We will be in Basel, Bern and Zurich in late September, primarily to visit the art museums in each city. While advance tickets are available at each, are they really necessary? It would be helpful to have flexibility while we are there.
Your experience?
Posted by
182 posts
Unless there is a particular time-limited exhibit or museum festival during your visit, I have never needed to buy tickets in advance.
Posted by
Switzerland
158 posts
I've visited almost all of the museums in Bern, several in Zürich, and some in Basel, I have gone at all different times of the year, usually in the mornings, as that's my preferred time for activities. I have a Swiss Museum Pass and have always been able to walk right in without encountering any crowds.
I highly recommend the Paper Mill Museum in Basel:
https://www.basel.com/en/attractions/basler-papiermuehle-2d5e41817e
In Bern, the Museum of Natural History is definitely the highlight, but I also really enjoy the Museum of Fine Arts:
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thank you for your replies. Given the discount offered with the Basel card we’ll wait to buy tickets for Basel museums until we’re there; still on the fence about pre booking in Zurich and Bern.
And thanks for the recommendation of the Paper Museum!
Posted by
Zurich
65 posts
I agree with the other poster that unless it's a large exhibit of a famous artist, no need to buy tickets in advance. There's rarely a line, especially on weekday mornings. You can also use the Google Maps app to see when the busiest times are.
There's a Matisse exhibit at the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen (Basel) that's opening on 22 September. I would recommend buying tickets beforehand in this case, and they are for a specific time.
The SBB (Swiss rail) also has deals if you're traveling by train to museums, so you might want to check that out as well. Here's an example for the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern: https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/ideas/offer.html/veranstaltungen/zentrum-paul-klee.
In addition, there are several nice art museums in Winterthur, which is only a half an hour away from Zurich.
If you need further information, I'm happy to answer your questions. :)
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Just to follow up in case others end up having the same question, we’re in Switzerland now. In Bern we ended up buying a Museum card upon arrival at the TI, which got us into the Kunstmuseum & Paul Klee Zentrum w/o any advance ticket purchases (& none would have been needed, at least on the weekdays we were there).
In Zurich I bought tickets online the day before for the Kuntshaus, which got us free audio guides as a perk for rebooking. On a rainy Saturday morning the lines were short but by midafternoon they were much longer- so judge accordingly. You still have to go through the admission line to get your visitors sticker, so I’m not sure advance booking is a real advantage other than the free audio guide (which was a good one btw).
And a huge thank you for the tip about the Matisse exhibition at the Beyeler in Basel! I did pre book those tickets before leaving home and can’t wait to see it in 2 days.
Thanks to all who responded to my original post.