In this post we’re going to look into the best museums in Bern to visit.
I love visiting museums in other countries because you really get a good feel for the culture and history of that region.
You will learn about the best art, history and cultural museums in this post.
You are going to really enjoy the art, history and culture of Bern and Switzerland at these museums.
Let’s get right into my list of the best museums in Bern to visit!
Visiting a Museum is One of the Best Things to Do in Bern
There are plenty of beautiful places to see and soak up the landscapes in Bern.
What most miss out on, however, are the wonderful museums in the city.
Bern has some of the best artistic and cultural museums in Switzerland.
You would be doing yourself a disservice if you did not visit at least one during your stay in Bern.
Most museums in Bern are closed on Monday’s so you know.
The Best Bern Museums to Visit
- Visiting a Museum is One of the Best Things to Do in Bern
- The Best Bern Museums to Visit
- 1. Einsteinhaus (Einstein House)
- 2. Bern Historical Museum (Bernisches Historisches Museum) and Einstein Museum
- Bernisches Historisches Museum (Bern Historical Museum)
- Einstein Museum
- 3. Kunstmuseum (Museum of Fine Arts)
- 4. Zentrum Paul Klee (Paul Klee Museum)
- 5. Museum of Communication (Museum für Kommunikation)
- 6. Swiss Shooting Museum
- 7. Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum)
- 8. Galerie SOON
- 9. Kunsthalle Bern (Contemporary Art Museum)
- 10. Klingende Sammlung
All CHF to USD conversions are estimates based on conversion rates at the time this was posted.
1. Einsteinhaus (Einstein House)
The Einsteinhaus is the former residence of Albert Einstein that has been turned into a museum. Einstein lived in this Old Town Bern residence from 1903-1905.
The Einstein House is where Albert Einstein lived when he wrote and published his theory of relativity.
The apartment in Old Town is furnished and designed like it would have been during his time there.
There is also an exhibition room on the 3rd floor that presents Albert Einstein’s biography and highlights of his life’s work. There is also a short video that covers his life and achievements.
Hours
Einsteinhaus is open from 10am-5pm every day.
Admission
Admission costs CHF 6 ($6.03) for adults and CHF 4.50 (around $4.02) for students and seniors/pensioners.
Recommended Visit Time
You will spend about an hour at Einsteinhaus.
2. Bern Historical Museum (Bernisches Historisches Museum) and Einstein Museum
Bernisches Historisches Museum (Bern Historical Museum)
The Bern Historical Museum has 10 permanent exhibitions covering the topics of history, archeology and ethnography of Bern and Switzerland.
I found this museum fascinating and a lot of fun. I went with my friend who lives in Bern and we both learned a lot. In fact, there was a lot of history inside the museum he had no clue about.
You will see artifacts and tools from Stone Age inhabitants of Switzerland and coins and weapons from the Roman Empire.
There are also impressive exhibits with Egyptian, Native American, Pacific Islander and Asian artifacts, statues and weapons.
I found the exhibits on Swiss and Bernese history the most fascinating. It gives you a great understanding of the city and country over the ages.
Einstein Museum
Attached to the Bernisches Historisches Museum is the Einstein Museum.
This was originally planned as a temporary exhibit at the museum, however, due to its incredible popularity it became permanent.
The Einstein Museum is dedicated to the life and work of Albert Einstein.
The museum displays many artifacts and personal items from throughout Einstein’s life. Items include report cards, family photos and history, work history and struggles he and his family went through during his life.
It’s a really cool look into his life and work and very well done.
The only drawback is it’s an additional CHF 5 on top of the History Museum’s admission to view.
The Bern Historical Museum and Einstein Museum are the best museums in Bern to visit in my opinion.
Hours
Both museums are open Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-5pm.
Admission
Adult tickets are CHF 13 ($13.09) and children 6 to 16 are CHF 4 ($4.03) for the Bern History Museum only.
To see both the history museum and Einstein Museum adult admission is CHF 18 ($18.12) and CHF 8 ($8.05) for children.
Recommended Visit Time
I would recommend spending at least 3 hours at both museums combined, however, you can spend way more time there.
3. Kunstmuseum (Museum of Fine Arts)
The Kunstmuseum in Bern is the oldest art museum in Switzerland.
It has artwork from the Middle Ages to the present by artists such as Paul Klee, Picasso, Meret Oppenheim, Ricco Wassmer, Ferdinand Hodler and Adolf Wolfli.
The Museum of Fine Arts collection includes over 3,000 paintings and sculptures and almost 50,000 drawings, prints, photographs, videos and films.
Hours
The museum is open Tuesday from 10am-9pm and Wednesday-Sunday from 10am-5pm.
Admission
Adult tickets are CHF 24 ($24.16) and children up to 16 are free.
Recommended Visit Time
The recommended visiting time at the Kunstmuseum is 2-3 hours.
4. Zentrum Paul Klee (Paul Klee Museum)
Just on the outskirts of Bern you will find the Zentrum Paul Klee.
The building has a unique wavy design done by Italian architect Renzo Piano.
Paul Klee was an influential Swiss painter who is buried in Bern.
In the late 90s, Paul Klee’s daughter-in-law donated her inheritance of nearly 690 Klee works to the city of Bern.
Shortly thereafter the city decided to build the Zentrum Paul Klee to celebrate the artist.
The Zentrum Paul Klee houses the largest collection of Paul Klee works in the world as well as rotating works from other artists.
Hours
The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-5pm.
Admission
Adult tickets are CHF 20 ($20.13), seniors are CHF 18 ($18.12) and children 6-16 are CHF 7 ($7.05).
