Sights in Switzerland
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Collegio Papio
The Collegio Papio, now a high school, boasts a fine Lombard courtyard and includes the 15th-century Chiesa Santa Maria della Misericordia, with medieval frescos.
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Giardini Jean Arp
Giardini Jean Arp is a lakeside park off Lungolago Motta, with sculptures by the surrealist artist scattered among the palm trees. It is free to swim in various convenient spots around the lake.
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Grossmünster
More of Augusto Giacometti’s work is on show across the river in the twin-towered Grossmünster. Charlemagne founded this landmark cathedral in the 9th century.
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Kunstmuseum
The thousands of works at the Museum of Fine Arts represent Switzerland’s oldest permanent collection and include examples by Italian artists such as Fra Angelico, Swiss artists like Ferdinand Hodler and Giovanni Giacometti and heavy hitters like Picasso and Cézanne.
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Microcosm
Microcosm, CERN’s on-site multimedia and interactive visitors centre, runs physics workshops (9am and 3pm Wednesday, 3pm Saturday) for children aged 14 and older.
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Fondation de l'Hermitage
Fondation de l’Hermitage is a charming 19th-century residence constantly hosts high-calibre temporary art expositions. Take bus 16 from Place St François.
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Engadiner Museum
For a peek at the archetypal dwellings and humble interiors of the Engadine Valley, visit the Engadiner Museum, showing traditional stoves and archaeological finds.
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Segantini Museum
Giovanni Segantini (1858–99) beautifully captured the dramatic light and ambience of the Alps on canvas. His paintings are shown at the Segantini Museum.
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Museum Für Gestaltung
Consistently impressive and wide-ranging, the exhibitions at the Museum für Gestaltung include anything from Bollywood to ‘short stories in photography’.
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Galleria Gottardo
Galleria Gottardo is a private foundation of the BSI (formerly Banca del Gottardo) bank, which puts on exhibitions ranging from sculpture to photography.
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Musée D’art Moderne et Contemporain
Set in an industrial 1950s factory, the Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain plays host to young, international and cross-media exhibitions.
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Münster
The high point of the 15th-century Gothic cathedral is its lofty spire. At 100m, it’s Switzerland’s tallest, and those with enough energy to climb the dizzying 344-step spiral staircase are rewarded with vertiginous views of the Bernese Alps on a clear day. Coming down, take a breather by the Upper Bells (1356), rung at 11am, noon and 3pm daily, and the three Lower Bells, each weighing 10 tonnes, making them Switzerland’s largest bells.
Back on terra firma, look at the decorative main portal depicting the Last Judgement. The mayor of Bern is shown going to heaven, while his Zürich counterpart is being shown into hell.
Afterwards, wander behind the cathedral to the
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Musée de l'Elysée
The Musée de l’Elysée is worth keeping an eye on if you like photography. It stages temporary expositions that are often excellent.
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Antikenmuseum Basel
The Antikenmuseum Basel contains the country’s most impressive collection of ancient artefacts, largely running from Egyptian to Roman times.
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Château de Chillon
This extraordinary, oval-shaped castle was brought to the world’s attention by Lord Byron, and the world has been filing past ever since.
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Espace Rousseau
The Espace Rousseau is home to a 25-minute audiovisual display tracing the troubled life of Geneva’s greatest thinker, born here in 1712.
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Tour des Prisons
Heading uphill along Rue du Château, walk through the medieval city gate to view the Tour des Prisons. Scale it for lake and Alpine views.
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Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire is the birthplace of the Dada movement puts on exhibitions and shows, frequently with a dose of vitriolic social criticism.
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Château St Maire
The haughty, turreted Château St Maire is a 15th-century castle that was once the residence of the bishops of Lausanne and now houses government offices.
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Collection
This extraordinary collection, put together by French artist Jean Dubuffet, opened in 1976 in what was a late 18th- century country mansion.
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Schweizerisches Alpines Museum
The Schweizerisches Alpines Museum outlines the history of Alpine mountaineering and cartography with the help of impressive relief maps.
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St Martinskirche
St Martinskirche has a wooden Romanesque ceiling that bears 153 extraordinarily vivid panels depicting the lives of Christ and St Martin.
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Zoo Dolder
Zoo Dolder, up on the Zürichberg, has an expansive location, 1800 animals and a recreated rainforest. Take tram 6 to Zoo station.
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Zentrum Paul Klee
Bern’s answer to the Guggenheim, the fabulous Zentrum Paul Klee is an eye-catching 150m-long building filled with popular modern art.
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Site Archéologique
Site Archéologique an interactive subterranean space displays fine 4th-century mosaics and the tomb of an Allobrogian chieftain.
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