Museum of Natural History of Bern

Museum of Natural History of Bern
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Popular in Bern - observed in the whole world. The Natural History Museum Bern was officially founded in 1832. In 1936 it moved into a new building in Bernastrasse deemed an excellent example of the “Neue Sachlichkeit“ style. The building was extended in 1998. The museum has 5100 square metres of exhibition space and an international reputation founded initially on its historical dioramas. Aside from Barry, the NMBE is famous for housing the giant Planggenstock crystals and for outstanding contemporary exhibitions such as «Apocalypse - End without End». The museum's collection contains around 6.5 million objects. The Naturhistorisches Museum Bern is also a place of research conducted by the 22 scientists responsible for the collections, and functions as a venue for cultural events - most recently the “Help, it's alive!“ series and the “Dead animal bar“
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
128 reviews
Excellent
56
Very good
55
Average
17
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Jefta
11 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
Interesting building with a pretty wide variety of content. I especially loved the very large film at the Insect Exhibition. It was the highlight for me, alot of other stuff was a bit more aimed at children (for who i can imagine it's a really great museum). I really did not care for the diorama's from the the 60s with all the stuffed animals. Some were quite amazing to see up close, but somehow the sheer amount of dead animals depressed me a bit, honestly. Perhaps if it wasn't as densely presented I would experience it in a different way. Also as an English speaker I might have missed necessary context around the diorama's, so maybe some more English would've been nice.
Written March 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

permia
Ireland63,197 contributions
Oct 2022
Through a vast collection that has been assembled over many years, some fine examples are outstanding.

Dinosaurs are an immediate attraction, with outstanding skeletons and outlines.

A couple of huge birds of prey are daunting, with their talons and curved beaks well shown. Numerous fossilised remains were another highlight.
Written December 6, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Swissshamoo
Bern, Switzerland178 contributions
Jan 2020
As ornithologist, you may be surprised by the large collection if bird skins this Museum guard in its cabinets. Astonish collections of South American birds, especially the trogonids.
Written December 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

yns_10
Sydney, Australia1,437 contributions
Oct 2019
Having been introduced to Fondation Barry in Locarno earlier in the year (the actual property is located in Martigny, near Lac Leman) is was nice to see the legendary Great St Bernard's exhibition here.
Written December 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rob Nesbit
Warsaw, Poland4,062 contributions
Oct 2019
Went up to Bern with the young toddler for a few hours to see the dinosaur exhibition in the Museum as the lad is obsessed with anything prehistoric.

Got a tram from near the train station, was not too long of a trip, 4 stops and dropped off at the main History Museum. The Natural History Museum is around the corner and to the side. Was well chuffed to only pay 10 Swiss Francs, and of course the lad was free entry.

Went straight to the dino section and naturally the young fella was immediately captivated. Some very big dinosaur exhibits on display, all moving and all scary looking. Very good effort and we were well impressed.

We ventured around and saw the rest of the main collections of animals from different regions, the animal fossils, the minerals and rocks section, and a nice surprise to see the famous Barry, the original "St. Bernard" dog so loved in Switzerland.

Even though the place was absolutely packed with young kids, (which was a surprise for an October Thursday!) it was still relatively easy to see all the exhibits and get some good photos as everything is well laid out and there is plenty of room to get and see everything. In fact the dinosaur set up was so impressive we decided to have another look before we headed home.

Loved the museum and will be back for sure. A lot to see, and the exhibits are very well presented. I think the Dinosaur exhibition is only temporary so I recommend to anyone to get there before it goes as its very impressive.

10/10
Written October 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ramya B
3 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
Nice museum with lot of collections.It's worth visiting. Animal fossils are there. End of the world on the last floor which didn't interest me
Written September 17, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Snowballgracie
66 contributions
Aug 2018 • Solo
I spent a couple of hours at the Museum. Great collection of displays of animals in different regions and skeletons of animals. The highlight for me was the Barry exhibition - the legendary St Bernard dog. Interactive and interesting exhibition about the role the hospice at St Bernard pass played in snow rescue and modern snow rescue. Well worth the trip! Also included in Swiss Pass.
Written August 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Umang A
Mumbai, India716 contributions
Sep 2017 • Couples
One of the coolest museum in Swiss. Nice collection of rocks, stuff animals, marine life skeleton and of course Barry the Dog.
Written June 23, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

vcwallflowers
New Jersey50 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
Wanted to see Barry, the original "St. Bernard" dog. Only had time for his exhibit, but got our picture taken and posted on the museum's web site. (My son's name is Barry, so this was especially ideal).
Written June 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Andre P
Morges, Switzerland6 contributions
May 2018 • Family
The apocalypse expo is beautifully tragic.... The whole museum is great. Interesting for the whole family.
Written May 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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