Knowledge & culture

Roman museum in Avenches

The most important finds from the Roman town of Avenches

The museum is located in the 12th century fortified tower built over the Roman arena. The mosaics and reliefs depict the history of Aventicum, its Romanisation and the private lives of the Helvetians. The pride of the collection is a gold bust of Emperor Marcus Aurelius discovered in 1939 in a sewer at the foot of the Cigognier sanctuary.

The Roman museum is devoted exclusively to Aventicum, the Roman capital of the Helvetians. In Roman times, this city had 20,000 inhabitants—a number it was never able to reach again in its later history. Aventicum was surrounded by a defensive wall 5.5 km in length, with four gates. There were 73 towers leading up to the battlements.

You can travel comfortably to Avenches with the BLS. The Roman Museum is only a few minutes' walk from the station.

Availability Today (Thursday) open

Museum opening hours

1 April to 30 September 2022
Tue-Sun 10.00-17.00 hours
Open on Easter; open daily in June.

1 to 31 October 2022
Tue-Sun 14.00-17.00 hours

1 November 2022 to 31 January 2023
Wed-Sun 14.00-17.00 hours

1 February to 31 March 2023
Tue-Sun 14.00-17.00 hours

Closed: 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 and 2 January

Rates

Admission to the museum is generally free for all visitors. Please check the museum's website for current prices.

Price Roman Museum

CHF 100.00 Roman museum per group
CHF 125.00 Roman site per group

Food & Drink

Avenches offers all kinds of catering options:

BLS suggestion

On a family-friendly hike of about 6 km, you can visit the most important monuments of the ancient capital.

The National Stud Farm, not far from Avenches and accessible by public transport, is open all year round, free of charge, and allows you to discover the Franches-Montagnes horse via a nature trail, as well as the largest stork colony in western Switzerland (visible from March to around mid-August).