Museums · Zurich · Switzerland
5 best museums in Zurich
The collections worth your time, how long each takes and how to fit them together.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Ikiwaner, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Kunsthaus Zürich, Swiss National Museum and FIFA Museum. Together the 5 picks below take roughly 10–11 hours across 4 areas; all charge for entry.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 5
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 10–11 hours
- Areas
- Heimplatz, Main station and Enge
Museums in Zurich
Gallery · Heimplatz
1.Kunsthaus Zürich
Switzerland's largest art museum spans the original building and David Chipperfield's extension, opened in 2021, across Heimplatz.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Iconic
- Architecture
Museum · Main station
2.Swiss National Museum
Housed in a turreted 1898 building beside the main station with a modern wing added in 2016, the Landesmuseum tells Swiss history from prehistoric times through the Middle Ages and the Reformation to the present, with period rooms, armour, furniture and well-designed temporary exhibitions.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Architecture
- Kids
Museum · Enge
3.FIFA Museum
Opened in 2016 near Enge station, the FIFA Museum covers the history of world football with World Cup trophies, shirts from every member association, interactive games and a pinball hall.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
Gallery · Enge
4.Museum Rietberg
Switzerland's museum of non-European art, with collections from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania, occupies the Villa Wesendonck and a glass entrance pavilion in the Rieterpark.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
- Architecture
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Museum · Kilchberg
5.Lindt Home of Chocolate
Next to the Lindt & Sprüngli factory in Kilchberg, on the lake's western shore, this chocolate museum opened in 2020 with a chocolate fountain about 9 metres tall, an interactive exhibition on cocoa and Swiss chocolate history, tastings and a large shop.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Food
- Rainy day
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Heimplatz | Kunsthaus Zürich | 2–3 hours |
| Main station | Swiss National Museum | 2 hours |
| Enge | FIFA Museum and Museum Rietberg | 2 hours + 2 hours |
| Kilchberg | Lindt Home of Chocolate | 2 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 5, 5 mid-priced. Book ahead for Lindt Home of Chocolate. The longest visit is Kunsthaus Zürich; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Lindt Home of Chocolate: Timed tickets often sell out at weekends and in school holidays; book online in advance.
How to fit them into 3 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Heimplatz and Main station): Kunsthaus Zürich → Swiss National Museum, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Enge): FIFA Museum → Museum Rietberg, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Kilchberg): Lindt Home of Chocolate, at least 2 hours.
The quietest months for queues
- February: highs of 5°C (41°F), about 8 rainy days, quiet crowds. Still cold, with ski season in full swing a train ride away.
- January: highs of 3°C (37°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold and often grey under low cloud, with occasional snow; good for museums and day trips up into the sunny mountains.
- November: highs of 8°C (46°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. Grey and foggy, but Christmas markets and lights arrive late in the month.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Enge — Western lakeshore of villas, parks, the Rietberg museum and the FIFA Museum
More of Zurich
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Zurich?
Kunsthaus Zürich. Switzerland's largest art museum spans the original building and David Chipperfield's extension, opened in 2021, across Heimplatz.