Swiss National Museum

I visited Landesmuseum twice and it was always a pleasure. From outside, it looks very cold and boring but once you step inside, you enter a perfectly renovated and clean museum, telling you everything and the history of Switzerland, old and modern. Interior architecture is gorgeous, scenography is very well done and everything is made to make the visit rich, modern and interactive for the visitors.

Swiss National Museum (Landesmuseum Zürich) – Review The Swiss National Museum is absolutely outstanding. I spent four full hours exploring the museum and still felt like it wasn’t enough time—there is so much depth, variety, and thoughtful curation throughout. I particularly loved the accessories exhibit, which was beautifully presented and surprisingly engaging, offering a fascinating look at design, craftsmanship, and cultural expression through personal objects. The history of Switzerland exhibit was another highlight—clear, immersive, and incredibly informative, it provides a rich understanding of the country’s political, social, and cultural evolution. The museum shop is also lovely, with high-quality, well-designed items that reflect Swiss craftsmanship and make for meaningful souvenirs. Overall, this museum is a must-visit in Zurich—educational, beautifully curated, and easily worth several hours (or even a full day).

Quite possibly one of my favourite museums. An amazing and enlightening experience. The modernised integration of AI heightened the tour. Surreal zen areas which focus on mental health and the history of psychoanalysis is hugely fascinating. The layout doesn't flow and it is easy to miss areas, as we did. However can easily spend a few leisurely hours and a must-do when in Zurich

Extremely interesting also because several parts of the Swiss history are explained ina simple and clear way and using interactive and tridimensional tools. Really impressing. We went to Zurich in December, so even in the Landesmuseum Christmas was a presence!

Opened in 1898 and designed by Gustav Gull, this museum is the largest museum of Swiss history and culture. It combines a historic castle-like building with a modern extension, symbolically linking past and present. The museum presents a comprehensive overview of Switzerland — from prehistoric times to the modern era — through exhibitions on art, daily life, and cultural heritage.

This museum was phenomenal! It had a wide variety of exhibits that appealed to every interest. From Swiss history and archaeology to fine arts, clothing, and psychology, there was something for everyone. The museum was also very affordable and had a fun gift shop.

The Swiss National Museum (Landesmuseum Zürich) is an essential stop for anyone wanting to understand the DNA of Switzerland. Located in a striking building that resembles a fairytale castle right next to Zurich’s main train station, it offers a sophisticated deep dive into the nation's cultural history. The museum itself is a masterpiece of storytelling. The original 1898 building, designed by Gustav Gull, is a neo-Gothic "castle" with turrets and courtyards. In contrast, the 2016 modern wing is a sharp, sculptural concrete extension. This architectural dialogue perfectly mirrors the Swiss identity: a deep respect for tradition paired with cutting-edge innovation. The collection is massive (over 800,000 objects), but the museum does an excellent job of curating it into digestible, high-impact themes: • Archaeology Switzerland: A high-tech, atmospheric wing featuring finds from the Neolithic and Roman eras. The "Golden Bowl of Zurich-Altstetten" is a must-see. • The History of Switzerland: A chronological journey through the centuries, covering everything from the Reformation to the birth of the modern federal state. • The Period Rooms: These are original wood-paneled rooms (some dating back to the 15th century) that were taken from various Swiss mansions and rebuilt inside the museum. They provide an immersive, "time-travel" feel. • The Alice & Louis Koch Ring Collection: One of the world’s most extensive jewelry collections, displayed in a stunning, circular gallery. If you want to understand why Switzerland is the way it is—beyond just chocolate and mountains—this museum is the definitive source. It is educational without being "dry" and offers a level of polish that matches its national importance.

Excellent experience! I enjoyed all the exhibits in the museum. I thought the Swiss Ideas section offered lots of interactive information and activities. Definitely a must visit if you’re looking to learn in depth about the history and current state of the country. They have lockers for those who are traveling which was perfect! They have great amenities such as a cafe, restaurant and modern washrooms . I got my tickets in advanced which saved time- if your in a rush it’s worth buying in advance

A very large museum giving you the history of Switzerland and the unique artifacts that come along with it. Free entry with your Swiss Travel Pass. I wouldn't consider it a must-see, but it was nice to know more of the country that we were traveling to.

