Things to do in Zurich

Swiss National Museum (Landesmuseum Zürich)

The National Museum Zurich – the Landesmuseum – looks like a French Renaissance château and stands right next to Zurich main station. It is a good choice if you have an hour or two before your train.

Address
Museumstrasse 2, 8001 Zürich
From Zürich HB
Right next to the station, on foot
Opened
24 June 1898
Opening hours
See official website
Swiss National Museum building in Zurich seen across the river from Neumühlequai
The Landesmuseum seen across the river from Neumühlequai. Photo: “Landesmuseum Zürich from Neumühlequai Zürich 2022-09-24 01.jpg” by Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0.

What to see

The original building was designed by the Zurich architect Gustav Gull in the historicist style, modelled on French Renaissance city châteaus. It is regarded as an architectural monument of national importance. In 2016 a modern extension by the Swiss architects Christ & Gantenbein opened; it houses large exhibition halls, a library and an auditorium.

In 1900 Ferdinand Hodler painted three frescoes, the "Retreat from Marignano", for the museum’s Hall of Fame. The Swiss National Museum’s collection comprises more than 870,000 objects in 14 collection groups, covering Swiss cultural history from its beginnings to the present. The museum describes its stained-glass holdings as the world’s largest and most significant collection of stained glass, and its weaponry collection as the most significant in Switzerland.

A short history

  • In 1891, after a dispute over the location, Zurich was chosen as the site of the national museum ahead of Lucerne, Basel and Bern.
  • Construction started in 1892; at the time it was the largest building site in Zurich.
  • The Swiss Federal Council opened the museum on 24 June 1898. The inauguration was filmed by François-Henri Lavanchy-Clarke, a concessionary of the Lumière brothers.
  • In 1982 Jenny Schneider became the museum’s first female director and the first woman to head a Swiss federal office.

Tips for your visit

  • The free "Landesmuseum" app has audio guides in English and other languages, on your own smartphone.
  • Only small bags (up to A3) are allowed in the exhibitions; larger bags go into the cloakroom lockers.
  • Luggage larger than 45 × 30 × 50 cm cannot be left at the museum – use the lockers at Zurich main station.
  • Souvenir photos are welcome, except where a no-photo sign is shown.
  • There is a bistro in the foyer and the Restaurant Spitz inside the museum.
  • The museum sits beside the Platzspitz park, on a peninsula between the rivers Sihl and Limmat – a quiet green spot right behind the station.

Getting there from Zürich HB

  • On foot: the museum is located right next to the main station.
  • By tram or bus: stops Central, Bahnhofstrasse/HB or Sihlquai/HB.
  • The tram stop Bahnhofquai/HB is closed from 14 December 2025 until the end of 2026 for renovation.