17 Museums to Explore in Vaud

Checkout places to visit in Vaud

Vaud

The canton of Vaud is the third largest of the Swiss cantons by population. The capital and biggest city is Lausanne, officially designated "Olympic Capital" by the International Olympic Committee and hosting many international sports organizations.

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Museums to Explore in Vaud

Alimentarium

Alimentarium is the first museum in the world devoted exclusively to nutrition. It offers an insight into the history and future of the human diet through interactive exhibitions, hands-on workshops, tastings, and cooking demonstrations.

AQUATIS Aquarium-Vivarium

Aquatis is the largest freshwater aquarium-vivarium in Europe. It is an interesting mix of an aquarium, ZOO, and an educational interactive modern museum.

blonay-chamby museum railway

The Blonay - Chamby Railway and Museum was opened in 1968 with the aims of operating the meter-gauge railway line from Blonay to Chamby and in doing so preserving railway equipment of technical or historic value. The century-old steam or electric trains take visitors from Blonay on a journey through viaducts, tunnels, and pastures that offer a beautiful view of the Vaud Riviera, Lake Geneva, and Savoy.

Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts

The Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts is an art museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The museum showcases more than 10,000 artworks.

Collection de l'Art Brut

The Collection de l’Art Brut exhibits a collection of “outsider art”, produced by self-taught social outcasts, such as psychiatric hospital patients and prisoners.

Jardin Botanique de Lausanne

Jardin Botanique de Lausanne is a cantonal Botanical Museum as well as Botanical Garden. It mainly engage in the study and protection of local flora, as well as in promoting public awareness in biodiversity and nature education in general.

Lake Geneva Museum

The Lake Geneva Museum was created for the many artifacts found in the lake, such as shipwrecks, models, and engines. It also contains aquariums with images of wildlife.

Maison d'Ailleurs

The Maison d’Ailleurs is the only Swiss museum dedicated solely to science fiction and is the only public institution of its kind in the world. The archives of the museum contain around 70,000 documents related to science fiction or utopia, including some very old or unique pieces.

Musée de l'Elysée

Musée de l'Elysée is a photography museum. It contains more than 100,000 photographs includes those of color pioneer Gabriel Lippmann right up to contemporary photographers such as Jeff Wall. The museum offers both collection and temporary exhibitions.

Musée Jenisch

Musée Jenisch the second-largest art museum in the Canton of Vaud. The neo-classical style building is home to the Cantonal Prints Collection and the Oskar Kokoshka Foundation.

Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts

The MUDAC is the only museum in French-speaking Switzerland exclusively dedicated to design and contemporary applied arts. MUDAC offers exhibitions of its permanent collections as well as thematic presentations of 21 st century's fundamental trends.

Palais de Rumine

This Florentine neo-Renaissance-style building was constructed in 1904 in Place de la Riponne, in the historic center of the city of Lausanne. It housed facilities such as the library of the University of Lausanne, and scientific and artistic collections belonging to the Canton of Vaud.

Prangins Castle

The majestic castle of Prangins near Nyon is the only Swiss National Museum in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. . It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. There is also displays relating to Swiss history, as well as temporary exhibitions and cultural events.

Queen Studio Experience Montreux

A unique museum dedicated to the legendary band Queen fascinates rock music fans. It is located in the former Mountain Studios in the Casino Barrière de Montreux. The collection includes handwritten song lyrics, costumes worn during performances, studio equipment, promotional material, singles, etc.

Swiss Museum of Games

Swiss Museum of Games is dedicated to the preservation, research, and dissemination of various forms of parlor games. The permanent exhibition offers a panorama of the wide world of more than 10000 games from antiquity to the present.

The Olympic Museum

The museum is the largest archive of the Olympic Games in the world with more than 10,000 artifacts.

Yverdon-les-Bains Castle

Yverdon-Les-Bains Castle was built by Peter, Count of Savoy in the 13th century as a defensive construction and a stately residence. The castle is today a multi-purpose cultural center, housing a regional museum, a theatre, various conference rooms, and the oldest public library of French-speaking Switzerland, founded already in 1763.

Map of Museums to explore in Vaud