Musée Ariana

The Musée Ariana, at Avenue de la Paix 10 in Geneva's Quartier des Nations, is Switzerland's national museum of ceramics and glass. It occupies a neo-baroque palace completed in 1884 for the collector Gustave Revilliod, who named it after his mother, Ariane de la Rive, and bequeathed both the building and his collections to the city. The grand building, with its domed hall and ornate façade, is itself a major part of the attraction and stands in a park across from the Palais des Nations. The collections cover about 1,200 years of ceramic and glass production from Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Visitors can see Islamic tilework and pottery, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, Swiss stoves and faience, Meissen and Sèvres porcelain, and a broad range of glass from antiquity to contemporary studio pieces. The displays are arranged by theme and period, with attention to technique, so that visitors can follow how clay and glass were shaped, glazed and decorated. Temporary exhibitions often feature contemporary ceramists. A visit lasts about one to one and a half hours. The museum is open Wednesday to Monday from 10:00AM to 6:00PM and closed on Tuesdays, though visitors should confirm times on site. The permanent collection costs around CHF 5 and temporary exhibitions about CHF 10, with free entry for those under 18. Weekday mornings are the quietest. The park outside offers a pleasant place to rest, and the museum can be combined with the Palais des Nations and the Red Cross Museum, both a minute's walk away. It particularly appeals to people interested in decorative arts, design and craftsmanship, though the building and gardens make a short visit worthwhile even for general sightseers.