Really great museum for Swiss history. The audio guide goes backward in time. I think i would have preferred a normal chronological progression, but it wasn't too bad. The audio is either free if you want to download their app or 5 CHF for the device. I think you could spend a whole day there if you wanted, but I would at least budget 4 hours.

Good museum. Large and cheap for Switzerland and has various types of artefacts. Mostly history, a touch of geology, a little contemporary art & some historical art. The only downside is the layout is rather disorganised so it's easy to miss stuff.

Anyone with an interest in Swiss history has to see this museum. We paid CHF 10 per person to see this museum on a Sunday afternoon, as they were closed Monday. Museum is setup on two sides of a road. Visitors have to climb 50+ interior stairs to cross over the road. You don't want to trip and fall here! Afterwards go down a 100 yard long corridor on the other side. We end up going through Swiss history backwards in time, from the 20th century, the Swiss red cross role in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the rise of women's rights in the 1920s, Swiss armaments in WW2 including land turrets, paintings of Switzerland in the 1800s and 1700s, Swiss armor worn by knights. Complete set of hundreds of miniatures soldiers, cavalry on horses, besieging a castle surrounding a town, complete with drawbridges and moat, in the 1600s. Especially interesting was the interactive displays of Switzerland in the ice ages, with the coming and receding of the glaciers, and the locals wearing animal fur, living in caves, hunting and fishing. The construction caused us to go backwards in time, whereas you would have started from the earliest times, and gone forward in a normal manner. Lots of construction, with lookouts through castle turrets on a central plaza. Middle ages royalty costumes complete with codpieces not only for the financially, but anatomically well endowed!

A large museum covering Swiss history and their culture from prehistoric times to the 21st century. While you can learn a lot of this on the Internet, esp Wikipedia, the museum offers a much deeper sensory experience that you just won't get from your computer screen. There are many eye popping displays of things like historical fashion, a topographical map of Switzerland, prehistoric artifacts in full display, etc. Expect to spend several hours here as well; I unfortunately didn't budget enough time due to the train I had to catch.

Also known as the Swiss National Museum, Landesmuseum is located right across the Zurich main station. If you have a Swiss Travel Pass, the ticket entry is included. If you have a student ID, you can get 2 Francs off. I first thought it would be more of a natural history museum but it's more like a museum of random stuff from Switzerland's history. It only took my boyfriend and I about 1.5 hours to roam through the whole place, but we're not really the museum type. I would say if you have extra time in Zurich and you're looking for something to do, Landesmuseum is a good option. Otherwise, it's not a must-see.

Informative museum. It is quite big and you can get lost between the new and original wings. Architecture is beautiful and reminds me of the castle. They have a very comprehensive exhibit about Switzerland. It ranges from the politics, geography, history, culture. The museum also has very interactive and technological exhibits. My favorite by far was the digital book that is used by a projector in the ceiling. There are lockers downstairs could fit a medium suitcase and coat hangers (4 larger ones) and plenty of smaller lockers for backpacks. It only cost 1CHF for each locker , which you get back when you unlock. This is much cheaper than locking up your bag at Zurich Main Station which costs 9 CHF for a large locker and 6 CHF for smaller locker. The bathrooms are very clean. There are English tours available, just check what time. There is also a small café. There are no iPads around the exhibits for a more interactive experience. I appreciated that the iPads also came with a charger for some emergency iPhone charging. I had a much better appreciation of Switzerland after coming to this museum. This museum was free with the Swiss travel pass. Or 10 CHF regular admission. The museum is conveniently located from Swiss main station and you only have to cross a small street.

We went to this museum by using the Zurich City Pass. It has a lot of interesting exhibits and is very easy to get to in the city. I had very little knowledge about Switzerland before going to this museum, but it was very informative and they had really cool interactive exhibits.

