‘It is more than just a museum’

About five minutes away from the city of Lucerne, the Swiss Museum of Transport attracts FITs and groups alike because it offers loads of entertainment options as well as shopping!

TT Bueau

The Swiss Transport Museum or Verkehrshaus der Schweiz in Lucerne opened in July 1959 and exhibits all forms of transport, including locomotive, automobiles, ships, and aircraft as well as communication technology. It is Switzerland’s most popular museum and located five minutes from the city centre. Christian Keil, Sales Manager, Swiss Museum of Transport, was in India recently to promote this to travel agents. Speaking passionately about his products, he says, “We are more than just a museum. We not only have halls with exhibits of different types of transportation – rail, road, water, aviation and even space. But we also have a film theatre which is an IMAX-sized cinema, a planetarium, simulated spaceships where you can fly into space, and a walk-in replica of the ISS International Space Station, a conference centre and an exciting chocolate adventure.”

Children visiting the museum can move around on bikes inside. The automobiles hall has cars from different eras and the external walls of the exhibit are made with 344 used Swiss road signs. The museum also has an interactive exhibition called Media World which shows the history of communication and how it has evolved.

Keil adds, “This place is good for families. We started promoting this in India about two years ago and have received a fabulous response for it. We also welcome big leisure and MiCE groups. While the conference centre can accommodate about 600 people, we can conduct a group of 1,000 pax as well by splitting them into three groups – guided tours in the museum for 400 pax, a presentation in the theatre for the other 400 pax and the rest can stay in the conference centre or walk around the museum. In fact, we recently received a group of 800 people from India this year for three days. It really depends on the needs of the groups.”

Visitors can buy a day pass in which everything is included. It also comprises the Swiss Travel Pass, with which visitors can buy the rides they want to experience. They can also visit the museum shop. “It is more than a museum. It is a place for entertainment. We also get students from around the world and we would love to get students from India too. Vegetarian food can be arranged as well,” Keil adds.

Get transported at Verkehrshaus

• The Swiss Museum of Transport has gained a new attraction in the multimedia theme world, the Swiss Chocolate Adventure. Here, guests can sit in a train for a 30-minute ride and at the end of it everyone gets free Lindt chocolates. Apart from the museum, there is an IMAX and a planetarium. It’s the perfect place for children and they can spend the whole day there. They also have crash cars dand simulated space rides.