Knowledge & culture

Laténium – Archaeology park and museum in Neuchâtel

Immerse yourself in times long ago

Located in the middle of an idyllic park on the shore of Lake Neuchâtel, the Laténium is the biggest archaeology museum in Switzerland. It takes visitors through 50,000 years of history using fun and interactive aids.

The Laténium’s museum and archaeology park stretch for over 30,000 m2. The museum’s permanent exhibition displays 50,000 years of history from Neanderthal times to the present day. Orientation marks, listening experiences, models and factual and easy to understand texts inspire visitors again and again to continue on their voyage of discovery without losing their excitement. The tours also stop off at mini laboratories where you can familiarise yourself with the work of archaeologists as well as play educational games for children and use video screens and interactive terminals. The Laténium is a winner of the Council of Europe’s Museum Prize.

The freely accessible Laténium Archaeological Park is located directly on the lake and is an ideal place to take a walk. Besides the faithful replicas of stilt houses, a hunter's camp and a barge, you will get an insight into the ecosystems of the different eras.

If the weather is good, it is recommended to take the train to St-Blaise-Lac. From there, a 20-minute walk along the lakeshore leads to the Laténium.

New temporary exhibition

15 May to 15 October 2023

After Iron Age objects were found in the small Swiss community of La Tène in the 19th century, the place became the eponym for an entire archaeological era: the pre-Roman Iron Age or La Tène.

But this site also stirs the imagination, with its shallow waters, shifting and untamed shorelines often wreathed in mist, where the lake flows into the meanders of an ever-changing river… This special place fascinated the Celts, and more recently has attracted the attention of archaeologists and artists as well as tourists and bathing enthusiasts. For more than twenty-two centuries, these vacillating waters have stirred up many mysteries: two oak bridges spanning an ancient channel of the River Thielle, the skeletal remains of people and animals, awe-inspiring quantities of weapons, jewellery and tools… Today, how do we broach the subject of this world famous site, discovered in 1857, whose interpretation has fed unending debate and which still manages to puzzle the scientific community?

Presenting for the first time almost all of the finds housed in the store rooms of the Laténium, as well as a large selection of historic documents, the exhibition offers a dream-like evocation of the history of this place of memory.

Temporary exhibition www.latenium.ch

Opening hours Today (Sunday) open

Museum

Mon closed
Tue–Sun 10.00–17.00 hours

Open on Easter Monday and Whit Monday
The Laténium is closed on 25 December and 1 January.

Archaeology park

Free access

Subject to change without prior notice.

Rates

Free admission to the museum

Free admission on the first Sunday of the month.

CHF 9.00 Adults
CHF 5.00 Students, seniors, unemployed
CHF 4.00 Children aged 7–15.99
CHF 20.00 Families (2 adults + children)

Reduced prices for groups of 10 or more people.

Prices incl. VAT / Prices subject to alteration.

How to get there

Travel comfortably by train to Neuchâtel.

Fun'ambule and bus

From the train station, take the cable car (Fun'ambule) to the university and then the bus line 101 in the direction of Marin to the "Laténium" stop.

On foot

Continue to St-Blaise-Lac and then walk for 20 minutes along the lakeshore to the Laténium.

Timetable & tickets

Notes

Audio guide

Would you like to be guided through the permanent exhibition? Then hire an audio guide (CHF 5.00). In less than an hour you will be told 50,000 years of history!