Recommended Visit Time
Plan on spending 2-3 hours at the Zentrum Paul Klee on your visit.
5. Museum of Communication (Museum für Kommunikation)
The Museum of Communication has exhibits on body language, dialogue between different cultures and the exchange of information through old and new media.
A big focus of the Museum für Kummunikation is on the communication between people and the devices they use for communication.
The museum also features a lot of history on Switzerland and how communication in the country has changed over time.
The Museum of Communication has really cool interactive exhibits and games that are fun for kids and adults.
Hours
The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-5pm.
Admission
Adult tickets are CHF 15 ($15.10), students and seniors are CHF 10 ($10.07) and children 6-15 are CHF 5 ($5.03).
Recommended Visit Time
It is recommended to spend at least 2-3 hours at the Museum für Kommunikation.
6. Swiss Shooting Museum
The Swiss Shooting Museum is an excellent museum in Bern that documents the history of sport shooting in Switzerland.
They have several weapons, awards, medals and trophies on display in their exhibits.
You can see the development of guns, bows and crossbows inside the museum. A really cool exhibit has every weapon ever carried by the Swiss Army in chronological order.
On slow days when there aren’t many visitors, the curator has been known to give personal tours to guests, which is a really nice touch.
Hours
The Swiss Shooting Museum is open Tuesday-Saturday 2pm-5pm and Sunday 10am-12pm and 2pm-5pm.
Admission
One of the best parts about the Swiss Shooting Museum in Bern is that it’s free!
Recommended Visit Time
Visitors only need about an hour to view the contents of the museum.
7. Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum)
The Naturhistorisches Museum in Bern was founded in 1832 and is Bern’s oldest museum.
Over 200 life-sized dioramas of preserved animals from Switzerland, Africa and Asia are on display at the Natural History Museum.
The museum has a nice collection of minerals, meteorites and the largest collection of animal skeletons in Switzerland.
Probably the most famous exhibit at the Natural History Museum is of Barry the St. Bernard, who was credited with saving over 40 lives during his lifetime.
Children will love the interactive exhibits and exploring areas of the museum.
Be forewarned that most of the exhibits are in German or French and there is very little English used for the descriptions.
Hours
The museum is open Monday from 2-5pm; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am-5pm; Wednesday 9am-6pm; and Saturday and Sunday 10am-5pm.
Admission
Adult tickets are CHF 10 ($10.07), students and seniors are CHF 8 ($8.05) and children up to 16 are free.
Recommended Visit Time
It is recommended to spend at least 2-3 hours at the Bern Natural History Museum.
8. Galerie SOON
One of the coolest museum experiences in Bern is at Galerie SOON.
The gallery showcases urban and contemporary art and is located in Old Town Bern.
Galerie SOON has new exhibits almost every month showcasing up and coming artists from Switzerland and around the world.
You definitely want to be there for exhibit openings because you sometimes get the opportunity to meet the artists being featured.
Visitors can also purchase original and reprint art from Galerie SOON.
Hours
Galerie SOON is open Wednesday-Friday 1:30pm-6pm and Saturday 10:30am-5pm during exhibitions.
Admission
Admission to the gallery is free.
Recommended Visit Time
You can view the art on display in an hour or less.
9. Kunsthalle Bern (Contemporary Art Museum)
Near the Bern History Museum is the Contemporary Art Museum opened in 1918.
Kunsthalle Bern is 2-stories of quirky contemporary and modern art. Many of the exhibitions feature Swiss artists, which is pretty neat.
If you like contemporary and modern art, then you will like Kunsthalle Bern.
Hours
The Contemporary Art Gallery is open Tuesday-Friday 11am-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am-6pm.
Admission
Adult admission is CHF 8 ($8.05), seniors and students are CHF 5 ($5.03) and children under 16 are free.
Recommended Visit Time
Recommended time to spend at the gallery is 1-2 hours.
10. Klingende Sammlung
The Klingende Sammlung is a neat little music history museum near the Zytglogge in Old Town.
Inside the museum you will find over 1,000 wind instruments and drums spanning 3 centuries. Included in the collection is a prototype alto saxophone by its inventor Adolphe Sax.
The playing collection is based on Karl Burri’s collection of musical instruments.
Music lovers will really enjoy this museum because you get to see all the instruments, hear recordings of them and get to play a few of them (if you so choose).
Hours
The Klingende Sammlung is open Wednesday-Sunday from 11am-5pm.
Admission
Adult admission is CHF 10 ($10.07), children and students are CHF 5 ($5.03) and families are CHF 20 ($20.13).
Recommended Visit Time
A visit to the Klingende Sammlung will be at least 45 minutes.
Final Thoughts
One of the best things to do in Bern is to visit to visit a museum.
Bern has several amazing museums and exhibits that are incredibly fascinating.
Inside the different museums you will be able to learn and enjoy the heritage and culture of the Swiss and from other nations around the world.
I highly recommend visiting at least 1 museum during your stay in Bern.
Now I’d Like to Hear from You
I hope you enjoyed my post on the best museums in Bern.
Now I would like to hear from you.
What were your thoughts on the museums in Bern?
What did you think of my list of the best museums in Bern?
Is there anything you think I left out?
Let me know by leaving a quick comment below!
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This is a great list! We love visiting museums too! A great place to learn of their history.
Thanks! Going to museums is great. My favorite in Bern was definitely the Bernisches Historisches Museum with the Einstein Museum. Lots of really cool stuff and I learned a lot about the history of the area.