Top museums

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

Visit the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen near Basel. The museum, designed by Renzo Piano, is located in a park with water lily ponds and displays over 400 works from Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh to Warhol.

At the Museum Tinguely in Basel you will find the world's largest collection of Jean Tinguely's artworks. Set his kinetic machines in motion at the touch of a button and hear them clatter. The museum building on the Rhine was designed by Mario Botta.

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 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 collections of the capital city’s fine arts museum, the Kunstmuseum Bern, are among the finest in the country. The innovative venue also offers a creative forum for exploring current trends in art as well as the changing world around us.

From Urs Fischer and Yoko Ono to Ugo Rondinone: the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst is completely devoted to contemporary art – and the Löwenbräu-Areal is the perfect location for it.

Discover the history of the Olympic Games from antiquity to the present day at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Over 1,500 objects, interactive stations and an 8,000 square metre sculpture park await you on Lake Geneva.

Swissminiature is Switzerland on a smaller scale. There are 128 models of houses, castles and monuments in the open air, distributed throughout the 14,000 square meter park. The models have been recreated authentically - with great attention to detail - and are surrounded by thousands of plants and flowers.

In the Canton of Vaud, the salt mines of Bex have been extracting salt from the mountain for centuries. Hop on the mine train, explore the tunnels with only a lantern in hand and combine the tour with a meal at Brasserie La Mine.

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.

At the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne, you will discover mobility, technology and communication on land, on water, in the air and in space. History comes alive, the future is tangible – an excursion in any weather.

At the Swiss Science Centre Technorama in Winterthur, touching is encouraged. Here you can explore scientific phenomena with all your senses. Over 500 experiment stations, shows and workshops invite you to discover.

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.

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.