Promenade de la Treille

The Promenade de la Treille

The Geneva audio-guided tour takes you onto the Promenade de la Treille, the oldest promenade of the city, which offers a pretty view over the Parc des Bastions below.

Chestnut trees, record bench and arrival of spring

Laid out around 1515, at the time a fortified platform allowing the surroundings to be watched, the promenade gradually became adorned with trees, in particular the chestnut trees that have lined its alleys since the eighteenth century. One of them is observed every day with attention: it serves as the official reference to announce the arrival of spring, as soon as its first bud appears, according to a well-anchored Geneva tradition. The promenade also has the longest wooden bench in the world, which stretches over a hundred and twenty metres: impossible not to find a place there. Located in the old town, just above the Reformers' Wall, it connects the private mansions of the Rue des Granges to the Town Hall, in a wooded and peaceful setting, prized by walkers.

What there is to see

The Promenade de la Treille charms with its hundred-year-old chestnut trees, its plunging view over the Parc des Bastions and its hundred-and-twenty-metre bench, the longest in the world. One discovers there the official chestnut tree of spring, a very Geneva curiosity. It is a peaceful stop in the heart of the old town, between history and nature.

Practical information

The Promenade de la Treille is in the old town of Geneva, above the Parc des Bastions and the Reformers' Wall. In free access on foot at all hours, it can be discovered along the walk.

What is special about the Treille bench?

With its hundred and twenty metres long, it is the longest wooden bench in the world.

Why does one observe a Treille chestnut tree?

Because it serves as the official reference to announce the arrival of spring, at the appearance of its first bud.