Einstein not because I understand even a grain of what he's taught the world, but because today's scientists pretty much try to build upon Einstein's work. One of the things Einstein spent a lot of time studying was how atoms and light behaved. His theories ultimately led to the existence and discovery of the Higgs boson.

Related Stories

• How Atom Smashers Work
• How the Large Hadron Collider Works
• How the Big Bang Theory Works
• How Black Holes Work
• How Dark Matter Works
• How Space Collisions Work
• ATLAS Experiment, CERN. "What is ATLAS?" (July 25, 2014) http://atlas.ch/what_is_atlas.html#4
• European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). "Birth of the Web." (July 24, 2014) http://home.web.cern.ch/topics/birth-web
• European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). "Computing." (July 25, 2014) http://home.web.cern.ch/about/computing
• European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). "FAQ: LHC The Guide." (July 30, 2014) http://cds.cern.ch/record/1165534/files/CERN-Brochure-2009-003-Eng.pdf
• European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). "The History of CERN." (July 24, 2014) http://timeline.web.cern.ch/timelines/The-history-of-CERN
• European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN). "The Large Hadron Collider." (July 25, 2014) http://home.web.cern.ch/topics/large-hadron-collider
• Exploratorium. "The Heart of the Matter: Inside CERN, the world's largest particle accelerator." (July 25, 2014) http://www.exploratorium.edu/origins/cern/index.html
• Holmes, Nigel. "What Is the Higgs?" The New York Times. (July 24, 2014) http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/science/chasing-the-higgs-boson-how-2-teams-of-rivals-at CERN-searched-for-physics-most-elusive particle.html?adxnnl=1&view=Game_of_Bumps&ref=higgsboson&adxnnlx=1385219691-CQT+Ibo61fcAqjfVSynO+A&_r=1&
• McKenna, Brian. "What does a petabyte look like?" Computer Weekly. (July 25, 2014) http://www.computerweekly.com/feature/What-does-a-petabyte-look-like
• Overbye, Dennis. "Chasing the Higgs Boson." The New York Times. March 5, 2013. (July 24, 2014) http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/science/chasing-the-higgs-boson-how-2-teams-of-rivals-at-CERN-searched-for-physics-most-elusive-particle.html
• Sakai, Jill. "Heart of the Matter." On Wisconsin magazine. Fall 2008. (July 30, 2014) http://www.news.wisc.edu/on-wisconsin/heart-of-the-matter/
• Worldwide LHC Computing Grid (WLCG). "Worldwide LHC Computing Grid." (July 25, 2014) http://wlcg-public.web.cern.ch/

Original article: What Is CERN?

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CERN Accelerating science

Find below the answer to frequently asked questions. Should you not find the information you are looking for, do not hesitate to  contact us .

Preparing for your visit

CERN visits are free of charge, whether they are guided tours, exhibitions, labs, science shows or public events. Do not pay any third parties who claim that CERN is charging them.

Only if you take part in a guided tour, as some tours may take place on both sides of the Swiss-French border.

Yes. A paid car park is available next to the Globe of Science and Innovation. The bus parking available before the car park is reserved for groups with a booking. More details on our dedicated page .

No, but CERN can be reached by  public transport  and taxi. CERN is located 5.5km away from Geneva airport and 9.4km from Geneva Cornavin train station. Those arriving at Geneva airport can get bus and tram ticket from the machine in the baggage collection area of the arrivals hall. For further details please click here .

Our Resources menu  provides numerous resources for you to learn more about CERN before your visit.

French and English. Some of the team members also speak other languages.

Accessibility

Yes. There are seating areas in the exhibitions and you can borrow a wheelchair or a folding stool in the reception area upon availability. Click here for more information about accessibility .

While pets are not generally permitted on site, guide dogs for the visually impaired are welcome. Please inform the Reception personnel when you arrive.  Click here for more information about accessibility

Families and individual visitors

Families, individual visitors and small groups (less than 12 visitors) do not require prior booking. Simply show up at Reception, register on out web app, exclusively available on site, and off you go. More information here .

Booking is not required for families and individual visitors. Access to exhibitions, science shows and films (when available) is free within capacity limits. Guided tours and lab workshops can only be booked on site.  A dedicated page explains why .

Group bookings (12 visitors and more)

If the date you want cannot be selected, it means that we cannot take any more groups on this date.

CERN receives twice as many requests as it has places available , so you are advised to book your tour as early as possible. Group (12 visitors and more) booking are opened 9 monts in advance and slots fill up in days.

Some of the places visited on guided tours are a long way from the CERN Reception (up to 15 km away). It is therefore important to organise transport. CERN has a limited number of coaches/minibuses to transport visitors. If you have your own coach/minibus, we will use it during the tour to travel between the visit points. Please make sure that the driver is aware of this and is prepared to drive you. Please note that the use of private cars is not allowed. Only coaches/minibuses (with 20 to 50 seats) are allowed to bring tour parties onto our sites.

You can request for your group to have lunch in one of CERN’s on-site cafeterias at the registration time. This request has to be accepted by CERN Visits service as we have limited capacity. You will be informed quickly of the decision.

If you omitted to request for this option, please contact us and provide your group booking reference number.

If your request has been accepted, and about 2 weeks before your visit, CERN Visits Service will assign you the restaurant and the time which suits the best your programme. You will be informed of the restaurant and the time your group has been assigned to at your arrival at CERN Science Gateway reception.

Please note that it is not possible to change the restaurant nor the time assigned to your group. Refrain from contacting any CERN restaurants' management directly (unless instructed by us).

Cost for a meal in CERN restaurants vary from around 10 CHF to 20 CHF depending on the restaurant and the meal. Payments are possible in cash in CHF and EUR (but change is always returned in CHF) or by most credit/debit cards.

No. As the applicable laws differ from one country to another, CERN is unable to provide a standard risk assessment document. A medical service and fire brigade are based on the Meyrin site, and strict safety rules are in place to protect everyone working at or visiting CERN.

Connect to  http://myguidedtours.cern.ch  with your login, select the request and click on Cancel the visit  in the Other actions menu at the top.

Please submit a request using the contact form , quoting the reference number of your request. This number can be found in the automated e mails that have been sent to you and on the myguidedtours.cern.ch website.

Only if you have requested a guided tour as the visitors will enter the CERN fenced sites.

Once your guided tour request has been approved, you will be given access to a form available on myguidedtours.cern.ch to provide details of all the members of your party (first name, last name, nationality, date and place of birth).

If you have not requested a guided tour, the list of visitors is not required.

Make sure you enter only unaccented Latin characters, as shown in the machine-readable part of your identity document.

No. You can save the form and come back later to enter additional information. All visitors' details must be provided within 48 hours in the case of individual guided tours or at least 21 days before the guided tour in the case of group guided tours, otherwise visitors whose details are incomplete will be removed from the tour booking.

Yes, you are welcome to inform us of any changes, up to one day before the guided tour. No updates are possible on the day before the guided tour as this is when we need to print visitors' cards. You can inform the Reception staff of any last-minute changes when you arrive.

As soon as you arrive at the CERN Reception, please inform us of any last-minute changes. You will be requested to provide details of all visitors whose information has changed or who are not attending. Please note that the time needed to provide this information may reduce the duration of your guided tour. You are therefore advised to inform us of any changes online, up to one day before the guided tour.

No. Only the number of visitors registered on myguidedtours.cern.ch will be allowed to take part in the guided tour. Any visitors who have not been registered may visit the permanent exhibitions during the guided tour.

This information is not mandatory before your arrival, but you will have to provide it when you arrive at the CERN Reception at the latest. Make sure that you have this information with you.

No. The CERN logo is the property of CERN, and its use on any item produced by an external organisation is not permitted under any circumstances, including in the context of a school visit. However, the use of phrases such as “Visit to CERN, Geneva, Switzerland” is acceptable.

Yes, but availability is limited. School groups visiting CERN may apply to stay in the CERN hostel if all the members of the group are at least 16 years of age and have already been registered for a guided tour by the Visits Service. Teachers will be responsible for the group throughout the stay and must remain in the hostel with the pupils at all times. One teacher is required for every 10 pupils. Bookings cannot be made more than 90 days in advance of the tour and are limited to a maximum of three nights. Please note that no bookings are possible in June, July, August or September.

For all hostel bookings, please contact: CERN Hostel once your guided tour has been confirmed by the Visits Service.

Many school groups use the Geneva youth hostel . You can also find hotels nearby on Google Maps .

On-site services

Yes, CERN provides 321 lockers for free. Luggage is not permitted in our premises. All lockers must be emptied at 17.30 at the latest. A limited number of lockers can contain up to cabin-size luggage. Larger items are not allowed at CERN. We invite you to leave larger items in your coach or at your hotel. Luggage storage facilities are also available at Geneva airport and the  Cornavin train station .

Yes. The Big Bang Café welcomes you from 08.30 to 17.30. Selected groups with a booking will also be allowed to access the CERN restaurants inside fenced domain.

