Kunsthaus Zürich

Zurich’s premier art museum – from Rembrandt to Hodler.

Kunsthaus Zürich is the city’s leading art museum and one of Switzerland’s finest collections. It spans old masters, Swiss icons like Albert Anker and Ferdinand Hodler, and a remarkable array of modern art – including Munch, Giacometti, Picasso, and Chagall. The museum also hosts major temporary exhibitions, contemporary works, and cutting-edge installations in a striking architectural setting.

Transport

How to Get There

Ways to get to the attraction

On foot from Zurich center 27-41 min.

From Lucerne by car ~48 min.

From Basel by car ~1 h 12 min.

From BRN airport (Bern) by car ~1 h 49 min.

From SIR airport (Sion) by car ~3 h 1 min.

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Attraction

Description

Detailed information about the attraction

What is this place

The largest art museum in Switzerland on Zurich’s Heimplatz, uniting four buildings from different eras and a collection spanning from the Middle Ages to contemporary art. After David Chipperfield’s extension it became the city’s key exhibition complex.

Key features

Switzerland’s largest art museum – a single ensemble of the Moser (1910), Pfister (1958), Müller (1976) buildings and the Chipperfield extension (2021).
Around 4,000 paintings and sculptures plus ~95,000 works on paper – one of Europe’s major prints and drawings holdings.
The leading museum collection of Alberto Giacometti and the largest group of Edvard Munch paintings outside Norway.
The new building cost CHF 206 million and linked the sites via an underground passage, adding a bright central hall and large exhibition floors.
The Emil Bührle Collection is being re-staged: the 2024–2025 show has ended; a new presentation opens on 20 March 2026, with a full redesign planned for 2027.

What to see

Giacometti and Munch rooms, Impressionist and Classical Modernist highlights.
The Chipperfield building with private collections (Merzbacher, Fondation Hubert Looser) and the grand entrance hall.
The Prints and Drawings Collection with rotating displays, plus large temporary exhibitions.

History

Its roots lie with the Künstlergesellschaft/Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft founded in 1787. The first museum on Heimplatz opened in 1910, designed by Karl Moser, setting the institution’s scale and style.

Further expansions followed in 1958 (Pfister) and 1976 (Müller). After a 2008 competition David Chipperfield was selected; the building was handed over in 2020 and fully opened in October 2021, making Kunsthaus the country’s largest museum complex.

From 2021–2025 debates surrounded the long-term loan of the Emil Bührle Collection; in June 2024 several works were removed for additional provenance checks. The contextual show “A Future for the Past” ran 2024–2025; a new presentation opens 20.03.2026, with a full rehang slated for 2027.

Practical information

Location: Heimplatz 1, 8001 Zurich, Old Town, between Grossmünster and the university quarter.

Getting there: Trams 3, 5, 9 and bus 31 to Kunsthaus; from Zurich HB take tram 3 or bus 31 without changing.

Access: Step-free access throughout; wheelchair users and one companion enter free. Temporary note: the lift link between old and new buildings may be out of service – use the Heimplatz route between entrances.

Visiting hours: Tue–Wed & Fri–Sun 10:00–18:00; Thu 10:00–20:00; Mon closed. Galleries close about 10 minutes before museum closing.

Visit duration: 2–3 hours for the core collection; 3–4 hours with current exhibitions.

Best time: Weekday mornings; on Thursdays after 18:00 extended hours apply.

Notes: Free admission to the collection on Wednesdays. Zürich Card holders – free collection entry, exhibitions + CHF 7. Tickets: collection & small shows typically CHF 24 (reduced CHF 17); major shows up to CHF 31. Bags larger than A4 go to lockers; personal photography only, no flash, tripods or selfie sticks. From 1.09.2025 the museum operates cashless.

Tours