Kunsthaus Zürich
#7of 8 places to visit in ZurichZurich, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland
Also known as Zurich Museum of Art
Quick answer
Opening hours: 10:00–18:00, Thursday 10:00–20:00, closed Mondays. Entry: CHF 24. Allow 2.5 hrs. Best time: Thursday evening after 18:00.
Updated · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read
- Opening hours
- 10:00–18:00
- Closed Mondays
- Entry fee
- CHF 24
- Ticket from
- Time needed
- 2.5 hrs
- Best time of day
- Thursday evening after 18:00
- Best months
- May – Sep, Dec
- Address
- Heimplatz 1, 8001 Zürich, Switzerland
About Kunsthaus Zürich
Kunsthaus Zürich holds Switzerland's largest art collection open to the public, spanning medieval religious painting through to a substantial body of work by Alberto Giacometti, one of the largest Munch collections outside Norway, and significant Monet, Chagall, and Swiss modernist holdings. The museum expanded in 2021 with a new building designed by British architect David Chipperfield, roughly doubling the exhibition space and making Kunsthaus Zürich the largest art museum in Switzerland by floor area; the addition sits across Heimplatz from the original early-20th-century building and the two are connected by an underground passage. A standard adult ticket to the permanent collection costs CHF 24, rising to CHF 31 for major temporary exhibitions, as of 2026.
Best time of day: Thursday evening after 18:00. When extended hours to 20:00 thin out the daytime crowd and the discounted Legi-evening rate applies to students and teachers.
Kunsthaus Zürich timings
Kunsthaus Zürich opens at 10:00 and closes at 18:00. Those hours hold on Saturday and Sunday too.
- Opening hours
- 10:00–18:00
Monday Closed Tue–Wed 10:00–18:00 Thursday 10:00–20:00 Fri–Sun 10:00–18:00 - Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday-Sunday 10:00-18:00; Thursday 10:00-20:00. Closed Monday. Galleries close approximately 10 minutes before the posted closing time.
- Closed on
- Monday
Opening hours compiled from kunsthaus.ch and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Kunsthaus Zürich ticket price
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard ticket | CHF 24 |
| Concession (student / senior) | CHF 17 |
| Children | Free |
CHF 24 adult / CHF 17 reduced for the permanent collection and smaller exhibitions, as of 2026; major temporary exhibitions cost CHF 31 adult / CHF 22 reduced. Students and teachers pay CHF 10 on Thursday evenings from 18:00–20:00 (Legi evening). Free for children and under-16s. Verify current pricing at kunsthaus.ch.
Prices compiled from kunsthaus.ch and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Best time to visit Kunsthaus Zürich
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
10:00 – 12:00
Morning OpeningBest time to go
Quiet galleries right after opening, favoured by serious visitors and researchers rather than tour groups.
Quiet12:00 – 15:00
Midday Peak
Busiest period, particularly for major temporary exhibitions, with school groups and tourist parties both present.
Busy15:00 – 18:00
Afternoon Steady
Crowds ease from the midday peak but remain steady through the standard closing time on non-Thursday days.
Moderate18:00 – 20:00
Thursday Late Opening
Applies only on Thursdays; the extended hours and discounted student rate draw a smaller, quieter evening crowd.
Quiet
History of Kunsthaus Zürich
The Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, the art society that still runs the museum, was founded in 1787, making it one of the older art institutions in Switzerland, though the current building dates to a series of later construction phases beginning in 1910 and continuing through mid-century extensions. The collection grew substantially through 20th-century donations and bequests from private Zürich collectors, giving the museum an unusually deep holding of Swiss and German Expressionist work alongside its Impressionist and modern European paintings. The Chipperfield-designed extension, opened in 2021 after a lengthy planning and construction process, was funded through a combination of public and major private donation, including a substantial contribution tied to the museum's Bührle Collection holdings — a body of work whose wartime-era provenance has drawn public scrutiny and prompted the museum to add extended provenance documentation and contextual labelling for the works in question.
Rules & etiquette at Kunsthaus Zürich
Bags above a set size must be checked in the free cloakroom near the entrance rather than carried through the galleries, a rule applied consistently across both the original building and the Chipperfield extension. Photography without flash is generally allowed in the permanent collection but restricted in most temporary exhibitions, with signage at each gallery entrance rather than a blanket museum-wide policy. The underground connection between the two buildings can make navigation confusing on a first visit; picking up the printed floor plan at the entrance desk is worth the extra minute.
Tips for visiting Kunsthaus Zürich
- 1
Thursday evening, with hours extended to 20:00 and a discounted CHF 10 rate for students and teachers with a Legi card from 18:00, is consistently the least crowded and best-value time slot in the week. The Giacometti and Munch galleries draw the most sustained visitor interest and are worth prioritising early in a visit before gallery fatigue sets in, given the museum's overall size following the 2021 expansion. Heimplatz sits directly across from the Schauspielhaus Zürich theatre, making an evening that combines a Kunsthaus visit with a nearby dinner and a show a realistic single-evening plan given the tram connections back to the Altstadt and Zürich HB.
How to reach Kunsthaus Zürich
The red star is Kunsthaus Zürich; the numbered pins are the 6 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.
Heimplatz 1, 8001 Zürich, SwitzerlandDirections in Google Maps
From Zurich Airport (ZRH)
12 km · 35–40 min total
CHF 7.40 (airport leg, 2nd class ZVV zone ticket)
From Zürich HB (Hauptbahnhof)
1.8 km · 8 min by tram / 20 min on foot
CHF 4.60 (single ZVV city-zone tram ticket)
From Grossmünster (Altstadt)
0.9 km · 12 min walk
Free (on foot)
Nearest airport
From Zurich Airport (ZRH)
12 km, approximately 30–35 minutes by direct train to Zürich HB plus a short tram ride.
Nearest station
From Zürich HB (Hauptbahnhof)
1.8 km, roughly 8 minutes by tram to Heimplatz, or 20 minutes on foot.
Kunsthaus Zürich FAQs
How much does Kunsthaus Zürich cost to visit?
CHF 24 for adults and CHF 17 reduced for the permanent collection and smaller exhibitions, as of 2026. Major temporary exhibitions cost CHF 31 adult / CHF 22 reduced. Students and teachers pay just CHF 10 on Thursday evenings from 18:00 to 20:00.
Is Kunsthaus Zürich open on Mondays?
No, the museum is closed on Mondays. It opens Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, with extended Thursday hours until 20:00.
What is the Kunsthaus Zürich known for?
It holds Switzerland's largest public art collection, including one of the largest Edvard Munch collections outside Norway, extensive Alberto Giacometti works, and significant Impressionist and Swiss modernist holdings. The 2021 David Chipperfield-designed extension made it the largest art museum in Switzerland by floor area.
Is the Bührle Collection controversial?
Yes, in part. Some works in the Bührle Collection, on long-term loan to Kunsthaus Zürich, have wartime-era provenance histories that have drawn public and academic scrutiny, and the museum has added extended provenance documentation and contextual labelling for the affected works in response.
Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated . How we rank and check places
Places to visit near Kunsthaus Zürich
Straight-line distances from our map; times are estimates.
