Saurer Museum
Saurer Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
Our museum, located in picturesque Arbon on the Swiss shores of Lake Constance, displays commercial vehicles, engines and embroidery and weaving machines of all generations that were manufactured in Arbon. You will see about 20 historic vehicles (all categories; trucks, buses, military vehicles, fire engines and post buses), from the oldest Saurer truck ever, to the Caminhao 1911, to D-generation vehicles, as well as a comprehensive engine exhibition. The Saurer vehicles, which are still frequently encountered on the roads in Switzerland, were famous for their power, their durability, their sophisticated technology and also for their convincing design. In the textile machinery section we show embroidery machines of the three pioneer generations, as well as weaving machines of different types. The textile machines are all set up ready for operation and are selectively put into operation during guided tours. The textile machines in operation, but also the produced fabrics, inspire espec
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles53 reviews
Excellent
33
Very good
17
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
0

Crafty_Jock
Eydon, UK9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Family
Great little museum full of embroidery looms, engines and trucks. Some nice NASA mission patches too. Very nicely put together.
Written 21 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Angoose77
Zurich, Switzerland108 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2021
I found this to be a fascinating museum - you can see the old fabric machinery from the 19th and 20th century, plus of course lots of lorries and buses made by Saurer.
Written 2 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Klaus B
Zurich, Switzerland7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019
Highly interesting, showing Saurer trucks as well as Saurer embroidery machines. The staff is very committed, helping wherever they can, explaining everything...
Written 6 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

D'Arcy L
Los Gatos, CA13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2019 • Friends
Had a wonderful tour visiting this original factory, such an important industry in Arbon for over a century. It is a impressive preservation of the past fabric industry in Switzerland. Due to the dedication of longtime employees and volunteers this museum is definitely worth a visit. The 40 cars, trucks and buses are meticulously maintained and offer a glimpse into the past.
Written 17 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Swisskathy
9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2019 • Couples
Entry is with a token via a turnstile and we had the museum to ourselves. Some areas were left as though staff were on a tea break and would come back at any moment. The embroidery machines were great but I also liked the vintage utility vehicles.
Written 22 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mr. B
Estavayer-le-Lac, Switzerland137 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2017 • Couples
Arbon is the city where Saurer started. This the authentic museum of the Saurer automotive company. You'll the history, the mechanic and trucks or buses.
Written 17 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Expat108
Bern, Switzerland17 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2017 • Friends
The Saurer museum is a good place to see how embroidery and weaving through machine but which still required human hands (children threading needles for example, according to our tour guide) evolved into a fully mechanized and computerized process. Yet another proof of Swiss ingenuity.
Written 24 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

elegantraveller
Gloucestershire, England429 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2017 • Couples
We know this area of Switzerland well and have visited several times but somehow, until now, the Saurer Museum escaped our notice. How pleased we were that on this occasion we decided to visit!

Firstly, there are building works in the immediate vicinity so to begin with, we weren't sure where to go. However, having purchased our tickets in the nearby hotel (no credit cards accepted) we used the tokens we were given to access the museum next door. All was quiet - as far as I know, we were the only people in the building, until a woman appeared and walked through the museum with a brisk "Gruetzi!" and disappeared again.

We were enthralled by the huge embroidery machines and associated exhibits, marvelling at the level of precision engineering and sheer weight of metal which is involved in creating something so delicate and lovely. Without any background information and only relying on my own knowledge and experience of using a modern, high-spec embroidery machine, we found it fascinating to relate that to these early models - the same principle, really. Amazing. Some machines defied our identification - just what did each one do and how did it fit into the process of creating fine embroidered fabric? We reasoned through all of them bar one....
The vehicles were interesting and we liked to see them - the old Post Bus especially, but the weaving machines drew us in and once more, it was those which really captured our interest. .

We loved our visit and somehow, being in there alone made it more special, for it allowed us to look and work things out for ourselves. We felt very privileged to be able to do so and though it would have been useful to have had an expert on hand, the signs and labels were helpful. We had no idea of the role Saurer had played in the textile industry, nor the links between that and automotive engines and learned so much.

We will return for another visit before too long, I hope!
Written 24 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Wendy H
Arbon, Switzerland35 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Friends
Great place to see he entire history of the area with special reference to Arbon and the inhabitants . Many samples from the past as well as vehicles and interesting exhibits .
Written 24 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

JohnAtk99
Eastbourne, UK119 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2016 • Solo
Located on the lakeside at Arbon. Small museum but packed with interesting machinery and exhibits tracing the evolution of the Saurer group. Working looms and many complete vehicles. Pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. Adjacent to the Wunderbar Hotel and restaurant. Plenty of parking. 8 francs per person.
Written 28 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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SAURER MUSEUM: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Saurer Museum

Saurer Museum is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 - 18:00