Top museums

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.

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.

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 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.

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”.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

The visitor trail provides a complete immersion into the brand, history and products of Cailler of Switzerland. The experience is sensitive, sensual and poetic, giving the visitor a window into the world of chocolate by means of a transparent and sparkling aesthetic.

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.