Yes. Free public Wi-Fi is available in and around CERN’s main buildings. Connect to CERN-Visitors Wi-Fi, and open a web browser to access our exclusive web app to register and get access to CERN Science Gateway. Should you need to access Internet, you will have to register your phone fully with a code.

Yes, the souvenir shop in the Reception area sells books, educational items, games, clothes and gifts. More information can be found here . Please note that the shop and reception close at 17:30, so set aside enough time for your shopping.

Depending on the restaurant assigned and menu chosen, a lunch cost between 15 CHF and 30 CHF. Swiss franc and euro banknotes are accepted. Change is always given in Swiss francs. CERN Restaurants accept all major credit and debit cards.

Not publicly accessible. Only groups granted restaurant access will be able to use the ATMs inside the fenced part of the site. The CERN shop accepts most credits cards .

Yes, most cards are accepted . You can also pay in cash using Swiss francs or euro notes. However, change is given in Swiss francs only.

Exhibitions

Yes, like all outreach activities at CERN, exhibitions are accessible free of charge.

Only if you are a group (12 visitors and more). Group bookings are available here .

For individual visitors, families and small groups, an onsite registration on our web app exclusively accessible onsite is the only registration needed to access freely the exhibitions and other activies. See more here .

The exhibition welcomes visitors of all ages, although it is best enjoyed by ages 8+.

The exhibitions are designed to be self-visited. But guides, recognisable with their red jacket, will be present in exhibiitions should you have a question. Don’t hesitate ask them.

Guided tours

Tours are conducted exclusively by members or former members of the CERN personnel, who give tours on a voluntary basis.

Tours last between one and a half hour (tours for individuals and families) and up to three hours (tours for groups). It is not possible to leave a tour before it ends.

Underground tours are extremely rare and limited to smaller groups. The LHC tunnel is never accessible to visitors. Only the experiment caverns can be visited during LHC shutdowns. But there are plenty of interesting places to visit above ground! The final tour programme is decided at the last minute to take operational and safety constraints into account and cannot be confirmed in advance.

Find our more on our dedicated page .

Yes, CERN has no secrets and you can photograph or film anything you wish throughout your visit, as long as you do not violate the privacy rights of individuals.

Jessica Bodner, Jay Campbell, and Geneva Lewis

String trio.

Sunday Concert

Coming Soon / Online / In-Person

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Divertimento in E-flat major

Arnold Schoenberg

String Trio Op. 45

A trio of rising stars among string players, violist Jessica Bodner , cellist Jay Campbell , and violinist Geneva Lewis join to perform a special program of string trios by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Arnold Schoenberg . One of Mozart’s finest and most inspired compositions, Divertimento in E-flat major was also his only completed work for string trio and his longest piece of chamber music. Schoenberg’s String Trio Op. 45 was completed a mere week after the composer had suffered a heart attack. He wove subtle programmatic elements of his near-death experience into this intricately composed piece, his last major chamber music work.

About Jessica Bodner

Jessica Bodner, described by the New York Times as a "soulful soloist", is the violist of the Grammy award-winning Parker Quartet. Jessica began her musical studies on the violin at the age of two, then switched to the viola at the age of twelve because of her love of the deeper sonority.

Ms. Bodner has recently appeared at venues such as Carnegie Hall, 92nd Street Y, Library of Congress, Concertgebouw, Wigmore Hall, Musikverein, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Seoul Arts Center, and has appeared at festivals including Edinburgh International Festival, Chamber Music Northwest, Chamberfest Cleveland, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, Yellow Barn, Perigord Noir in France, Monte Carlo Spring Arts Festival, San Miguel de Allende, Istanbul’s Cemal Recit Rey, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hitzacker, and Heidelberg String Quartet Festival. As a member of the Parker Quartet, she has recorded for ECM Records, Zig-Zag Territoires, Nimbus, and Naxos.

Jessica is a faculty member of Harvard University's Department of Music as Professor of the Practice in conjunction with the Parker Quartet's appointment as Blodgett Quartet-in-Residence. She has held visiting faculty positions at the New England Conservatory and Longy School of Music, served as faculty at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and Yellow Barn Festival, and has given masterclasses at institutions such as Eastman School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, Amherst College, University of Minnesota, and at the El Sistema program in Venezuela.

Outside of music, Jessica enjoys cooking, running, practicing yoga, and hiking with her husband, violinist Daniel Chong, their son, Cole, and their vizsla, Bodie.

