Lake, sun and museums in Neuchâtel

By linking science, society and art, unusual and sometimes surprising exhibitions are created that are always rich in knowledge and emotion. In the completely renovated, historic building, everything revolves around native animals, exotic creatures and geological finds.

An offbeat look at our world

The sometimes curious exhibitions of the Ethnographic Museum Neuchâtel take you on a journey between the "Here" and the "Elsewhere". As a place of experience, seeing and experiencing, the museum enables its visitors to reflect on and reinterpret the familiar.

Temporary exhibition: Cargo Cults Unlimited

Until 31 December 2024

This new exhibition takes up the theme of the globalized economy. A port setting made of containers evokes the different facets of the production and circulation of material goods, while a world of cardboard offices questions the models, standards and discourses that govern this flow of goods.

Temporary exhibition: In the camps. Archaeology of confinement.

Until 12 January 2025

The camps of the Second World War are archaeological sites like any others. While some killing centers have become emblematic of Nazi terror, many other places of confinement – concentration camps, forced-labor camps, prisoner-of-war camps – have gradually faded from our collective memory. For over thirty years, archaeologists have been documenting the discreet imprints that these precarious settlements have left on the landscape.

Did you know that Friedrich Dürrenmatt was not only a renowned writer but also a talented painter? Or that the German-speaking Swiss lived in Neuchâtel for almost 40 years and also died there? You can find out all this and much more at the Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel.

Temporary exhibition: Automates Jaquet-Droz

The three Automates Jaquet-Droz are among the Museum's masterpieces. You can admire them at work during public demonstrations, accessible without reservation, which take place on the first Sunday of each month at 14.00, 15.00 and 16.00 pm, or by reservation.

In the footsteps of the celebrated writer and philosopher

The Espace Rousseau Neuchâtel takes visitors on a journey through the life and work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one of the greatest thinkers and writers of the 18th century. Bringing together new technologies and original archive material, the exhibition provides a better understanding of the writer’s life and his influence up to the present day. The Espace Rousseau includes original manuscripts, portraits and even a herbarium.
Visitors can also discover pieces of music composed by the writer.
Acknowledged as being of worldwide importance, the Jean-Jacques Rousseau archives have been listed since 2011 in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register and are now being conserved for the benefit of mankind.

Free entry.

Both the main exhibition texts and the film are available in French, German and English. The accompanying brochure, also produced in those three languages, can be taken away by visitors as a souvenir of their time in Neuchâtel.

A green oasis right by the city centre

Neuchâtel Botanical Garden, which offers visitors relaxation and exciting discoveries. Numerous permanent and temporary exhibitions, botanical collections and various biotopes allow you to discover the fascinating life of plants. A green treasure trove that will inspire you.

The Botanical Garden is open to visitors free of charge all year round. Its colourful, diverse collection of flora and fauna has something new to wow young and old on every visit.

The park contains five themed gardens and two greenhouses. The villa at its heart houses special exhibitions and a help desk providing valuable information about the site.

While you’re there, don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel, situated right next door to the Botanical Garden. The museum is finally reopening its doors after a year of renovation work.

Find out in advance about the exact opening hours of the individual museums.