Top museums

Four collections – Poster, Design, Graphics and Applied Art – encompass more than 500,000 objects at the Museum für Gestaltung. Switzerland’s foremost museum of design and visual communication is also one of the leading institutions in Europe, known for its fascinating temporary exhibitions.

The Zentrum Paul Klee Museum combines art, music and creativity under one roof. In the undulating architecture of Renzo Piano, you will be immersed in the painter's work. Children create their own art in the Creaviva studio.

The Kunsthaus Zürich is the largest art museum in Switzerland. In the classic Moser Building and David Chipperfield's modern new building, you will discover works from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The Museum Tinguely houses the world’s largest collection of art by Jean Tinguely, famous for his moving mechanical sculptures. Interactive exhibitions explore his influences, the work of his contemporaries and the latest trends.

Year after year, people flock to Riehen from near and far to immerse in the art world of Hildy and Ernst Beyeler. They come to view the collection of works from classical modernism or one of the sensational exhibitions. However, the building designed by Renzo Piano and its park is worth the journey too.

Fine arts, photography and contemporary art brought together in one single spot near Lausanne station, in a cultural area that is unique in Switzerland.

At the National Museum Zurich, you can explore Swiss history from archaeology to the present day – visit permanent and special exhibitions, take part in guided tours and workshops and discover a collection of over 870,000 objects.

A monumental panorama, a piece of European cultural heritage and a symbol of Switzerland’s humanitarian tradition – the Bourbaki Panorama brings together a multitude of stories: political events, personal outcomes, everyday stories and a slice of art, culture and media history. There is no doubt that the Bourbaki Panorama is a genuine “visual miracle”.

The Art Museum St.Gallen offers an attractive programme of exhibitions of international significance and as a treasure trove of exhibits from Eastern Switzerland is home to a rich collection of paintings and sculptures from the late Middle Ages to the present.

With its charming French gardens and English park with sculptures by Richard Serra – both of which can be enjoyed on Sundays – Villa Wenkenhof is Basel’s answer to Versailles in miniature.

The villa of the Hermitage Foundation solely houses changing art exhibitions. What is permanent is the magnificent view of Lake Geneva and Notre-Dame Cathedral, a view that inspired the leading landscape painter Camille Corot.

Jeremias Gotthelf was the pen name of a pastor and novelist in the Emmental whose depictions of 19th-century country life made him one of Switzerland’s best-loved writers. In his carefully restored former home in Lützelflüh, the Gotthelf Centre, which opened in August 2012, beautifully evokes the period.

Located by Lake Geneva in Swiss Vevey, Alimentarium is the first museum in the world devoted exclusively to nutrition. A wonderful and educational vegetable garden also belongs to the museum.

The fortifications of Bellinzona are an extraordinary example of a late-medieval defensive structure located at a key strategic point on the Alpine pass. The castles of Bellinzona are among the most marvelous examples of medieval fortified architecture in the Alps.

Discover the world of chocolate: At the Maison Cailler chocolate factory in Broc, you will experience the history of Switzerland's oldest chocolate brand, taste different varieties and create your own creations in workshops.

Each year, the Thun Art Museum hosts five temporary exhibitions that are mainly devoted to contemporary art. In addition to thematic and monographic special exhibitions, one collection exhibition is organised each year.

More direct access than ever before: besides interactive displays, surprising objects and large-scale video screens, visitors to the Museum of Communication will now also be introduced to the fascinating world of communication by people made of flesh and blood, by our communicators.

The museum includes the castles of Lenzburg, Wildegg, Hallwyl, Habsburg, the monastery of Königsfelden, the Legionnaire's Path, the Wettingen Monastery Peninsula, the Vindonissa Legionary Trail, the Vindonissa Museum, the Egliswil Collection Centre and the Aabach Industrial CulTOUR. Each of these monuments is an authentic witness to a long history.

The Villa Langmatt, built in 1900 by Karl Moser, is a legacy of the industrialist and collector family of Sidney and Jenny Brown-Sulzer, co-founding family of Brown, Boveri & Cie., now ABB, and now serves as an impressionist and living history museum.

The interactive world of chocolate for young and old.

Fondation Gianadda in Martigny is an internationally renowned cultural foundation with multi-faceted aspects. The museum offerings range from archaeological exhibits, a vintage car and sculpture park to art collections and concerts.

The Château de Prangins was built in the 18th century by Louis Guiguer, a Swiss banker living in Paris, and has hosted illustrious guests from Voltaire to Joseph Bonaparte.Overlooking Lake Geneva, this beautiful listed building is home to the Swiss National Museum.

With the opening of the Forum Würth Rorschach, the 15th gallery of the Würth collection has begun its work. Situated directly on the lakeshore, it is the third Swiss location alongside Arlesheim and Chur.

The special museum in Romont, the Swiss Glass Museum, exhibits works of art that have been created on and behind glass. The exhibits range from Medieval glass paintings to the art of reverse glass painting. Romont houses the world's largest collection of the latter.

The Art and History Museum has over 7,000 exhibits on display, ranging from prehistoric finds to modern paintings. The Musée d’art et d’histoire, which opened its doors in 1910, is the largest art museum in the city of Geneva and home to an extensive collection by the eccentric and distinctive Swiss portraitist Jean-Etienne Liotard.

Since the 1970s old farmhouses, stables, bakehouses or barns are no longer demolished when they are due to be replaced by modern buildings. Instead, the buildings are dismantled stone by stone, and rebuilt in the Ballenberg Open Air Museum.