ArchéoLab – Villa romaine de Pully

About the museum

In 1971 the remains of a Roman villa with a summer pavilion were discovered in Pully; it belonged to a country estate overlooking gardens and the Lavaux. The wall painting, over 15 metres long, is particularly well known. In 1981 a protective building opened around the remains as a museum, in which for more than 30 years a permanent exhibition, occasionally renewed, showed the roughly 2,000-year-old structure and selected finds.

In 2014 an exhibition was held inside the villa for the first time, and at the same time the educational space "Le Labo des archéos" was created opposite. With the exhibition "Archéotest" in 2015 and 2016, the focus on young visitors was confirmed; since then the Villa romaine de Pully has called itself ArchéoLab.

Today the ArchéoLab is part of the Musées de Pully and is run by the City of Pully. The museum consists of two sites: the Lab with reception, ticket sales and activity room, and the Villa romaine with the excavated remains and the exhibitions. It is aimed at families, schools and people with disabilities and presents archaeology in a playful and interactive way, with themed exhibitions and workshops that change every year.

Highlights

• Preserved Roman villa with a 15-metre-long wall painting
• Finds on regional archaeology
• Interactive educational programmes for children and families
• "Mini-Archéos" and "Archéos juniors" workshops
• Free admission on the first Saturday of the month

Permanent exhibition

• Villa romaine de Pully – The remains of the Roman villa with the roughly 15-metre-long wall painting form the heart of the museum; each year the exhibition room presents a new archaeological theme alongside it.

Founded

1981

Operated by

Musées de Pully (Stadt Pully)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on the first Saturday of every month

Free admission, among others, with the Swiss Museum Pass, Raiffeisen MemberPlus, Cultissime, ICOM, AIAP, Visarte and Caritas card, as well as for journalists with press ID. With the BCV Extra card and the Carte Action-parrainages, two admissions are available for the price of one. School programmes are free for public schools and CHF 180 for private schools. Swiss francs only; payment by card and TWINT possible.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The Lab (reception, activity room) is at ground level apart from one short threshold (25 percent gradient, 6 cm step). The exhibition room in the villa can only be reached via a staircase of 8 steps; there is no ramp and no lift, so please contact the museum if needed. There are no wheelchair-accessible toilets (the nearest are in the Le Prieuré building, 70 m away). Disabled parking spaces in the pay-and-display Parking du Prieuré (10 m) and in Parking Pully Centre (200 m). Visitor guide "Venir au Musée" in easy-to-read language (FALC) and a virtual tour online; assistance dogs are welcome, other animals are not.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Kids’ birthday parties

The ArchéoLab explicitly targets young audiences, families and schools: playful, interactive educational programmes, workshops for 4- to 7-year-olds (CHF 5) and 8- to 12-year-olds (CHF 10), children's birthday parties (CHF 180 for 2 hrs, up to 12 children) and holiday and family activities as listed in the agenda. Children under 16 have free admission.

Getting there & parking

By car from Lausanne towards Pully; from Vevey via Lutry to "Pully Nord".

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Small museum shop "La petite boutique de l'ArchéoLab".

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit