Family-friendly museums
Note: Please consult the website before your visit to find out about the BAG protection concepts, current opening hours and the organisation of events.
Among Romans, Indians or Confederates
At the Vindonissa Museum in Brugg AG, Roman history comes to life around the only legionary camp on Swiss soil. The Vindonissa Legionary Trail is an adventurous excursion destination along the ancient excavation sites. There are also play tours for children aged four and over and overnight stays in the barracks. Family Sundays are organised on a regular basis.
www.museumaargau.ch/vindonissa-museum
www.museumaargau.ch/legionaerspfad
It is rumoured that Indians let out a cry and hit themselves in the mouth with their hand before attacking. This «Indian howl» was invented in Hollywood. The Indian Land Museum in Gossau ZH provides even more interesting facts about the indigenous people of North America. The highlight of this unique museum are 15 life-size Native American figures and over 50 specimens of bison, bears, wolves, coyotes and other animals.
www.indianland.ch
The Central Switzerland branch of the Swiss National Museum is not as well-known or as large as the National Museum in Zurich, but is also worth a visit. In the permanent exhibition of the Forum of Swiss History Schwyz, which is aimed at visitors of all ages, you can relive the origins of the Swiss Confederation in the Middle Ages on a three-storey adventure trail.
www.forumschwyz.ch
Our nature and foreign worlds
The St. Gallen Nature Museum is one of the most modern and exciting of its kind. Not only are the usual animal specimens on display here - starting with a 400-year-old crocodile - but there are also plenty of natural things to walk on, touch and experience. A fascinating highlight is the ant city living and working behind Plexiglas. The family life of various animal species can be explored along a special children's trail.
www.naturmuseumsg.ch
In the unusual clay building of the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach, families can take off into the fascinating world of birds and learn a little «Zwitscherdütsch». When you enter, you are ringed and assigned «your» bird species at the end, so that you leave the exhibition as an owl or an eagle, for example. In the ornithological garden on the shores of Lake Sempach, you can observe live birds inside and outside the aviaries.
www.vogelwarte.ch
Why wander into the distance? Because it's so close! At the Lake Constance Planetarium and Observatory in Kreuzlingen, you can take a fascinating look at the infinite universe beyond our little planet. A wide range of impressive and educational shows for children from the age of four make the planetarium a worthwhile destination for a family outing.
www.bodensee-planetarium.ch
For playing, marvelling and licking
If you want to immerse yourself in the fantastic world of «being a child», the Swiss Children's Museum in Baden is the right place for you. As if in a time capsule, you can experience the transformation of toys, growing up and the world of children's experiences in the form of experiments, toys you can touch and sensory experiences. The changing theme worlds also invite you to visit the museum again and again with the whole family.
www.kindermuseum.ch
The WOW Museum in Zurich is all about showmanship: in a tour through rooms full of illusions and sensory illusions, visitors are amazed over three floors and learn a lot about human perception along the way. An interactive museum that is particularly fun for older children, especially as your own smartphone or tablet becomes a central part of the experience via an app - which also ensures that you take home a few souvenir photos to marvel at. There is only a limited time slot available for the visit, so be sure to book in advance.
www.wow-museum.ch
Sweet dreams come true at Lindt & Sprüngli's headquarters in Kilchberg on Lake Zurich: in the foyer of the Lindt World of Chocolate, designed by Basel star architects Christ & Gantenbein, there is a 9-metre-high fountain in which real chocolate flows. The exhibition offers chocolate fans interesting facts on topics such as cocoa cultivation, chocolate history and chocolate production - as well as a delicious finale in the tasting centre. A visit to the museum that you don't need to persuade your children to go on.
www.lindt-home-of-chocolate.com
Art for children
Lugano is home to a small museum just for the little ones: With its interactive exhibitions and workshops, the Museo in Erba is entirely dedicated to children and playful art education. Knowledge of Italian or French is an advantage, but not necessary: After all, art is a universal language.
www.museoinerba.com
For many, cartoons are the most accessible form of art and literature. At the Cartoonmuseum Basel, the only one of its kind in Switzerland, there is not only a lot to see and read. Workshops and open studios are also held regularly at weekends, where children and young people can try their hand at drawing cartoons themselves.
www.cartoonmuseum.ch
