Museum tour through Neuchâtel
The thousand-year-old city of yellow stone is a cultural jewel
From ethnology to the urban development of Neuchâtel since the 14th century, Jaquet Droz automata to original nature exhibitions, the museums of Neuchâtel will delight you with their diversity.
Those who undertake a museum tour will also enjoy a pleasant walk through the city.
Neuchâtel impresses first and foremost with its castle and collegiate church perched proudly on a hill. Then there are the winding streets with their elegant buildings made of Hautrive stone, the yellow limestone that lights up the whole city. The city invites you to take a stroll, as it has the largest pedestrian zone in Switzerland.
By the way, admission is free at most museums on Wednesdays.
You can travel comfortably to Neuchâtel by train. From the station, you can reach the desired museum on foot or by bus.
Museum of Natural History
Museum of Art & History
Léopold and Aurèle Robert
from 13 May to 12 November 2023
The Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History and the La Chaux-de-Fonds Museum of Art are jointly presenting a monographic exhibition at two locations dedicated to Léopold Robert and his brother Aurèle Robert (1805-1871). The exhibition examines the role of Aurèle, on the one hand as a «disseminator» of Léopold's work, and on the other as an artist in his own right. The exhibition focuses on Léopold Robert's unfinished cycle Saisons, as well as works from the two institutions and some remarkable loans. The exhibition in Neuchâtel focuses on «Summer» and «Winter». Following on from these masterpieces, it looks at other themes such as the production and distribution of the works or the concept of ideal beauty.
Laténium – Park & Museum of Archaeology
Special exhibition
New special exhibition until 15 October 2023: "Between Two Waters. La Tène Place of Remembrance".
Centre Dürrenmatt
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.
Musée d’ethnographie Neuchâtel
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. This means seeing the world through different eyes.
After two years of renovation work, the Ethnographic Museum reinvents itself and presents its collection from a new perspective. The rooms show eight contrasting perspectives in relation to the collection, museum history and ethnology, and in doing so find their way back again and again to current issues. The makers remind us that the meaning of objects changes constantly over time and in the way they are viewed.
Espace Rousseau
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.
Botanical Garden
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.
- Botanischer Garten Neuchâtel
- Jardin botanique de Neuchâtel www.jbneuchatel.ch
Opening hours Today (Friday) open
Most museums are closed on Mondays.
The Espace Rousseau is open on Mondays and closed on Sundays. The Centre Dürrenmatt is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The museums are also closed over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Find out in advance about the exact opening hours of the individual museums.
How to get there
Location
Contact
Information
- Tourisme neuchâtelois
- +41 32 889 68 90
- Neuchâtel Tourisme www.neuchateltourisme.ch
Information
- E-mail Musées de Neuchâtel
- Musée de Neuchâtel www.museesdeneuchatel.ch
