Museum für Kommunikation

About the museum

In 1893 the Swiss postal administration began collecting objects and documents on postal and transport services. On 22 June 1907 the country's first postal museum opened in Bern's Bollwerk post office, the third of its kind on the European continent. In 1933, for lack of space, it moved into the new building of the Alpine Museum on the Helvetiaplatz; from 1949 it was called the Swiss PTT Museum and now also showed telecommunications.

In 1990 the museum moved into the new building at Helvetiastrasse 16. In December 1996 the PTT Museum was converted into a foundation and in 1997 renamed Museum für Kommunikation, opening the museum thematically far beyond the postal service. Visitor numbers rose from around 50,000 in 2001 to most recently over 140,000.

After five years of preparation, the completely renewed museum reopened in August 2017 with a core exhibition of almost 2,000 square metres. For it, the museum invented the new profession of "Kommunikator:innen" (communicators), who personally accompany visitors through the exhibition. In 2019 the museum received the Council of Europe Museum Prize for the complete renewal.

Highlights

• Core exhibition covering almost 2,000 square metres with interactive stations, such as film karaoke and a firewall game
• Communicators (Kommunikator:innen) as personal guides through the exhibition
• Children's trail "Find Ratatösk" for 4- to 8-year-olds
• Objects such as a mail coach and the getaway vehicle from a heist of the century
• Council of Europe Museum Prize 2019
• Café Pavillon right next to the museum

Permanent exhibitions

• Kernausstellung – The almost 2,000-square-metre exhibition playfully explores why and how people communicate, with interactive stations and guidance from communicators.
• Kinderrundgang „Find Ratatösk“ – Ratatösk the squirrel leads children between four and eight years old to twelve stations with puzzles, sounds, scents and games.

Founded

1907

Operated by

Stiftung Museum für Kommunikation (Stifterinnen: Post und Swisscom)

Visitors per year

approx. 140,233 (2024)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: In August, Saturdays are free (except 1 August, when the museum is closed).

Free admission with the Swiss Museum Pass, Museums-PASS-Musées, Swiss Travel Pass, Raiffeisen card with Museum Pass and Kultur-GA; for children under 6, journalists, employees of Post and Swisscom, and refugees with permit F, N or S. With the KulturLegi adults pay CHF 7, children are free. The Museum Card Bern for tourists (24 hrs CHF 28, 48 hrs CHF 35) is valid for all Bern museums; the Museumsquartier Pass (CHF 30, valid for five months) entitles the holder to one visit to each of seven museums in the Museum Quarter.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum is wheelchair accessible, the exhibition stations can be approached underneath by wheelchairs, and a manual wheelchair is available at the reception. People with reduced mobility can park on the forecourt on request (reception +41 31 357 55 11). Lifts have Braille and raised-relief lettering; for visually impaired people there are accompanied visits with tactile objects, and tours with sign-language interpretation or an FM system can be arranged after registration. Video stations can be switched to subtitles in German, French and English.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

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

The children's trail "Find Ratatösk" leads 4- to 8-year-olds to twelve play stations in the core exhibition. Since 2020, toddlers up to 4 years have been better catered for through adaptations. Children's birthday party "Der Turm von Wirrwarr" (The Tower of Confusion) for children in school years 1 to 4 (up to 12 children, 90 minutes, flat fee CHF 280).

Getting there & parking

By car: motorway exit Bern Ostring, towards Thunplatz to the Helvetiaplatz. Until mid-October 2026 BERNMOBIL is replacing the tram tracks on the lower Thunstrasse: replacement buses 7A and 8A stop at Helvetiaplatz; tram 6 does not run between the station and Egghölzli.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Museum shop

Café Pavillon next to the museum (Tue–Sun 10 am–5 pm, lunch menu Tue–Fri, reservation required for groups of up to 10 people, tel. +41 31 357 55 29); museum shop on site.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events

Up to 100 guests.

The whole museum can be hired exclusively from 5:30 pm (base fee for up to 50 people CHF 1,800, 51 to 100 people CHF 2,200, plus staff and admission, apéro optional). Meeting rooms ("Meeting im Museum") are also available.

Plan your visit