About Jay Campbell

Jay Campbell is a cellist actively exploring a wide range of creative music. He has been recognized for approaching both old and new music with the same curiosity and commitment, and his performances have been called “electrifying” by the New York Times and “gentle, poignant, and deeply moving” by the Washington Post .

The only musician ever to receive two Avery Fisher Career Grants — in 2016 as a soloist, and again in 2019 as a member of the JACK Quartet — Jay made his concerto debut with the New York Philharmonic in 2013 and in 2016, he worked with Alan Gilbert as the artistic director for Ligeti Forward , part of the New York Philharmonic Biennale at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2017, he was Artist-in-Residence at the Lucerne Festival along with frequent collaborator violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, where he gave the premiere of Luca Francesconi’s cello concerto Das Ding Singt . In 2018 he appeared at the Berlin Philharmonie with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. He has recorded the concertos of George Perle and Marc-Andre Dalbavie with the Seattle Symphony, and in 2023/2024 will premiere a new concerto, Reverdecer, by Andreia Pinto-Correia with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Portugal, and in Brazil with the Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo. In 2022 he returned to the Los Angeles Philharmonic as curator and cellist for his second Green Umbrella concert, premiering two concertos by Wadada Leo Smith and inti figgis-vizueta. 

Jay’s primary artistic interest is the collaboration with living creative musicians and has worked in this capacity with Catherine Lamb, John Luther Adams, Marcos Balter, Tyshawn Sorey, and many others. His close association with John Zorn resulted in two discs of new works for cello, Hen to Pan (2015) and Azoth (2020). Deeply committed as a chamber musician, he is the cellist of the JACK Quartet as well as the Junction Trio with violinist Stefan Jackiw and pianist Conrad Tao, and multidisciplinary collective AMOC .

About Geneva Lewis

Kiwi/American violinist Geneva Lewis has forged a reputation as a musician of consummate artistry whose performances speak from and to the heart. Lauded for “remarkable mastery of her instrument” (CVNC) and hailed as “clearly one to watch” (Musical America), Geneva is the recipient of a 2022 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant and Grand Prize winner of the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Competition. Additional accolades include Kronberg Academy’s Prince of Hesse Prize, being named a Performance Today Young Artist in Residence, and Musical America’s New Artist of the Month. Most recently, Geneva was named one of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Artists.

​Since her solo debut at age 11 with the Pasadena POPS, Geneva has gone on to perform with orchestras including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Pensacola Symphony and Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and with conductors including Nicholas McGegan, Edwin Outwater, Michael Feinstein, Sameer Patel, Peter Rubardt, and Dirk Meyer. The 2022-23 season includes performances with the Auckland Philharmonia, North Carolina Symphony, Augusta Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Austin Symphony and Arkansas Symphony. In recital, recent and upcoming highlights include performances at Wigmore Hall, Tippet Rise, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Washington Performing Arts, Merkin Hall, and the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts.

Deeply passionate about collaboration, Geneva has had the pleasure of performing with such prominent musicians as Jonathan Biss, Glenn Dicterow, Miriam Fried, Kim Kashkashian, Gidon Kremer, Marcy Rosen, Sir András Schiff, and Mitsuko Uchida, among others. She is also a founding member of the Callisto Trio, Artist-in-Residence at the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles. Callisto received the Bronze Medal at the Fischoff Competition as the youngest group to ever compete in the senior division finals. They were recently invited on the Masters on Tour series of the International Holland Music Sessions and performed at the celebrated Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam.

An advocate of community engagement and music education, Geneva was selected for the New England Conservatory’s Community Performances and Partnerships Program’s Ensemble Fellowship, through which her string quartet created interactive educational programs for audiences throughout Boston. Her quartet was also chosen for the Virginia Arts Festival Residency, during which they performed and presented masterclasses in elementary, middle, and high schools.

​Geneva received her Artist Diploma and Bachelor of Music as the recipient of the Charlotte F. Rabb Presidential Scholarship at the New England Conservatory, studying with Miriam Fried. Prior to that, she studied with Aimée Kreston at the Colburn School of Performing Arts. She is currently studying at Kronberg Academy with Professor Mihaela Martin. These studies are funded by the Strauss Family Patronage. Past summers have taken her to the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia Steans Institute, Perlman Music Program’s Chamber Workshop, International Holland Music Sessions, Taos School of Music and the Heifetz International Music Institute.

​Geneva is currently performing on a composite violin by G.B. Guadagnini, c. 1766, generously on loan from a Charitable Trust. 

Upcoming Concerts

Trio con Brio Copenhagen

Kit Armstrong

Santiago Cañón-Valencia and Victor Santiago Asuncion