Musée Ariana
- Visit: about 2 h
- from CHF 8
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Why go
- Around 20,000 ceramic and glass objects spanning roughly seven centuries, from about 1300 to today.
- A collection unique in Switzerland, tracing the historical, geographic, artistic and technical range of ceramics and glass.
Opening hours
Today10:00 – 17:00Show all
Don't miss
- Fasanino’s decorationÉmile-Dominique Fasanino created the starry vault and the two sphinxes at the original lake-facing entrance.Original lake-facing entrance
- Central hallA two-storey colonnade rises beneath an elliptical dome, with symmetrical wings on either side.Central hall
Know before you go
- Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00–17:00.
What's inside
- The ceramics collection includes 16,000 pieces from Europe and the Far East, part of the museum’s approximately 20,000-object collection.
- The first-floor library holds more than 10,000 books, about 100 journal titles and digital resources.
Tips for your visit
- Explore the collections in detail online; the platform also allows public contributions.
Interesting facts3
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The building draws on Renaissance and Baroque Italian palaces, including Caserta and Stupinigi.
Musée Ariana - Wikipedia -
The original galleries grouped objects by country and production centre.
Musée Ariana - Wikipedia -
The original entrance vestibule displayed 18th-century Imari porcelain from Arita and two-metre lanterns by Yamamoto Shuzo.
Musée Ariana - Wikipedia
Shorts
History
It opened its first public room in 1883 and opened fully the following year. The museum became independent in May 2010.
- 1877–1884Gustave Revilliod commissioned Émile Grobéty and Jacques-Élysée Goss to build a private museum for his collections, including ceramics, paintings, sculptures and coins. He named it after his mother, Ariane de la Rive.
- 1883The Salle des Étrusques became the first room open to the public.
- 1884The museum opened fully to the public on 8 March, Ariane de la Rive’s birthday.
- 1890Revilliod’s will bequeathed the museum and its grounds to Geneva and its residents.
- 1891–1910Godefroy Sidler served as the museum’s first curator.
Show all
- 1929Geneva granted 88% of Ariana Park to the League of Nations for the Palais des Nations, retaining the museum and 28,000 m² around it.
- 1934The museum joined Geneva’s Museum of Art and History.
- 1952The International Academy of Ceramics established its headquarters at the museum.
- 1993The museum reopened after renovation and construction of a cultural-property shelter.
- 2000The stained-glass collection transferred to the museum.
How to get there
- On footAvenue de la Paix 10, 1202 Genève. The museum stands midway between Place des Nations and the entrances to the Palais des Nations and the ICRC. Its entrance is at the rear, facing route de Pregny.
Sources: Musée Ariana - Wikipedia · Geneva - Wikivoyage (see) · Musée Ariana - Musée suisse de la céramique et … · Musée Ariana - Wikipedia · Musée Ariana - Wikipedia · checked 30 Sep 2026
- Website
- musee-ariana.ch/
- Phone
- +41 22 418 54 50
Questions and answers
Why is Musée Ariana called Ariana?
Gustave Revilliod named the museum after his mother, Ariane de la Rive.
Was Musée Ariana originally a ceramics and glass museum?
Revilliod commissioned it for his private collections, which included ceramics, paintings, sculptures and coins.
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