Geneva | International Watch Museum | Olympic Museum | STAY The top hotel

The International Watch Museum (011-41-32-967-68-61, www.mih.ch)

Omega,/B> (011-41-32-343-9211, www.omegawatches.com)

Patek Philippe (011-41-22-807-09-10,
www.patekmuseum.com)

Factory tours and smaller museums require appointments, and some are limited to certain days and hours, so you'll want to call ahead. These include:

Audemars Piguet (011-41-21-845-1401,
www.audemars­piguet.com)

Blancpain (011-41-21-796-3636, www.blancpain.ch)

Ebel Villa Turque (www.ebel.ch). Note: Ebel Villa
Turque, which houses Ebel's Public Relations Center, is open to visitors from 11 a.m. to four p.m. on the first and last Saturday of each month. Admission is free.

Franck Muller Watchland (011-41-22-959-8888,
www.watchland.ch)

Jaeger-LeCoultre (www.jaeger-lecoultre.com)

Vacheron Constantin (011-41-22-930-2005,
www.vacheron-constantin.com)

WHERE TO STAY
The top hotel in Geneva, the Des Bergues, recently reopened after a nearly yearlong refurbishment and conversion to the Four Seasons des Bergues (www.fourseasons.com). It has a fantastic location in the heart of downtown on the banks of Lake Geneva.

In the Joux Valley, lodging is very limited, but the best choice is the Hotel des Horlogers (011-41-21-845-0845), within walking distance of several watch firms.

Another option is to stay in Lausanne, a gorgeous resort city nearly equidistant (about 45 minutes) to the watch-centric towns of Le Sentier, La Chaux-de-Fonds, and Biel. It is also home to the fabulous Olympic Museum (www