The best museums Switzerland

Located on the main operational base of the Swiss military aviation on the side of the nerve centre of the Payerne air base, this museum presents the military aeronautics of the second half of the 20th century. From the museum you can see military aircraft taking off at any time. The 3,500^m2 exhibition features a collection of nine aircraft and two helicopters. The jets are a unique sight. On the first floor, you will discover the world of a maintenance workshop, exhibitions on the squadrons and a collection of model aircraft.

One of the largest Romanesque monuments in Switzerland. Housed in the former conventual buildings of the monastery, the Payerne Museum presents the permanent collections of General Jomini, Napoleon's seer, and the painter Aimée Rapin (born without arms). Throughout the year, the gallery organises exhibitions of prestigious artworks such as Utrillo, Manessier, Le Corbusier, Hans Erni and Pietro Sarto. The discovery tour "Une si belle histoire" offers an immersive and interactive experience in twenty audio-guided stations to learn all the secrets.

Founded in 1985 by Jean Bindschedler and Marie-José Aebi, then street puppeteers at La Samaritaine in Fribourg, this museum presents the rich collection assembled by the two artists during their travels. The collection includes shadows and puppets of various techniques from all over the world, including China, India, Indonesia, Africa, South America and various European countries, including Switzerland. It also includes magnificent paper theaters, masks and sets.

Fri-Art, founded at the end of the 1970s in the former seminary of Fribourg, has been housed since 1990 in a former 19th-century factory near the Motta baths in the old town. It is an ambitious centre for contemporary art, committed to mediating between the Swiss and international scene in its most current developments. A laboratory for the various artistic movements of today's art. Numerous exhibitions punctuate the year with artistic and cultural discoveries. It is also a place of exchange with the artists.

Built on the remains of a Gallo-Roman villa, the museum recounts, through mosaics, murals and bronze statuettes, the rich Roman heritage of the region. The two mosaics fully preserved, one of 97 m ², the other of 25 m ², are remarkable archaeological treasures.

Situated on the edge of the lake (and the motorway for that matter) and surrounded by a large park, the Laténium takes us on a journey through the history of mankind through open-air displays and archaeological reconstructions. The visit begins with the Middle Ages and continues to the Neanderthal period, through the presentation of various objects: jewellery, everyday objects, boats, weapons, sculptures, all part of the world of the past.

Built in the 12th century, this castle was probably destroyed and restored many times, becoming Romanesque in the 13th century, Gothic in the 15th... Its final alterations, from 1955 to 1958, turned it into the museum we know today and which provides many explanations on wine production in the Neuchâtel region. The Musée de la Vigne traces the history of local viticulture and production techniques. You can discover the grape varieties used locally, such as Chasselas or Pinot Noir Gris, and all the advances in blending.

The Nagulschbalmu alpine hut, built in 1606 by the Schweri family, was originally a recommended stop on the Riederalp alp. Today you can visit the museum, the cheese-making kitchen, the cheese cellar, the stable with its hand-forged chains and the hayloft, which is now an exhibition room on the alpine economy. Meetings are organised such as the butter-making process with comments from local people who keep this know-how alive.

The Matterhorn will no longer hold any secrets for you. You will find all the necessary information on the historical and mythical ascents such as the first one on July 14, 1865. This ascent still raises questions because the rope broke on the way down. Just next door, an English church has been built, with a small cemetery, and a tiny library where the inhabitants can borrow novels in English. Services are held in the same language.

Switzerland's largest manor house! It was built between 1658 and 1678 by Kaspar Jodok de Stockalper to designs by architects Bolmer and Prismell. The main building and the courtyard with its Renaissance-style arcades are protected by three Baroque towers topped by bulbous roofs. These impressive towers symbolized Stockalper's power. Indeed, this man, born in 1609, left his mark on the city. A renowned lawyer and respected politician, he soon became one of the most powerful figures in the Valais.

