Tours organised by members of the personnel

 Guides tours organised by CERN members of the personnel

 Key information

General principle General principle
Members of the CERN personnel (organisers) may request the booking of a guided tour using the timeslots that are not taken up by the standard tours (individual, groups) organised by the Visits Service. Please note that itineraries are scheduled 21 days before the visit for logistic reasons.
For most visit points, priority is given to the standard tours organised by the Visits Service - Check here
However, certain visit points (mostly the experimental areas) are open only to guided tours organised by members of the CERN personnel - Check here
Guided tours organised by members of the CERN personnel should NOT be used to get around the existing limitations applicable to standard tours (individuals, groups): e.g. welcoming a school that has received a negative decision by Visits Service.
Opening times When can a guided tour organised by members of the CERN personnel take place and be booked?
Guided tours usually take place from Monday to Saturday, from 8.00 to 18.00 (exception can be requested if justified in the booking form).
Guided tours organised by members of the CERN personnel at any other time require additional authorisation
Each visit point has its own booking deadlines - check here; in the case of multiple visit points, contact us
What can be visited? What can be visited?
Only the official visit points (check here) managed by the Visits Service agenda. Other, non-official visit points require authorisation by the person in charge
The visit programme will depend on the availability of the visit points and the applicable access and safety rules - Check here
Use the Visit Point agenda to check availability
Less than 11 visitors Who can participate in a guided tour organised by members of the CERN personnel?
The guided tours are available for VIPs, professional partners, Departmental activties, colleagues, families, friends, etc. Please explain the context in the comments field.
Some visit points have access restrictions (age, pregnancy, medical implants, etc.) - Check here
Groups should normally not be larger than 11 visitors (if your group is larger, please book a standard guided tour for groups or exception can be requested if justified in the booking form)
Guide Who can guide the guided tour?
Visitors can be guided only by an official guide who has completed training for the visit points concerned
It is the responsibility of the organiser to find guides for the tour (exception can be requested in the booking form)
Use the Guides Search tool to identify and contact guides for the given visit points and language
Mandatory Registration Do the visitors have to be registered ?
Yes, like everyone accessing the CERN sites
If visitors do not already have a valid card to access the CERN sites (CERN card, visitor card, etc.), the organiser is responsible for obtaining their personal details and registering them in https://myvisits.cern.ch once the tour has been approved.
Visitor Badge How to retrieve visitors badges and what access do they give right?
VIsitor badges can be retrieved at Science Gateway Reception before the guided tour (Tue-Sun 08.00-18.00) or at Visits Service (86/R-001) on Mondays (08.00-17.00).
Access to CERN sites is only granted in the context of the guided tour (during time of the tour and only to sites planned in the tour programme). In particular, visitor badges delivered by Visits Service (white lanyard) do not grant access to CERN restaurants during peak hours (12.00-13.00).
Visitors with a visitor badge delivered by Visits Service (white lanyard) must always be accompanied by an official guide when on CERN sites.
Recommended from 12 years old What age should  visitors be?
In general, guided tours at CERN are recommended for ages 12+ and the CERN sites are accessible to visitors aged 10+
Some visit points have age restrictions - Check here
Minors must be accompanied by at least one adult.
Bus needed How are visitors transported to visit points?
Transport must be arranged and paid for by the organiser (exception can be requested if justified in the booking form)
Most CERN sites are not accessible to private cars.
The CERN Mobility Centre may be able to help with transport arrangements for groups.
Language In which language can tours be given?
Tours are given in 30 languages (depending on guide availability)
Check the languages spoken by the guides in the Guides Search tool
Free entrance How much does a guided tour organised by members of the CERN personnel cost?
All CERN guided tours are free of charge.
Guides may not receive payment by CERN for guided tours organised by members of the CERN personnel (exception can be requested if justified in the booking form).
Nor cash nor benefits in kind should be received by guides from visitors in exchange of guiding.

Important note

Exceptions to the above rules (reservation deadline, size of group, organisation of transport, finding guides, etc.) can be requested in the booking form. Please include an justification of your request (e.g. VIP group, no guide responded, etc.) in the request form.

More information

A presentation about visits organised by Member of personnel is available here. The recording of the presentation is available here.

Procedure for booking a guided tour organised by members of the CERN personnel

  • Check the availability of the visit points and plan your itinerary
  • Identify a guide and obtain their agreement to show your visitors around
  • Organise transport if needed
  • When booking within the applicable reservation period (check booking period for each visit point - for multiple visit points, contact us), fill in the form by clicking on the button below
  • Your request will be approved or rejected by the  service concerned (Visits Service or experiment or department) within five working days.
  • Once your guided tour has been approved, you will have to provide identity details of all the members of your party (last name, first name, date of birth, place of birth, country of birth and nationality) who do not yet have a valid access card for the CERN sites.
    More information on what we do with visitors’ personal data