Swiss Museum of Transport

Switzerland's most visited museum tells the country's transport story across rail, road, water, air and space, with real locomotives, cars, boats and aircraft displayed in large halls on the shore of Lake Lucerne. Signs use its German name, Verkehrshaus der Schweiz. It opened in 1959 and draws more than half a million visitors a year.

The rail collection is a highlight, with historic steam and electric locomotives, among them the Crocodile freight engine, and displays on the alpine routes through the Gotthard. Elsewhere visitors find vintage automobiles, lake steamers and aviation, including a Convair Coronado airliner displayed outdoors. A walk-on aerial photograph of Switzerland covers the floor of one hall, and the complex also includes a planetarium, a large-screen cinema and a museum devoted to the Swiss artist Hans Erni.

Hands-on exhibits make it especially popular with families. Its size means many visitors spend most of a day here.