This national museum of Switzerland pretty much covers it all. You enter through a "Swiss famous people in time" display and work your way though textiles, furniture, banking and a variety of other topics. The goal for us was to get up to the tower turrets where they had a remarkable collection of weaponry through the centuries. It was a little hard to follow the path and included a tiny winding stairway at the end, but it was really fun up there. It appears to be an old stone castle which was interesting itself. Visitors are required to leave all packages, purses and packs in a locker room, that though supposedly guarded made me very very nervous. The lockers were nothing more than flimsy school lockers and I refused to leave my wallet, passport and cell phone there. Since I did not have adequate pockets, the lady guard was sympathetic and got me a clear plastic bag to carry my valuables. Seemed silly, given that any clothing with large enough pockets to carry your gear was considered secure, but a purse, not.

Its pretty large and gives you a good overview on swiss history. Its a castle basically with a couple of towers where u can see zurich from

I've been to the museum here twice, and it's interesting to check out Swiss history. One of my favs is the old-fashioned clothing on I think the top floor? The architecture is quite nice, and I think the entrance to the museum is free on the last Sunday of every month. Once I went to a special exhibit of Swiss humor, which totally did not make any sense to me... because everything was written in German. :( Sometimes there are events in the courtyard, and they bring in vendors who sell food and drinks and play music in the evenings. I've been here to watch games during the World Cup, and there was a Rundfunk.fm outdoor party last Saturday where there was a small structure in the middle of the courtyard for rollerskating during the evenings and clubbing at night.

Fantastic museum in Zurich if you're into history. Note, if you have a Swiss Travel Pass, the admission (10 CHF) is covered! We started with the early history of Zurich, saw a lot of medieval paintings and glass paintings. My favorite part has to be the armory tower which exhibits all sorts of medieval weapons to more modern arms. Some notable medieval weapons include racks of halberds, a serrated sword and a display of rapiers.

Is not a exquisite museum but is pretty good. I was more impressed by the temporary exhibition on Alois Carigiet: museography was EXCELLENT, theme was perfect and for foreigners it huge to discover and bring with them this swiss artist. i was not so impress with the swiss history exhibition not museology speaking but more because the space arrangement (which it's challenging due to building characteristics), turned out to be confusing. Lovelly collection on Swiss fashion, religious art (GREAT), industrial and handcraft products, places, armory, decoration. I had the chance to watch as well Albeit exhibition which I very much appreciated, about more than 100 years of immigration history in Switzerland. I paid 10CHF which I believe is fair fare. There's a bistro, a meeting point, free lockers, museum shop.

We're going back today! Enjoyed so much the museum and the creative and useful interactive exhibits. Spent 1 1/2 hours yesterday until they closed and are sure we missed lots! Please make time and don't miss this museum, it has some fabulous special exhibits, and the many many fabulous interactive activities. You won't be disappointed!

The Swiss National Museum is built to look like an old medieval building, but it was really built around 1890 - kind of disappointing. The exhibits were kind of lame, half of the museum was taken up by displays of typical Swiss furniture through each decade. Room after room was filled with couches and tables. It was extremely hot inside the building and the whole place was musty.

Coming from NYC, I'm sorry to say we could not find much in this museum that picqued our interest. They're going through a major renovation it seems so I will hold my breath and give it another try but other than the boating exhibition, the banking exhibition and the traditional clothes on display, there really wasn't much else--isn't there a lot more to Swiss culture?? It's a beautiful building and there was love music going on on the ground level, the museum reps were very cordial and helpful, but if you have limited time in Zurich, check out the Kunsthaus instead and enjoy some wine by the lake or stroll around nearby Altstadt/Old Town instead.

This was a perfect way for us to get a feel for Switzerland on our visit. The museum is well laid out with broad overviews and fine details intermeshed well.

Very large, interesting museum of Swiss culture and history. It is conveniently located. It is worth a visit if you like history.

Complete ripoff! They took my money and let me go in without telling me that, once inside, another museum employee would demand that I give up my purse to a locker because it was "too big." Never mind that my purse had my wallet and passport in it.