Geneva's museums: which are worth the detour, which are free, which one is closed

Geneva has a rare museum policy: the permanent collections of the municipal museums are free all year round, and their temporary exhibitions are free on the first Sunday of the month. That does not mean they are all equally good, or that they are all open.

Here are the museums that deserve your time, sorted by what you are looking for, with what you see there, the days they close and the real price. Let us start with the warning most guides forget.

Which museum is closed in Geneva?

The Natural History Museum, on Route de Malagnou, would be the obvious choice for a family. Yet its exhibition building has been closed to the public since 1 January 2024, for works that began in February 2023.

The City has published no reopening date. Tourist listings and old recommendations still present it as open: strike it off your programme until further notice.

Geneva's museums at a glance

The MAH, the MEG and the Maison Tavel close on 25 December and 1 January. The Museum of the History of Science closes at 4pm on 24 and 31 December. None of these museums publishes waiting times, capacity limits or a general skip-the-line option.

The Museum of Art and History: the great encyclopaedic museum

Photo: Attila Nóbik, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

It is the most complete museum for understanding Geneva through objects: archaeology, arms and armour, decorative arts, old and modern painting, Geneva history and watchmaking. On Rue Charles-Galland, at the foot of the Old Town, it combines naturally with a walk on the hill.

"Pay what you wish" needs explaining. The museum is not advertised as free: it invites everyone to choose their contribution. The range of 5 to 20 CHF published in its FAQ concerns the network's temporary exhibitions, student and pensioner rates included, and is not a compulsory admission price.

Its weakness is that it is scattered. As a large general museum, it alternates spectacular rooms with duller spaces, and watchmaking takes up only part of the route. Choose two or three departments before going in. On Thursdays, it opens from noon to 9pm, which is not a longer day but a shifted one.

The Maison Tavel and the Musée Rath

The MAH is a network more than a building. The Maison Tavel, in the Old Town, tells the city's urban history with a large model of the old city, on the same pay-what-you-wish principle. The Musée Rath, on Place Neuve, hosts temporary exhibitions whose opening hours vary with the programme: do not apply the MAH's hours to it.

The International Museum of the Reformation

Next to the cathedral, it places Calvin within a religious, political and cultural movement instead of reducing him to an anecdote about a chair. Admission on its own costs 13 CHF according to a City document; the Espace Saint-Pierre ticket, at 18 CHF, combines it with the towers and the archaeological site. The details are on our cathedral page.

The MEG: the best free surprise?

Photo: Romano1246, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The ethnography museum, in Plainpalais, stands out for its contemporary architecture and staging that is more spectacular than in a classic history museum. Its permanent collection is free; its temporary exhibitions cost 12 CHF and 8 CHF at the reduced rate.

Under-25s, people with disabilities and their companion get in free, subject to conditions. Some free tickets have to be collected at the desk or booked by email: free admission may require a step on your part.

The risk of disappointment comes from the photos: they show the building and its large hall, not the current exhibition. Look at the programme before choosing between permanent and temporary.

The Museum of the History of Science: small, free, and closed on Tuesdays

Photo: User:Pintopc, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Housed in the Perle du Lac park, at 128 Rue de Lausanne, it displays historic scientific instruments: astronomy, measurement, physics. Entry is free, the opening hours generous, from 10am to 5pm, and the visit pairs well with a walk by the lake.

Two traps. It opens on Mondays but closes on Tuesdays, the opposite of almost all the others. And its name is misleading: it is not an interactive science centre with experiments, but a museum of instruments and ideas. For spectacular science, there is CERN.

Its small size has a downside: an exceptional closure wipes out the whole visit. The official page reported one on a 14 June, linked to G7 events. Check on the day.

The Patek Philippe Museum: the must-see for watch lovers

In Plainpalais, on Rue des Vieux-Grenadiers, some 2,500 watches, automata, precious objects and enamel miniatures span five centuries of watchmaking, along with the house's creations since 1839. It is the paid museum most worth its ticket, 10 CHF in 2025, free for under-18s.

Its opening hours are narrow: afternoons only on weekdays and Sundays, all day on Saturdays. Allow 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr 30 min. Collections, guided tours and traps are detailed on our Patek Philippe Museum page, and the rest of the watchmaking heritage in watchmaking in Geneva.

International Geneva: the Red Cross and the Ariana

Photo: Gfuerst, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Museum, near the Pregny entrance to the Palais des Nations, brings the human dimension the UN tour lacks: conflicts, relief, humanitarian law, testimonies. Allow 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr. Its prices and opening hours are not in our sources: check them on its website.

The Musée Ariana, devoted to ceramics and glass, opens from 10am to 5pm Tuesday to Sunday, at 14 CHF and 10 CHF at the reduced rate. It is free up to the age of 25 and on the first Sunday of the month. You choose it for its collections, not as a substitute for a diplomatic visit.

The two combine with the Place des Nations over half a day, as explained in visiting the UN and the Palais des Nations.

Which one should you choose depending on your time?

• Two hours: the Patek Philippe Museum if you like watches, otherwise two departments of the MAH.
• A cultural half day: the Old Town, the Maison Tavel and the MAH, on foot.
• A small budget: the MEG, the Museum of the History of Science and the MAH's permanent collection, without spending a franc. The full list is in Geneva for free.
• With children: with the Natural History Museum closed, the MEG and the Museum of the History of Science take over (Geneva with children).
• A rainy day: the MAH and the MEG, both open from 11am to 6pm, fifteen minutes from each other.

Which traps should you avoid?

• On Mondays, almost everything is closed, except the Museum of the History of Science.
• On Tuesdays, that is the one that closes.
• On the first Sunday of the month, temporary exhibitions are free and therefore packed: for a popular exhibition, pay on another day.
• "Free" does not mean "no cost": a temporary exhibition at the MAH or the MEG turns the visit into a paid one without search results saying so.
• Photos promise objects that rotation, restoration or a change of room may have removed on the day of your visit.

The Geneva City Pass gives admissions and discounts at several museums; with so many free admissions, it only pays off if you string together paid visits (our comparison of passes). For the rest of the programme, see things to do in Geneva.

Sources

Sources: MEG (opening hours, prices, access, 2026), Museum of Art and History (opening hours and access, FAQ, 2026), City of Geneva (Museum of the History of Science, opening hours and access; Natural History Museum, opening hours and works), Geneva Tourism (Museum of Art and History; Musée Ariana; museums), Patek Philippe (plan your visit, 2025), UN Geneva (visits).

The institutions publish neither visit durations nor waiting times: the durations quoted are estimates. The Patek Philippe Museum prices are those of 2025. Research carried out on 22 October 2026.