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

Prolonged until 18 January 2026

This 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.

The Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel (CDN), built by Mario Botta, is located in the natural Vallon de l'Ermitage, high above Neuchâtel, and houses the collection of Friedrich Dürrenmatt's paintings and drawings. A tour of Dürrenmatt's paintings in dialog with his texts awaits you. Numerous events round off the offer and promise a multifaceted approach to his work and person.

Permanent 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 hours, or by reservation.

Where history comes to life – a castle at the entrance to the Val-de-Ruz

Just eight minutes by bus from the center of Neuchâtel, a unique cultural experience awaits you in the middle of nature: Valangin Castle, which is over 800 years old, is one of the few medieval buildings in the region that is open to the public. Today it houses a history museum. In addition to the rich and varied permanent exhibition, there is also an annually changing special exhibition. The “Valanjardin” park with its nine didactic gardens and the poetic garden “Mangelune” with its fantastic sculptures will delight lovers of green spaces. Ideal for families, history buffs and the curious!

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition in the castle

A journey into the past through rooms that were once inhabited by nobles, judges and prisoners. Here you will find carefully preserved furniture, traces of everyday life and a unique collection of bobbin lace from Neuchâtel and around the world.
  

• Temporary exhibition 2025: “Hairy Tales! A Hairy and Furry History”

A cultural history of hair, beards, and body hair – presented in a playful yet thoroughly documented way. From ancient curling irons to drag queen wigs and centuries of hat fashion – you’ll leave knowing a lot more!
  

• Valanjardin

The castle park, with its nine educational gardens inspired by the Middle Ages, invites you to stroll and explore. Aromatic herbs, medicinal plants, and a vegetable garden take you on a journey through time.
  

• Sculpture Park “Mangelune”

The fantastic creations of Gaspard Delachaux engage in a dialogue with nature and the castle walls. Free to visit during park opening hours, they are poetic, wild, and well worth discovering.

In the footsteps of the celebrated writer and philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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 all year round. Its colorful, varied fauna and flora never cease to amaze young and old alike.

The park is home to five themed gardens and two greenhouses. In the villa at the heart of the garden, you can visit a special exhibition and an info point with valuable information about the park. Take the opportunity to visit the Dürrenmatt Centre Neuchâtel, which is located right next to the botanical garden.

Free entry. Open daily.

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