Visiting the Wow Museum in Zurich (Worth It?)

The Wow Museum in the center of Zurich is full of surprising illusions, games, and interactive areas. It is a mixture of science, psychology, and fun that anyone from kids to adults can enjoy. For many visitors to this town, it is one of the most fun things to do in Zurich.

The makers of the museum have worked hard to bring you a whole range of “wow moments” from the moment you enter the museum. From rooms of illusions to the Wonder Lab upstairs, you could spend hours in there.

Since I last took my godson to the Zurich Tram Museum, I don’t think he has had as much fun in a local museum as this!

Our Experience in the Wow Museum – A Review

We went to the Wow Museum with our nearly 6-year-old godson and were not sure what to expect. You enter the museum through a small maze of mirrors, which gives you a taste of what is to come.

Rooms of Illusions

The main floor of the Wow Museum is filled with a range of visual illusions. Using mirrors and other tricks of your perception, they have managed to build a fun and interactive experience. Some of the fun illusions you will see include losing yourself in infinity, going upside down, questioning your size, and many more.

Some are more impressive and surprising than others. And some require a little patience and extra help to fully understand. However, if you go in there with children, or at least a child-like open mind, you will enjoy most of what you see.

It is a little more challenging with younger kids, especially if they are hyperactive at times. But our godson enjoyed his time exploring and discovering and sometimes was quite shocked at what he found.

There is also a dark room with four different light and sound shows that was also quite impressive. You can see one image at the start of this post. Our godson was also quite taken aback by it. Partly from the show, partly from the open floor with mirrors that made it quite an immersive experience. The only challenge was getting it to start via all the QR codes and your phone, something that could definitely be improved.

The Wonder Lab

Upstairs in the Wonder Lab things get a little more complex and I would say this area is more for adults or older children. There are a few things that young kids can enjoy, but most are too complex or require too much patience.

However, with so many other things to enjoy downstairs on the main floor and basement, this did not bother us. We will come back again when he is a few years older.

There were exhibits and illusions hanging on the wall, as well as a range of panels to explore and games to try. It is a place you could spend a lot of time if you have an interest in illusions. Some people seemed to be in there for hours!

The Hidden World of Willow (Great For Young Kids)

One of the great things they do for kids at the Wow Museum is called “the hidden world of willow”. I actually did not notice it at first, and the museum staff forgot to mention it, but ask when you go.

There are 5 places around the museum where there are tiny rooms and places where a small character Willow (approx 7cm tall) lives. Our godson was actually more excited about that than many of the other exhibits, so maybe your child will be too.

You can also spot Willow throughout the entrance area as they have scattered him about the place, sometimes in some very odd places!

They also have a fun Lego Wall in red (the museum color) which people enjoy playing on at the end. It is right by the cloakroom and kids seemed to spend ages here constructing Lego coming out of the wall, sideways!

Is The Wow Museum Worth It?

The Wow Museum is worth it if you enjoy science and psychology and are open to learning and thinking during your visit. It is more suited to older children and adults, however, some younger children will still enjoy themselves.

If you have a lot of experience or background in illusions then you won’t find much new here. Some reviews I read online showed people were disappointed but as someone with a technical background, I still enjoyed it. Even though it could have been done better in some areas (more on that below).

The price is certainly not cheap, but this is Zurich and nothing is cheap really. Some other museums might be cheaper, but this is more of an experience than your usual museum, so the price was ok for us.

Here are some quick pros and cons we found overall:

Pros

• Lots of visual illusions and fun experiences
• Enough things to keep you busy for 1-2 hours
• A good mix of things for kids and adults

Cons

• There could be more space for the number of people (it was not overly crowded though given it was a cold weekend)
• A lot of things need QR code scanning and a phone (not great for non-techy people/older people)
• More explanations could be given at each illusion, sometimes it was confusing and not clear

Overall, I would recommend the Wow Museum for anyone with an interest in science and illusions, but don’t expect it to be on par with a big science museum like Technorama in Winterthur

General information

The following is all the information you need about the Wow Museum in Zurich.

Location

Address: Werdmühlestrasse 10, 8001 Zürich

Getting There

Getting to the Wow Museum in Zurich is quite easy because it is a 10-minute walk from Zurich HB right near Werdmühleplatz. The nearest tram stop is Bahnhofstrasse/HB, but you could also walk from Limmatquai, Central, and Bahnhofquai as well.

If you are driving into Zurich then your best bet is Parkhaus Urania as it is just opposite there. You could also park at Jemoli Parking, which is a 6-minute walk from the museum.

Opening Times

Unlike most other museums in Zurich, the Wow Museum is open on a Monday and closed on a Tuesday. This makes it a great alternative for when all the rest are closed!

Here are the opening times for the Wow Museum, Zurich.

Ticket Prices

The following are the ticket prices for the Wow Museum:

Wow Museum Discounts

The Wow Museum offers limited discounts on tickets. The following are the discounts available:

• KulturLegi: 30%
• Zurich City Card: 10%

There are no discounts offered for the Swiss Travel Pass in the Wow Museum.