Museums

Built in 1996 on the site of a lakeside village dating back to 3000 B.C., the Neolithic farm at Gletterens brings the prehistoric past back to life. Clay houses and straw rooves have been built here, just as they were 5,000 years ago. Archaeologists decided to create a colonyfrom the Neolithic era and were able to get an idea of how people lived in their "lake dwellings" from the archaeological sites at Tene.

Watch how the famous Gruyère AOP is made from fresh alpine milk. At the La Maison du Gruyère show dairy, you can look directly into the copper kettle of the cheesemakers and taste the cheese in 3 degrees of ripeness.

For centuries the ownership of salt mines meant wealth and power. The salt deposits at Bex, discovered in the 15th century, are still mined today. The salt mines are accessible to visitors, a museum depicts the mining of salt from 1684 to the present.

Montebello Castle is the second-largest castle in Bellinzona. It was built in the late Middle Ages and is often referred to as the “small castle”, “new castle” or “medium-sized castle”.