Museum Rietberg

Museum Rietberg is the most beautiful museum setting in Zurich and one of the finest collections of non-European art in Europe, yet many visitors never find it. It sits in the Rieterpark, a landscaped hillside park with old trees and views over Lake Zurich in the Enge district, and it spreads across historic villas and a modern extension. The main building is the Villa Wesendonck, a neoclassical villa built in the 1850s for the silk merchant Otto Wesendonck and his wife Mathilde, the patrons of Richard Wagner; Wagner lived next door for a time and worked on Tristan and Isolde here, and the Wesendonck Lieder take their name from Mathilde, whose poems he set to music. Since the 1950s the villas have housed the city's museum for the arts of Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania, built around the collection of Baron Eduard von der Heydt. In 2007 the museum opened its extension, known as the Emerald, a glass pavilion in green tones above ground that leads to large exhibition halls built underground, so the park and the villas remain undisturbed. The permanent collection is strong in Indian and Himalayan sculpture, Chinese and Japanese painting and ceramics, Buddhist art, African masks and sculpture, and art of ancient America and Oceania, plus a collection of Swiss carnival masks. The displays are calm and spacious, with good English texts. The museum is also known for its temporary exhibitions, often focused on one culture, region or theme, which are among the most thoughtful in Switzerland. The Rieterpark itself is worth the visit: paths wind between the villas, there are benches with lake views, and in summer the museum cafe sells picnic baskets. Opening hours are Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, with late opening until 8pm on Thursdays; it is closed on Mondays. Admission is moderate by Zurich standards, and free with the Zurich Card.

How to visit: start in the Emerald, which leads to the main collection and the special exhibitions underground, then walk through the park to the Villa Wesendonck and the other villas, where smaller displays and changing presentations are housed. A thorough visit takes two to three hours; a focused one, an hour and a half. Thursday evenings are quieter and atmospheric, especially in winter when the villas are lit. Check the museum website for the current exhibitions, holiday hours and guided tours, some in English.

Getting there: the museum is in the Enge district, about two kilometres south of the main station. Take a tram towards the Enge area and walk up through the park, or walk along the lake from the Buerkliplatz and climb the hill, about thirty minutes on foot from the Old Town. It pairs naturally with the lakeside south of the centre: combine it with the FIFA Museum near Enge station or a stroll along the Mythenquai.

Who it suits: travellers who love art and want something different from the European painting at the Kunsthaus, couples looking for a peaceful afternoon, and anyone curious about Wagner. Children may find the collection quiet, although the museum runs family programmes. Even if you do not go inside, a walk through the Rieterpark is one of the best free hours in Zurich.