The passport is available free of charge, in English and French, from tourist offices and town halls in the Pays de Gex and the Canton of Geneva, as well as Genève Roule (Montbrillant), Meyrin Roule, Pro Vélo Genève and CERN Reception. More information and downloads.

No, you can enjoy the Passport to the Big Bang without booking in advance. It’s open all day, every day, all year round.

Absolutely nothing, it’s completely free of charge (unless you need to hire a bike, which will be at your own expense).

The route crosses the French-Swiss border several times. If you plan to follow a part of the route that crosses the border, please remember to take the necessary identity documents with you. 

You should allow around 30 minutes to travel between platforms, which are spaced roughly 4 kilometres apart. You can travel the route at your or your group’s own pace and according to the weather conditions.

Yes, you are not obliged to complete the whole circuit in one go. It is designed so that cyclists can go from one stage to the next at their own pace. In addition, the stages don’t have to be completed in any particular order. The puzzles included in the booklet are independent of one another.

The content of the information boards is aimed at everyone aged 8 and upwards. The cycle route may be difficult for younger kids.

Yes, but the teacher who organises the activity and accompanies the group remains responsible. CERN cannot be held liable. The minimum recommended age for the Passport to the Big Bang is 8 years old.

The route as a whole is not especially taxing. However, it does cross busy roads and some of the paths can be gravelly or muddy. You should judge for yourself if you feel comfortable doing it.

Some parts of the trail are a little gravelly or can be muddy after wet weather. While city bikes can be used, a mountain bike is the most appropriate kind of bike for this route.

Our partners Genèveroule (Terrassière and Montbrillant) and Meyrinroule (in Meyrin Village) will be happy to help. Meyrinroule is close to CERN Reception. Of course, you can hire a bike from any other provider.

All the platforms except for the Acceleration stage in Échenevex are located near TPG bus stops, but they are not all on the same bus line. They are all accessible by car too.

You can also walk the trail but, given the length of the route, we recommend that you complete it in sections. Note that the route crosses some busy roads, so please be careful.

Each platform is located next to a car park or an area big enough to park a car.

Yes, all the platforms except for the Acceleration stage in Échenevex are located near TPG bus stops, but they are not all on the same bus line. Consult www.tpg.ch to plan your itinerary.

The platforms feature telescopes, some with videos, as well as boards providing information about the theme of the stage (e.g. cryogenics) and interactive stands, which will give you your activation codes for the LHC Mission challenge. CERN’s buildings, however, are not open to the public except as part of a guided tour.

The LHC has been shut down. We need your help: Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to restart the particle accelerator of CERN.

To do this, you need to collect ten activation codes, one for each stage of the Passport to the Big Bang. More precisely, at each stage, you will discover a code that you can note in your passport. These codes are unique to you.

You can visit the stages in any order and complete your mission at your own pace.

Once you have all the codes, visit https://passeport-big-bang.web.cern.ch/form/mission-lhc. Fill in the form. If you found the right codes, the LHC will restart and you will receive a certificate of achievement by email.

For additional information, email us at Passeport.bigbang@cern.ch. 

ATLAS : 46.233429°N, 6.054022°E

CCC : 46.254716°N, 6.059168°E

Neutrinos : 46.249278°N, 6.067911°E

ALICE : 46.250912°N, 6.021482°E

Acceleration : 46.304173°N, 6.037543°E

CMS : 46.310654°N, 6.077566°E

Environment : 46.293093°N, 6.112523°E

Cryogenics : 46.265961°N, 6.114076°E

LHCb : 46.241406°N, 6.096072°E

Precision : 46.233980°N, 6.074974°E

The Passport to the Big Bang is an opportunity to learn about CERN independently: there are no guides at the platforms and it’s not possible to book one. To arrange a guided tour of CERN, please go to www.cern.ch/visits.

The ATLAS platform in Meyrin is located in front of the CERN Reception. The water and toilet facilities there are freely accessible during its usual opening hours.

Aside from that, there are no drinking fountains in the immediate vicinity of the platforms, so remember to bring your own bottle(s) of water.

Picnic areas or parks can be found near or on the way to the ATLAS, CCC, Neutrinos, CMS and Acceleration stages. The other stages do not have picnic areas nearby.

Not as part of the Passport to the Big Bang, but you can visit certain parts of the Laboratory in a guided tour, by reservation.

Please contact us at passeport.bigbang@cern.ch.

The Mission LHC application is currently unavailable.
We will try to make it available again as soon as possible. In the meantime, please contact passeport.bigbang@cern.ch to validate the mission.