Museums

The Maison Lavaux exhibition: a historical, human and cultural immersion right in the heart of the “Lavaux, vineyard and terraces” site. Be inspired and surprised by multiple facets of the unique Swiss cultural landscape, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Open to all ages, from youngsters to older folk!

A marathon of emotions. Would you like to relive great Olympic moments? Feel the pulse of the champions? Discover the creative flair of the host cities? The world of the Games with its many facets will open up to you for a full and unique experience.

One of Lausanne’s key museums, the Collection de l’Art Brut, housed in a magnificent mansion, is full of surprises with its unique collection of works by self-taught artists, far removed from conventional artistic codes.

Photo Elysée is one of the biggest museums in Switzerland and the world dedicated entirely to the discipline of photography.

Just a few short steps from the main train station, PLATEFORME 10 is the arts district in Lausanne. Unique in Switzerland, this neighborhood has arisen on the site of a former railway locomotive repair shed. The site gathers the Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts (MCBA), the Cantonal Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts (mudac) and the Cantonal Museum for Photography (Photo Elysée).

The Lausanne History Museum (MHL), entirely refurbished in 2018, is the ideal place to discover the evolution of Lausanne and of its inhabitants’ lives. The famous model of the Cité in 1638 introduces “Lausanne, the Exhibition”, a themed itinerary that bears witness to Lausanne’s very rich economic, social and cultural history.

The one and only institution that is entirely dedicated to design in western Switzerland, the mudac owns a collection of design objects, contemporary glass art, contemporary art jewellery, graphic art and ceramics to be discovered, absolutely!

Opened in 1841, the Vaud Museum of Fine Arts in Lausanne is one of the oldest Swiss museums exclusively dedicated to art. Now located in Plateforme 10, it presents several temporary exhibitions a year from its collection of 10,000 works.

- TEMPORARY CLOSURE FOR WORKS FROM 28 APRIL 2025 TO EARLY 2026 -

The Espace des Inventions's vocation is to make children and young people more aware of culture, science and technology and stimulate the critical thinking, curiosity and creativity of all who visit. The institution invites young people to discover the cultural riches that surround us and take a look at the infinite world of science and technology.

The Swiss Film Archives owns a collection of over 40,000 titles and is one of the most important film institutions in the world. Showings of films from its collection take place three times a day all year round, are cyclical and thematic and relevant to current issues.

The Hand Museum presents interactive exhibitions on topical themes that concern everybody.. An exciting and original way of looking at our society.

A stone’s throw from Lake Geneva, the Musée romain de Lausanne-Vidy tells the story of the roman city of Lousonna through a permanent collection and an annual temporary exhibition. Free admission to the museum on the first Saturday of the month.

In a beautiful building on the Place de la Riponne, the Espace Arlaud is the oldest museum in Lausanne, featuring only temporary eclectic exhibitions, mainly taken from the collections of the canton’s museums. Admission is free on the first Saturday of the month.

The Naturéum’s zoology collections have occupied the neo-Florentine building of the Palais de Rumine in the centre of Lausanne since 1909. The south wing includes animals from around the world, notably the biggest stuffed great white shark in the world, weighing in at 5.89 metres!

The Fondation de l’Hermitage in Lausanne is a showcase of Swiss and international artists of our time. Known throughout the world, the collection is housed in a beautiful mansion in its own grounds overlooking the city.

A beautiful and completely restored building, the museum adjoins the family home of the writer C. F. Ramuz and houses an important collection related to his body of work. The temporary exhibitions promote regional visual art and alternate the presentations connected with the museum’s collections with personal or themed exhibitions.

Housed in the Palais de Rumine, on the Place de la Riponne in the centre of Lausanne, the Vaud Archaeology and History Museum tells the story of the Lake Geneva Region, from the Neolithic period to the present day, and even on into the future! A cultural and entertaining visit for the whole family.

The ArchéoLab is a discovery space for budding young inquisitive minds! Discover the secrets of archaeology with an approach that’s both scientific and steeped in time travel. Entertaining puzzles, smart games, a fun experience to share with all the family – embark on a genuine journey back to Roman times!

Submersion in the heart of architecture, town planning and everything relevant to the quality of the living and built environments: that is what is on offer at f’ar or Forum d’architectures. In documenting its history, it also proposes rethinking the whole town.

Today, the Palais de Rumine houses the Naturéum - Cantonal museum of natural sciences (geology and zoology, the cantonal museum of archaeology and history and the cantonal and university library - Lausanne.

A natural haven of peace located on Montriond hill in the heart of Lausanne, the botanical garden is open every day, with free admission.

A real history book, the Naturéum’s geology collections are packed full of treasures, testaments to a past that is often shrouded in mystery for the general public. The museum’s free permanent exhibitions in the Palais de Rumine in Lausanne include fossils, crystals and an explanation about the formation of the Alps.

Since 2002, the Musée Bolo - Swiss Museum of information technology, digital culture and video games has been telling the story of digital technology. Its collections are made up of old computers and anything to do with previous generations of digital machines. It is hosted by the EPFL.

This museum tells the story of a passion passed down from father to son. A typewriter repairman since 1937, Charles Perrier was so fascinated by these ingenious devices that he began to collect them so that he could lovingly restore them, making any pieces that might be missing.

A wealth of architecture on paper: that is their treasure. It is in the office archives of architects, engineers and construction companies throughout the Romand territory and its adjacent regions that the Archives of Modern Construction – an Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne institution, created in 1988 – finds its livelihood.

Situated in the middle of a magnificent park in Pully, this centre is a place of culture, meeting and study as well as a memorial. Under the name of Verte Rive (Green Bank), the property was the residence, until his death in 1960, of General Guisan, commander-in-chief of the Swiss army during the Second World War from 1939-45. Owned by the Swiss Confederation since 1971, this centre is now managed by the Association Verte Rive under the auspices of the Fondation du Général Henri Guisan.

The Department of Architecture of the EPFL, and now the Institute of Architecture, has been organising exhibitions and conferences open to the public since 1974. The programme is aimed not just at specialists in the field, but also any member of the public interested in learning about the stakes, the latest developments and the history of our built environment.

EPFL Pavilions is EPFL's cultural platform where art, research and technology meet.