What the Centre Dürrenmatt Is

Dürrenmatt is best known for his plays and novels, but he painted and drew throughout his life, and the museum's permanent exhibition sets that pictorial work in direct dialogue with his literary writing, his biography and his ongoing relevance. The core show was renovated in 2021, so the presentation is recent even though the building dates from 2000.

The site is more than a gallery: it also preserves the places where Dürrenmatt lived and worked, including his first house in Neuchâtel, the second villa with its studio, the pool and the gardens. A terrace looks out over the lake and the Alps.

Where It Sits Above the City

The address is Chemin du Pertuis-du-Sault 74, on a slope in the green Vallon de l'Ermitage, uphill on foot from Neuchâtel station. The museum sits in a valley that feels removed from the old town even though it is only a short ride away.

Expect the approach to be part of the visit. Several routes lead up from the station, and the climb is steady rather than long.

How to Get There

Bus 109 toward Trois-Chênes stops at Neuchâtel, Vallon de l'Ermitage, from which the museum is about a ten-minute uphill walk along the chemin du Pertuis-du-Sault. Bus 106 to Fontaine-André leaves a walk of ten to fifteen minutes through the botanical garden, and the less frequent bus 421 also reaches the Vallon de l'Ermitage.

On foot from the station, the quickest signed route takes about twenty minutes, while paths crossing the botanical garden run twenty-five to thirty minutes. The funicular on line 112 to Plan puts you within roughly fifteen minutes' walk. By car, a limited number of spaces are available at the Roche de l'Ermitage above the city center.

Opening Days and Hours

The museum opens Wednesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00 and is closed on Monday and Tuesday. When a public holiday falls between Wednesday and Sunday, the museum stays open. All exhibition levels are reached by lift.

Tickets and What They Cost

Adults pay CHF 8. The reduced rate of CHF 5 covers children up to 16, students, apprentices, AVS and AI recipients, unemployed visitors and holders of a Neuchâtelroule card, and groups of ten or more also pay CHF 5 per person.

Entry is free for members of the ACDN association and for holders of the Swiss Museum Passport, Raiffeisen MemberPlus, the Neuchâtel Tourist Card, the CarteCulture Caritas card and the Swiss Travel System, as well as the museum card; AMS, ICOM and ASHHA members also enter free. Entry is likewise free on the CDN en famille Sundays, at exhibition openings and on public guided tours.

The Mario Botta Building

Botta's design does not replace Dürrenmatt's home; it builds around it, so the old residence, the second villa with its studio, the pool and the gardens remain part of the ensemble. That layout means you move between new gallery space and the writer's own rooms rather than through a single converted house.

The Permanent Exhibition

The permanent show, Friedrich Dürrenmatt – Schriftsteller und Maler, presents his paintings in conversation with his books, his life and his continuing resonance, and was refurbished in 2021. It is the reason to come, and it rewards a slow read rather than a quick pass.

Level -2: Film, Documents and the Schaudepot

On level -2 an introductory film, biographical documents and extracts from Dürrenmatt's radio plays set out his life and work, along with a themed wall. A Schaudepot, or open storage display, invites you to pull out the drawers yourself, which suits visitors who like to handle the material rather than read labels.

Level -3: Gouaches and Drawings

Level -3 holds gouaches, drawings and graphic work built around recurring themes such as the Minotaur, the Tower of Babel and Atlas, which recur across Dürrenmatt's visual output. Temporary exhibitions are shown on the same level, so the mix changes from season to season.

Dürrenmatt's Working Study

Dürrenmatt's working study in the second villa can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11:00 to 13:30 and from 14:00 to 16:45. Access is included in the ticket with no reservation needed, but the study is not wheelchair accessible.

Terrace and Cafeteria

A cafeteria with a panoramic terrace serves drinks, sweets and small snacks with views over the lake and the Alps. From Wednesday to Friday it is not staffed, and free self-service coffee and tea are available instead, so do not count on a full lunch on a weekday.

How Long to Allow

The museum is small, and an hour and a half to two hours covers the permanent show, the open storage and the terrace without rushing. Add time for the walk up from the bus stop or station, and consider pairing the visit with the botanical garden if you arrive on the bus 106 route. The trade-off is honest: this is a rewarding specialist museum on a hill, not a full-day destination, and it works best combined with something else covered in these Neuchatel Attractions. If you want to fill the rest of the day, our guide to things to do in neuchatel covers the old town, museums and lake views below.

Accessibility

The museum is partly accessible: a lift reaches all exhibition levels, but Dürrenmatt's working study in the second villa cannot currently be reached by visitors with reduced mobility. Plan the rest of the visit around the lift-accessible floors if that applies to you.

Visiting with Children

On CDN en famille Sundays, adults join a guided tour while children from age five take part in a creative workshop, with free entry and no registration required. The museum also runs school workshops and guided visits that can be booked outside normal opening hours.

What Else Is Nearby

The Muséum d'histoire naturelle and the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Neuchâtel are each about a kilometer away, and the CAN Centre d'art Neuchâtel, which has free entry, is a similar distance. Further down, the Collégiale de Neuchâtel and the château de Neuchâtel anchor the old town and make a sensible second stop on the same day.

Plan Your Visit

Come on a Wednesday-to-Sunday day, take bus 109 and allow for the uphill walk, and aim to be there by late morning so the study and the terrace both fit in, since the study closes for lunch between 13:30 and 14:00. Check the current temporary exhibition and any holiday opening on the museum's own site before you set out.