Knowledge & culture

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

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.

Museum of Art & History

The Neuchâtel Museum of Art and History is located on the elegant lakeside promenade right next to the Neuchâtel harbour. It is a place of pleasure, beauty and reflection, combining visual stimuli with a mission to better understand the world around us.

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

Located in the middle of an idyllic park on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel, the Laténium is the largest archaeological museum in Switzerland. Let yourself be guided through 50,000 years of history – from the Ice Age to the Middle Ages – in a fun and interactive way.

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.

New special exhibition "The Sistine Chapel by Friedrich Dürrenmatt" until 16 July 2023.

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.

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

You can travel comfortably to Neuchâtel by train. From the station, you can reach the desired museum on foot or by bus.

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