Opened in 1989, this museum permanently exhibits the famous Brignoni-Aramis donation. Serge Brignoni (1903-2002) was a Swiss Italian artist - painter and sculptor - who decided in 1985 to bequeath his collection to the city of Lugano. Since then, supplemented by other donations, inside this museum we discover a rich collection of objects of ethnological, historical and artistic interest from Oceania (Melanesia, Polynesia), Indonesia (Kalimatam, Bali...) and Africa (Ibo, Senufo...). Regular temporary exhibitions.

The first and only Ticino museum for children, it is also the first external branch of the Musée en herbe de Paris. It offers educational and interactive exhibitions related to the world of art. The whole museography is based on humour and play, which is ideal for getting children interested without them getting bored. There are many workshops proposed either for children alone or in duo with an adult. A nice moment of sharing in anticipation! Count between two and four hours to go around without hurrying.

It is part of the defensive wall of the fortified city between the 13th and 15th centuries. True intact vestiges of the Middle Ages, they bear witness to the military importance of building large protective walls around the towns. Decorated by the architects Mario Campiet Franco Pessina, it is divided into two cells. Fifteenth-century capitals, drawings, sketches and engravings by artists, guns and firearms make up the first part. The second section, known as the archaeological section, contains numerous objects from Ticino. Magnificent!

This house, which housed an inn in the 15th and 16th centuries and is now the home of the Leventine Museum, has a richly decorated façade with frescoes dating from 1589. The coats of arms of famous people who have stayed there can also be seen. Folk art adorns the museum's exhibits: collections of objects of ordinary life, artistic works, and sacred objects. The simple and hard life of the mountain people is shown in a sincere way. This museum aims to be "ethnographic" and heritage.

After two years of renovation work on this imposing 1834 building, once a customs post and inn, the Gotthard National Museum has reopened its doors with a new offering: a permanent exhibition and multimedia show on the Gotthard, retracing the history of this strategic communication route through the Southern Alps, an information point and a restaurant. Another new feature is the presence of the Swiss Alpine Museum, with temporary exhibitions.

The house, built in the th century, recognizes the crests of the first Swiss cantons adorning its facade. Inside, collections are varied and interesting, including the collection of arms, as well as those of ethnographic sections and sacred art.

Housed in a neoclassical building designed by the architect Luigi Fontana, the museum was established in 1985 to present to the public a collection of ethnographic materials relating in particular to traditional economic activities and the social and religious life of the region. The permanent exhibition highlights the rustic civilization, the activities and the moments of the life of the population of Malcantone until the middle of our century: hunting, fishing, agriculture, handicraft and sheep breeding.

200 million years ago, the region was submerged beneath the waters of the Mediterranean. This small museum illustrates Monte San Giorgio's geological past. Designed by renowned architect Mario Botta, the 4-storey building was inaugurated in 2012. It showcases the extraordinary plant and animal fossils found here from 240 to 180 million years ago (Triassic). A wide variety of marine fossils can also be admired. This completely renovated museum is exciting and interactive: ideal for a visit with children.

Housed in the magnificent setting of the former Servite convent, the museum has a permanent collection of 400 art objects, but it is the temporary exhibitions that are most interesting. The Art Museum offers exhibitions of renowned artists. In recent years, these have been devoted to Klee, Braque, Giacometti, Wotruba and other great local artists. The museum's highlights are the 650 transparencies executed at the end of the 18th century and the collection of works illustrating local life from the 16th to the 20th century.

In a building built in 1923-1926, the works of famous artists come alive. The architecture of the building is a fine example of Art Deco inspired by the architect René Chapallaz and the artist Charles L'Eplattenier, teacher of the future Le Corbusier at the city's art school. You will be able to admire a very fine collection of Swiss and international art from the 19th and 20th centuries, bequeathed by Mrs. Junod, including some great names of artists: Matisse, Derain, Le Corbusier of course. The 19th century is represented by Van Gogh, Pissarro..

