The Maison Tavel is Geneva's oldest surviving private house, and it earned that distinction the hard way. In 1334, a fire tore through roughly two-thirds of the city. When the Tavel family rebuilt, they went further than most: they constructed a fortified townhouse with two towers. One tower has since gone; the other still stands on the right side of the facade.

The Tavels were merchants of some means. On the ground floor, they kept a shop, the rough equivalent of today's supermarket. On the first floor, they handled their real estate and banking affairs. The house later became the city museum, and admission remains free.

VoiceMap's self-guided audio tour of Geneva's Old Town uses the Maison Tavel as a pivot point in the city's story, connecting it to a remarkable near-eight-metre model of Geneva on the third floor, showing the city's fortifications before their demolition around 1850.