Set opposite the port of Nyon since 1954, the Musée du Léman presents the natural and human heritage of Western Europe’s largest lake. Explore aquariums, boats, models and scientific collections spread over three floors.
Themed museums
Main highlights
- Over 22,000 objects and 100,000 documents on the natural and human history of Lake Geneva
- Five aquariums recreating the lake’s habitats, with native fish and crustaceans
- Over 30 boats and 150 models tracing the history of navigation on Lake Geneva
Overview
Founded in 1954 opposite the port of Nyon, the museum highlights the natural, cultural and human heritage of Lake Geneva, shared between Switzerland and France. Its collections bring together more than 22,000 objects and around 100,000 documents, ranging from the size of a pearl to a 14-metre boat, across three floors and fourteen rooms.
The institution holds several major collections : those of Jacques and Auguste Piccard (submarines and stratospheric balloons), François-Alphonse Forel, founder of limnology, Aldo Balmas (model making), Abraham Hermanjat (painting), the CGN (steamboats) and Henri Copponex (naval architecture).
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What to see and do
The permanent exhibition covers the scientific adventures of the Piccard family, fishing, commercial and recreational navigation, the work of the lake’s rescue crews, the world of the Compagnie Générale de Navigation and the story of the Lake Geneva tsunami.
The naval section features more than 30 boats and over 150 models : pleasure boats, small craft, the Helvétie II, engines, models and wrecks. The aquariums recreate five natural habitats in five tanks, home to fish and crustaceans representative of the 32 species found in the lake and its tributaries.
A natural sciences area offers 36 questions to help decode the lake, with displays of lake wildlife, a river mouth, marshes and canals. An annual temporary exhibition completes the visit.
Practical information
Getting there : the museum stands opposite Nyon’s marina, within walking distance of the train station.
Visit duration : allow at least two hours for the permanent collections.
Visitors : families love the aquariums; activities are offered from age 2, and birthday parties for children aged 5 to 12.
On site : three floors of permanent collections and a temporary exhibition space.
Visiting tips
Start with the aquariums if you are visiting with young children, then head upstairs to the naval collections and the Piccard archives. After your visit, extend your outing with a stroll along the quays, enjoying views of the lake and the Alps from the nearby marina.
Nearby attractions
- Nyon Castle, built in the 12th century, houses one of Switzerland’s oldest history museums.
- The Roman Museum of Nyon occupies the foundations of the forum basilica of Noviodunum, discovered in 1974.
- Bonmont Abbey, founded in 1123 in Chéserex, is Switzerland’s first Cistercian monastery.
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