Swiss National Museum
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Swiss National Museum in Zurich showcases Swiss history and culture from its beginnings to the present day, featuring permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Planning your visit
The Swiss National Museum occupies a purpose-built castle-like structure of 1898 beside Zurich's main station, extended in 2016 with a raw concrete wing by Christ & Gantenbein that folds around the old building — a widely praised piece of contemporary Swiss architecture in its own right.
The permanent exhibitions run from prehistory through the confederation's formation, the Reformation in Zurich under Zwingli, the mercenary trade that was for centuries Switzerland's main export, industrialisation, and the twentieth century including neutrality and its complications.
The collections include arms and armour, religious sculpture and altarpieces, textiles, furnished period rooms and a substantial coin cabinet.
The gallery of Swiss design and the collections hall showing objects in dense open storage are among the strongest sections.
It sits directly behind the Hauptbahnhof. Allow two to three hours. The main booking is an entry ticket. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is Swiss National Museum?
Swiss National Museum is in Zurich, Switzerland. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Swiss National Museum?
Allow two to three hours. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Swiss National Museum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