Housed in a 19th century bourgeois villa, a stone's throw from the International Watchmaking Museum and the Fine Arts Museum, the History Museum has a new museography. The permanent exhibition retraces the history of the watchmaking city, which was the birthplace of Le Corbusier, in a chronological and thematic way. In the course of a richly documented tour, visitors follow in the footsteps of the men, women and historical events that have contributed to shaping the identity of the watchmaking city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Close to the main square, the Musée des Beaux-Arts welcomes you with its fine regional pieces from the ^19th and ^20th centuries, as well as works by major artists such as Dufy and Renoir. The museum's collections boast over five thousand pieces, including numerous paintings, watercolors and drawings. Emphasis is placed on Swiss artists, but exhibitions of high-quality international works are programmed throughout the year. Lectures and guided tours punctuate the museum's agenda, bringing the works to life through the eyes of passionate visitors.

In a beautiful 19th century building, one of the first ethnographic museums in the canton is housed. You will find mainly works by local artists in the permanent collection, but also occasional events and exhibitions. You will discover an oil press and a wood-fired oven used at the time. On the two floors, you will find a reconstructed kitchen and a production of espadrilles, reminding us that there was a factory in Intragna.

Housed in a patrician house, it presents temporary exhibitions of modernist artists. In the first half of the twentieth century, many painters chose Ascona as a retreat, thinking they would find inspiration in this place of work. Some of them even settled here and ended up bequeathing some of their works to the town, which led to the creation of a municipal museum such as Paul Klee, Richard Seewald or Italo Valenti...

The Valmaggia Museum, through its studies and thematic exhibitions, shows the reality of an Alpine valley, its architectural heritage, its traditions and its riches. Note the 17th century gate in the town wall that leads to the building that houses the museum. Do not miss the monumental gate, a portal dating back to the 17th century, placed in the wall of the village, which gives access to a building that houses the museum of Vallemaggia. Visit the various historical places such as the wine press or the grotti.

Perched at an altitude of 1,500 m, this eco-museum, consisting of a group of wooden chalets, preserves the architectural heritage of the region. The wooden houses are typical of the area: the Walserhaus. In this region, the inhabitants speak an ancient Walser dialect, whose origins date back to the Middle Ages. Thanks to this museum, the traditions live on. Architectural elements, such as buildings with larch-beam walls and poplar roofs, are preserved. The museum contains rich objects of Walser tradition.

Travelers, art lovers from Africa, Asia, the Americas or Oceania, this is a must-see visit. It is a journey before time and a discovery to admire pure wonders. This small museum exhibits true masterpieces of the so-called "primitive" art. Jewelry, ornaments, statues, textiles: each exhibition highlights some of the most beautiful pieces of a rich collection of 7,000 works, gathered by the collector Jean-Paul Barbier-Mueller, revealing the traditional arts of the whole world through history. A treat!

The Villa Les Délices - Voltaire's main residence from 1755 to 1760 - was a hotbed of literary creation and philosophical reflection. The poem about the Lisbon earthquake was partly written here, as was Candide, and d'Alembert was welcomed in the grand salon when he wrote his "Geneva" article for theEncyclopédie. Thanks to its permanent collection, Les Délices now offers visitors the chance to relive these key moments of the Age of Enlightenment during events and guided tours.

When you walk down the Grand-Rue, the main street of the old town, you will discover a plaque with the inscription: "It is great occasions that make great men" Welcome to the birthplace of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, born on June 28, 1712. This beautiful house with its cream-colored stones is a place for meetings and debates. Thus, the house where this great man of letters was born is still a center of activity in the literary world.

This cheese is best enjoyed with a platter of cold cuts. At the Tête de Moine House, you will discover the know-how of eight hundred years of cheese making. You can use your iPad to take a fun and interactive tour. You will go back in time and discover the know-how of an old cheese factory and a cheese cellar. You will extend the visit into local life and taste good local products. You may even be able to watch cheese being made over a wood fire.

A visit not to be missed, it's an excellent concept. The "Sciences Gateway" designed by CERN has just opened its doors. The idea? The aim of this center for scientific education and culture is to bring the nature of CERN's research within the reach of the general public, and to inspire new vocations in young people! Everything is designed to enable visitors to conduct their own physics experiments. There's nothing quite like the grounds.

Designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano, the structure of this new museum may seem strange at first glance. It's made up of three pavilions, two giant "tubes" and a long glass walkway connecting the two. When you're inside one of them, the idea is to recreate the same kind of atmosphere as if you were inside the LHC. These gigantic tubes are the image of the LHC, the famous particle gas pedal, consisting of an underground ring 27 km in circumference, installed 100 m underground. This increases the speed of the particles (ions and protons belonging to the Hadron group) circulating within it. These particles travel at close to the speed of light, and are split into two beams in opposite directions. These beams are then triggered to collide in the control center, at four points in the system - the particle detectors ATLAS, CMS, Alice and LHcb. In this way, for example, one of these "experiments" can recreate a situation that occurred just after the famous Big Bang.

The bridge between the two enormous tubes symbolizes the link between science and society. As CERN's Director so aptly explains, the aim is "to make CERN's research known to the public, to show the importance of fundamental research and its applications to society, and above all, to arouse the interest of all visitors and encourage young people to pursue careers in science... a place where scientists and the public can interact on a daily basis". A winning bet!

You'll be able to do hands-on experiments - numerous workshops for children and adults, led by CERN scientists, and guided tours, are organized every day. You can attend scientific shows, immerse yourself in immersive environments and engage in interactive activities.

A modular amphitheater hosts conferences for scientists, schools and the general public, as well as temporary exhibitions.

The center is organized around three main themes:

Discovering the Universe, Exploring the Unknown and Back to the Big Bang. This first exhibition is fascinating, as are the rest. Go back in time... Start with the film showing the evolution of the universe since the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. Great unknowns remain. What was there before the Big Bang? Why did it happen? What is the dark matter that makes up 27% of our universe? What about 'dark energy', which makes up 68% of our universe? Are there any parallel universes? What about the journey of these particles, which form the basis of our constitution? Did you know that we are made up of stardust?

In this exhibition, you can discover the subtleties of star nucleosynthesis, create your own star and launch it into the universe (in this case, it will simply be projected onto a wall, and your imagination will do the rest), and understand its life cycle. Other experiments let you play with antimatter and discover the various phases in the evolution of the universe....

Discover CERN You're in the thick of things, as you discover how the LHC works. accelerate' and 'Experiment'. Two life-size models, with a working gas pedal, and "experiment" with a particle detector cross-section. How do particles collide? These exhibits provide a better understanding of the LHC at work underground - the site is not open to the public - and how it was set up How are the results of the famous 'experiments' analyzed when the particles collide? How does the control room work? (you can also visit it on a guided tour) The presence of scientists is of the utmost importance. Ask them questions! You'll get a better understanding of how the LHC works by exploring the famous tunnel or... playing soccer with protons.

The world of quantum physics Introduce yourself to quantum physics... Don't miss the famous "initiation" and explanatory tour. Equipped with goggles, you can step into the shoes of a... particle... It's a brilliant idea, but if some aspects of it still seem obscure, there's nothing like immersing yourself in a book like "Quantum Physics for Dummies". It's fascinating! You'll discover the world seen on the scale of the smallest elementary particles. Remember the story of Schrödinger's famous cat, the physicist who, in 1935, theorized in his box about what is both dead and alive? In a nutshell, it's a science that seeks to explain the behavior of atoms and particles, i.e. matter on an atomic scale, and to understand electromagnetic radiation. Try your hand at experiments, and you'll understand much better!

Discover the HeK in Münchenstein, dedicated to digital culture. It explores the visual arts, music, theater, dance, performance and design. It's an interdisciplinary venue where media and technology come together to showcase the digital culture of the ^21st century. Exhibitions, mini-festivals and debates immerse you in this dynamic world. The Genusswerk&co bistro offers a variety of menus, cakes and sandwiches. Enjoy a good time on the terrace!

