Swiss National Museum

The Swiss National Museum, known locally as the Landesmuseum, is the country's most important museum of cultural history and one of the most visited museums in Switzerland, and it sits in an unforgettable building directly behind Zurich main station. The original museum, designed by Gustav Gull and opened at the end of the nineteenth century, looks like a castle, with turrets, towers, gables and round arches, built to evoke the Swiss past it was made to house. In 2016 a bold extension by the Basel architects Christ and Gantenbein added a long, angular wing of exposed concrete, with a bridge reaching towards the Platzspitz park at the point where the Sihl and the Limmat meet. The museum's collection numbers well over 800,000 objects, of which only a fraction is on display. The permanent exhibitions are the place to start. The History of Switzerland follows the country from the late Middle Ages to the present, explaining how a loose alliance of valleys and cities became a modern federal state with direct democracy and four languages. The Archaeology of Switzerland goes back much further, to the earliest traces of people in the Alps, the lake-dwellers and the Celts and Romans. The Collection presents some 7,000 objects from a thousand years of Swiss craftsmanship, from carved altarpieces and stained glass to clocks, jewellery and furniture, and a series of historic rooms rebuilt from old Swiss houses, with panelled walls and tiled stoves, offers a walk through domestic life. Temporary exhibitions in the new wing range across history, photography and society; the annual Swiss Press Photo show is a regular favourite. The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, with longer hours on Thursdays, and closes on Mondays; on Christmas Eve 2026 it closes at 2pm. Admission is a moderate charge in francs, with free entry for children, and the courtyard and the Platzspitz park are free.

How to visit: allow two to three hours. Begin with the History of Switzerland for the big picture, then choose between the Archaeology galleries and the craftsmanship of The Collection according to taste, and finish in the new wing with the current temporary exhibition. A free app with audio guides helps in English. The family exhibition is a highlight for younger visitors: children from about four years old can explore an Arab palace, a large sailing ship and an old railway compartment in a hands-on space included in the ticket, which makes the museum one of the best options in Zurich on a rainy day with children. The museum shop, a bistro and the courtyard, which hosts events in summer and an ice rink or markets in some winters, round off the visit.

Location and connections: you can be inside the museum five minutes after stepping off a train, which makes it ideal for an arrival or departure day with luggage stored at the station. The Platzspitz park behind the museum is a pleasant green point between two rivers, and the river cruise boats on the Limmat start from the landing stage by the museum in season. From the museum, the Old Town begins just across the river at Central, and the Bahnhofstrasse runs south from the station to the lake.

Special dates and passes: the museum keeps longer hours on some event days and joins Zurich's Long Night of the Museums each September; it closes on the Sechselaeuten spring festival day in April 2027 and on the Knabenschiessen holiday in September 2027. The Swiss Travel Pass and the Swiss Museum Pass give access to many Swiss museums; check the museum's ticket page for current conditions. It is the best single introduction to the country you are visiting, and a good first stop before the mountains.