Museums

At the heart of the charming medieval old town of Fribourg - just a few steps from the Espace Jean Tinguely / Niki de Saint-Phalle - the museum of art and history invites you on diverse journeys of discovery. And very few people know that the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire houses the largest collection of sculptures of Switzerland.

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.

Photos are representations of reality - or of alternatives to reality. The photo museum in Winterthur is showcasing the world through a lens. A unique European center of excellence for photographic art has been established, thanks to collaboration with the Swiss Photo Foundation.

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 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.

The Zentrum Paul Klee, which opened in 2005, is dedicated to the person, life and work of Paul Klee (1879–1940). It houses the worldwide largest collection of Klee's works. Paul Klee is regarded as one of the 20th century's most important artists.

The internationally renowned 
Musée de l’Elysée is one of Europe’s leading museums devoted entirely to photography. The building that houses it is exceptionally photogenic: an 18th-century villa with views of Lake Geneva.

The Kunstmuseum Basel was recently enhanced by a new building, bringing the total to three. Contemporary art is shown in the Kunstmuseum Basel | Gegenwart, about five minutes’ walk from the main building.

The Kunsthaus Zürich boasts Zurich’s largest collection of modern art and is renowned both for its permanent art collection and its temporary exhibitions. In addition to works by Alberto Giacometti there are also significant pictures by Picasso, Monet and Chagall as well as numerous contemporary Swiss artists.

The Mamco, Geneva’s Musée d’art moderne et contemporain is original in every way. Since it opened in 1994, Switzerland’s major contemporary art museum has operated a dynamic display policy.

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.

Solothurn Fine Arts Museum boasts one of the most beautiful and high-calibre collections in Switzerland.

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 idyllically situated wine-making village of Jenins boasts an attraction that is unique in the world: the Greisinger Museum. It is dedicated to the world of English fantasy writer J. R. R. Tolkien: Middle-earth. Tolkien became famous for books like “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings”.

Founded in 1991, the gallery is located in the heart of the Old Town of Chur. About seven exhibitions by individual artists and group exhibitions are held each year.

When around 150 years ago the first winter sports fans made their way to Switzerland, this marked the beginning of skiing tourism in a number of places - including Grindelwald.

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.

It can be proved that Vacheron Constantin is the oldest watch manufacturer in Switzerland.

High above the Aletsch Glacier, the focal point of the Unesco World Heritage - Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch, you will find the Bettmerhorn's world of ice.

Basel is the Swiss architectural Mecca - as seen on setting foot inside the Museum of Architecture on the Barfüsserplatz in Basel. However, it’s not only the sum of famous Basel buildings you get acquainted with here - instead, intelligent and innovative exhibitions encourage debates on dealing with the different facets of modern architecture.

It’s a fairy tale land of dolls. Antique and new dolls, teddy bears, toys, plush toys and lots of other items can be admired in this museum.

Go back in time to the life of clock-making peasants in the Neuchâtel Jura.

The Swiss Woodcarving Museum is the only museum in Switzerland dedicated exclusively to woodcarving.

This museum is dedicated to Brother Klaus (Nicholas of Flüe, 1417-1487), father and hermit, farmer and visionary, politician and mystic, and Switzerland's only saint.

Become the fount of all knowledge on any matter relating to the largest lake in Western Europe!

Swiss watches are much more than a luxury item. This becomes obvious to all who travel to the Neuenburg Jura, to La Chaux-de-Fonds and Le Locle on the historic day in honor of the watchmaking industry. They gain insight into the secrets of the art of watchmaking.

Immerse into the depths of the earth at the place of the former Silberberg mining works. The exciting story of the mining industry is also vividly told in the Grisons mining museum.

Is it the mansion from the 19th century or the multi-faceted collection of the museum it houses that attracts so many people to Villa dei Cedri?

The Post Museum in the Principality of Liechtenstein founded in 1930 first opened its door in 1936. Here’s the place to discover Liechtenstein’s post and philately story.

In the Centre Müller Machine Museum, more than 150 machines dating from the years 1880 to 1940 are on display in reconstructed workshops from the early 20th century.

St. Gallen's Abbey precinct with its magnificent baroque cathedral is a unique historic ensemble. The Abbey library is one of the world's oldest and loveliest libraries.

A train ride with an over 100 years old steam train! The "Zürcher Museumsbahn" offers this unique event which will make the stay in and around Zurich even more rememberable.