This is the money! 2000 years of money production and almost 100 000 coins. It is one of Switzerland's most important numismatic museums. Its precious collections range from antiquity (with paleo-currency) to these days in a very didactic manner. they highlight the different manufacturing processes of history, including tools, currencies, medals and tokens, scales, books and boxes of changers, money orders and currency. To note, a beautiful series of vaudois, medieval and modern seals.

Founded in 1924, the historical museum of the Pharmacy depends on the University of Basel. In an almost intimate setting, surrounded by a beautiful courtyard with a fountain that is worth the detour, the museum is a symbol of the history of the pharmacy. For francophones, mp are available at the cashier (2 CHF) and blue fact sheets are found in each room and give good explanations about the exhibits. Don't miss the old chapel of this historic house before entering the second floor and ask for the key from the garden to the cashier! After the visit, the shop offers you know, infusions, pastilles and candies…

Immersing yourself in art, experiencing it from the inside out, is made possible by the exhibitions at Lichtalle Maag. In the same vein as the Atelier des Lumières in Paris, this museum is designed to be interactive, so that you yourself become an actor in the work. The paintings "fly" around you using projections, lighting effects and futuristic supports. In an immersive way, you are projected into works such as Van Gogh's Starry Night.

Using models of machinery and boats and playful information, the Museum of Navigation traces the evolution of transport on the Rhine over the past centuries. It highlights its past and present role in freight transport and its relations with other means of transport: rail, road, air…

The Swiss Architecture Museum, located in Basel, is a space dedicated to temporary exhibitions on architecture and urban planning. Founded in 1984, the museum presents exhibitions on current and controversial themes in architecture. It is housed within the Kunsthalle Basel, close to many of the city's other cultural venues. The museum also hosts numerous parallel events and activities, such as lectures, debates and guided tours. Since its creation, the Swiss Architecture Museum has established itself as a major platform for the architectural world, contributing to the debate on building culture and promoting contemporary architecture.

The Sport Museum has new skin and is now visiting the south-east of the city. It preserves the cultural heritage of Swiss sport and maintains one of the most important collections on the history of national sports: Winter sports, cycling, ball games, bowling alleys…

The Musée Lapidaire presents an exceptional collection of Merovingian and Carolingian monolithic sarcophagi. It is housed in the former Saint-Pierre church, rebuilt in 1982 after being demolished in 1898. In addition to the sarcophagi, visitors can also admire architectural and sculptural elements from earlier buildings in Saint-Ursanne. Guided tours are also available by appointment.

Located in Porrentruy, Switzerland, Ô Vergers d'Ajoie is a museum dedicated to fruit and distillation. The museum offers visitors the chance to discover the history and techniques of fruit and spirits production in the region. Visitors can reach the museum by using the address Combe Bruequelin 27 in Porrentruy.

It offers a variety of exhibitions and collections of interest to art and history lovers. Visitors can discover temporary exhibitions such as "Portraits" and "Les Armoiries - Figures et couleurs de notre identité". The museum also houses permanent exhibitions such as "Sports en Ajoie - Passions et patrimoine" and "Gérard Bregnard - Dans l'infini du rêve". Lovers of poetry will appreciate the exhibition devoted to Alexandre Voisard, entitled "Les quatre coins du ciel" ("The four corners of the sky"). The museum also has a store where visitors can purchase souvenirs and publications related to the exhibitions.

JURASSICA Dinotec is an open-air museum offering visitors the chance to discover dinosaur footprints. These sauropod and theropod footprints are displayed in the courtyard of the Technical Division building of the Centre jurassien d'enseignement et de formation. Visitors can also admire life-size sketches of dinosaurs and two clocks that provide a better understanding of geological time compared to precise time measurement. To get to JURASSICA Dinotec, visit the Cité des Microtechniques in Porrentruy, in the inner courtyard of the Centre jurassien d'enseignement et de formation.

The museum's website offers information on events, world and national art collections, public relations, restoration laboratory, history, tour program, job opportunities and contacts. The museum's address is str. 31 August 1989, nr. 115, Chișinău 2012, Moldova.