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A photograph of Zurich

City guide · Switzerland

Museums in Zurich, Switzerland — page 2

Zurich’s centre is compact and organised around the Limmat River, the lakefront and the main railway station. The Old Town occupies both riverbanks, while the u...

Photograph · Ikiwaner · CC BY-SA 3.0

1,565 Places
Suggested stay
2-3 days
Getting around
Tram, S-Bahn, bus, boat, funicular and walking

Turn this list into a plan

Set your days, your pace and the hours you actually want to be out. The planner works around closing days and travel time, and leaves room to eat.

Plan Zurich

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Zurich’s centre is compact and organised around the Limmat River, the lakefront and the main railway station. The Old Town occupies both riverbanks, while the university terraces rise east and the former industrial districts extend west. Trams, S-Bahn trains, buses, boats and funiculars share an integrated zonal network. Walk the historic core, then use public transport for Uetliberg, outer neighbourhoods and longer lake connections.

Checked 2026-08-26

Practical information

Language spoken
German, French, Italian and Romansh
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+41
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
Swiss franc (CHF)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
112 · 117 police · 144 ambulance
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type C and J · 230 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Safe from the mains
Public drinking water is controlled under Swiss food-safety rules

Planning a visit

September · September combines an 18.8°C mean high in Zurich with 92.0 mm of precipitation over eight days.

  1. January: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  2. February: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  3. March: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  4. April: good time to visit
  5. May: best time to visit
  6. June: good time to visit
  7. July: best time to visit
  8. August: good time to visit
  9. September: best time to visit — current month
  10. October: good time to visit
  11. November: viable with meaningful trade-offs
  12. December: viable with meaningful trade-offs

Sources

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

Filter the list

20 places match

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Category

Historic monuments 5 Museums 20 Places of worship 14 Nature sites 30 Viewpoints 12 Food and drink 5 Markets and shopping 2 Entertainment 3 Nightlife 0 Family attractions 7 Art and culture 2 Activities 0

Typical visit duration

1 to 2 hours 20

Interests

History 0 Art 0 Museums 0 Nature 0 Sea and beach 0 Viewpoints 0
  1. Zurich Tram Museum Zurich Tram Museum
    07 1 hr 30 min

    Zurich Tram Museum

    Tram-Museum Zürich

    Zurich Tram Museum preserves the history of Zurich’s tramway system in a former tram depot.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  2. Zoological museum of the university of Zurich Zoological museum of the university of Zurich
    08 1 hr 30 min

    Zoological museum of the university of Zurich

    Naturhistorisches Museum

    The Zoological Museum of the University of Zurich is a university museum devoted to zoology and natural history.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  3. Kunsthalle Zürich Kunsthalle Zürich
    09 1 hr 30 min

    Kunsthalle Zürich

    Kunsthalle Zürich is a contemporary art exhibition space in Zurich, Switzerland. It operates as a kunsthalle, a type of institution without a permanent collection that hosts temporary exhibitions of modern and contemporary art.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  4. Migros Museum of Contemporary Art Migros Museum of Contemporary Art
    10 1 hr 30 min

    Migros Museum of Contemporary Art

    Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst

    Migros Museum of Contemporary Art is a Zurich museum focused on international contemporary art. Known locally as Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, the institution is operated by the Migros Culture Percentage, a cultural initiative of the Swiss retail cooperative Migros.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  5. Haus Konstruktiv Haus Konstruktiv
    11 1 hr 30 min

    Haus Konstruktiv

    Haus Konstruktiv is a Zurich museum dedicated to concrete, constructive, and conceptual art. The museum continues the tradition of the former Collection Concrete art foundation and concentrates on artistic practices shaped by geometry, order, material precision, systems, and abstraction.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  6. Uhrenmuseum Beyer Uhrenmuseum Beyer
    12 1 hr 30 min

    Uhrenmuseum Beyer

    Uhrenmuseum Beyer Zürich

    Uhrenmuseum Beyer is a specialised clock and watch museum in central Zurich, situated on Bahnhofstrasse within the long-established Beyer jewellery and watch business. The museum offers a focused look at how people measured time across different periods.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  7. fo­cusTer­ra fo­cusTer­ra
    13 1 hr 30 min

    fo­cusTer­ra

    Focus Terra

    FocusTerra is a specialised earth-sciences museum in Zurich. Its focus is the natural history of the planet, with mineralogical and geological collections presented for public learning.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  8. Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich
    14 1 hr 30 min

    Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich

    Völkerkundemuseum der Universität Zürich

    The Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich, also called Völkerkundemuseum der Universität Zürich, is a university museum devoted to ethnographic collections and cultural anthropology.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  9. Johann Jacobs Museum Johann Jacobs Museum
    15 1 hr 30 min

    Johann Jacobs Museum

    The Johann Jacobs Museum in Zurich is a cultural institution dedicated to the history of global trade, colonialism, and coffee culture.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  10. Museum Strauhof Museum Strauhof
    16 1 hr 30 min

    Museum Strauhof

    Museum Strauhof is a literary museum in Zurich’s historic centre, devoted to writing, writers, and the city’s place in literary culture. Its exhibitions connect authors with the streets, political atmosphere, and social life that shaped their work.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  11. North America Native Museum North America Native Museum
    17 1 hr 30 min

    North America Native Museum

    Nordamerika Native Museum NONAM

    North America Native Museum, known locally as Nordamerika Native Museum or NONAM, is a Zurich museum devoted to Indigenous peoples of North America. It presents cultural history, artistic traditions and material culture within a European museum setting.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  12. Kulturama Kulturama
    18 1 hr 30 min

    Kulturama

    Kulturama is a Zurich museum devoted to human evolution, natural science and cultural development.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  13. Mühle Tiefenbrunnen Mühle Tiefenbrunnen
    19 1 hr 30 min

    Mühle Tiefenbrunnen

    Mühlerama

    Mühle Tiefenbrunnen, also known as Mühlerama, is a historic mill in Zurich’s Tiefenbrunnen district. The site preserves the memory of grain milling and presents industrial heritage in a setting connected with the city’s northeastern lakeside neighbourhoods.

    • Must see
    • Museum
  14. Helmhaus Helmhaus
    20 1 hr 30 min

    Helmhaus

    Helmhaus is a cultural venue beside the Limmat River in Zurich’s historic centre. The building hosts contemporary art exhibitions and cultural programming within a historic riverside setting.

    • Must see
    • Museum

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

How the city is laid out

The main station anchors the northern edge of central Zurich. Bahnhofstrasse runs south toward Lake Zurich, with Lindenhof and the western Old Town between it and the Limmat. Niederdorf and the eastern Old Town climb toward the university and Polyterrasse. Enge and the lake promenades continue south, while Zurich West occupies converted industrial ground beyond the centre. Uetliberg, the zoo and farther lake destinations are separate excursions reached efficiently by rail or tram.

Checked 2026-08-26

Getting around

Use the ZVV network for trams, buses, S-Bahn trains, boats and funicular railways. Zurich Tourism notes that one zonal ticket can cover these modes within the selected zones, which makes transfers straightforward. The central Old Town and lakefront are best walked, while rail is the practical choice for Uetliberg and the airport. Check the zones before travel and do not assume a scenic boat or mountain connection uses the same validity area.

Checked 2026-08-26

Common questions

How many days does Zurich need?

Two to three days are enough for a first visit. Two cover the Old Town, lakefront and central museums; add a third for Uetliberg, the zoo or a longer trip on the lake.

When is the best time to visit Zurich?

May through September gives longer daylight for the lakefront, viewpoints and outdoor district walks. Winter is better suited to museums and shorter central routes unless snow activities are the main purpose.

Is Zurich easy to explore on foot?

The Old Town, Bahnhofstrasse, lakefront and university terraces fit into connected walking routes. Use transit for Zurich West, the zoo, Uetliberg and other destinations beyond the compact centre.

Does one ticket cover different transport modes?

Within the relevant ZVV zones, tickets can cover trams, buses, trains, boats and funicular or cable connections included in the network. Confirm the required zones for longer journeys.

Which Zurich areas combine well?

Combine both sides of the Old Town with Bahnhofstrasse and the lakefront. Give Zurich West, Uetliberg or a longer lake trip its own block to avoid repeated crossings through the main station.