Zurich's best museums and galleries

It's not the MoMa, the Louvre or the Tate, but Zurich's art museum has a lot to offer and a good collection of modern art. 

This iconic museum in central Zurich documents the story of Switzerland from the banks of Bahnhofstrasse to alpine farms and mountains, from Heidi and Helvetii to cheese and cantons - and much more. 

Founded in 1985, the Kunsthalle became a significant institution in Zurich's art scene after it moved into the Löwenbräu-Areal development in the mid-90s. 

Zurich's Helmhaus gallery shows contemporary art, with a strong focus on Switzerland- and Zurich-based artists.

You can learn more about the history of Zurich’s trams in its own tram museum. Original carriages from 1897 onwards are on display as well as models. 

An original 1964 dining room designed by the Swiss artist Fritz Glarner as a walk-through painting for the New York City apartment of Nelson A Rockefeller is the centrepiece of the Haus Konstruktiv, a museum dedicated to concrete, constructivist and conceptual art. Illuminating these forms from their beginnings in the 1910s until the present day, the museum, which inhabits a brooding but light-filled former power station in the heart of the city, rotates exhibits from a collection of around 700 pieces, supplementing them with a highly imaginative programme of temporary shows that highlight resonances with broader contemporary practice. Solo shows by Nelly Rudin, Joseph Kosuth and Harry Fränkel have been recent highlights, while themed group shows and retrospective shows are frequently presented in some of the 14 exhibition rooms over five floors. These lead visitors up and up, arriving in a stunning attic space which, with its open steel construction, is home to one of the most beautiful libraries in the city.

As part of the Museum für Gestaltung, the Museum Bellerive focuses on design-related topics with prior exhibitions from a wide range such as watchmaking, artful knitting, the secrets behind perfume and fashion photography. 

Gaudí meets Hundertwasser: Plunge into the terrific fantasy park designed by Swiss artist Bruno Weber (†2011), located just 15 minutes outside Zurich. 

The day that Zurich’s spectacularly repurposed industrial zone Kreis 5 won credibility as a new world-class contemporary art hub was the day Eva Presenhuber opened the doors of her new gallery here in 2011.

This fascinating place is dedicated to photography in all its forms. Part gallery, it showcases the work of 19th and 20th century photography masters as well as 4,000 works by contemporary photographers. 

Set in 16 acres of serene, manicured parkland in the leafy central suburb of Enge, Museum Rietberg is the only art museum in Switzerland dedicated to non-European cultures.

Posters, design, applied arts and graphics are the four pillars of the massive collection at the Museum für Gestaltung, Zurich’s museum of design. 

In a move to reduce the unwanted influx of tourists Fifa recieves at their headquaters in Zurich, this museum is dedicated to the triumphs of football and its heroes. 

Aathal's Dinosaur Museum is the largest museum of its kind in Switzerland. Owned and funded by a Swiss palaeontologist, the museum features fossils and skeletons from its own excavations across the globe, as well as loads of other models and displays.