Museum Tinguely in Basel: opening hours, tickets, exhibitions and the Carnival Fountain

Museum Tinguely stands in Solitude Park on the right bank of the Rhine and shows the work of Jean Tinguely: machines made of metal, wheels and motors that move, make a racket and make people laugh. After the city's great painting collections, it is the museum that offers the biggest change of pace.

This page gives dated opening hours and prices, the exhibitions until 2027, the route by tram and bus, and what the promotional pictures exaggerate. It also explains why the famous fountain is not at the museum.

When is Museum Tinguely open?

Monday is the only regular closing day the museum clearly states. We did not find a complete list of holiday and annual closures for 2026 and 2027 on the official pages, so check the calendar around Christmas, New Year and Basel's public holidays.

The late Thursday is real: the museum confirms opening until 9pm. The claim that entry is free on Thursdays from 6pm to 9pm comes from Raiffeisen MemberPlus, not clearly from the museum's price page, so we do not present it as a general rule.

How much is admission?

The discount categories are not described quite consistently: the museum's English page mentions students and people with disabilities, while MemberPlus adds apprentices and free entry up to 16. Check at the desk if a lot depends on it.

The museum publishes no combined tickets, special-exhibition surcharges or fast-track entry for online tickets. Allow some extra time during Art Basel and on family days.

Photo: Wattewyl; architect: Mario Botta, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Which exhibitions are on in 2026 and 2027?

For "Labouring Bodies" the sources contradict each other: the museum's exhibition page gives 10 June to 8 November 2026, MemberPlus 9 June to 7 November. We follow the museum, but on the final weekend it is worth a look at the page.

The collection shows Jean Tinguely's machines, sculptures and assemblages, with movement, noise, mechanics and humour at the centre. MemberPlus lists the 2026 collection display as "La roue = c'est tout".

Do all the machines run?

A photo of a machine in motion does not mean every work runs at the same time or moves at the push of a button. The museum does not publish a list of which machines run continuously, start at set times, are triggered by visitors or are stopped for maintenance.

For families this matters. The works are loud, start abruptly and have metal parts you should keep your distance from. Children who love machines are thrilled, very young children are sometimes startled, and it is not a fully interactive exhibition.

These ranges are based on our experience, not on museum statistics; the museum does not publish an average visit length.

What does a family visit cost?

Two adults pay 36 francs together, and accompanied children and young people up to 16 get in free according to MemberPlus. A family with two children therefore pays the same, provided the free-entry rule is confirmed at the desk.

On top come trams and buses if you have no BaselCard, and the bistro, whose prices are not published. If you are planning a whole day with children, combine the museum with a walk through Solitude Park by the Rhine.

When is the best time to visit?

With children, the morning from 11am is most pleasant, when the rooms are still quiet and the machines are shown at their best. Adults without children should go for the late Thursday until 9pm.

During Art Basel and on rainy days, expect more visitors, although there are no figures. It is closed on Mondays, the only fixed closing day.

Photo: Adrian Michael, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How do you combine Tinguely with the Rhine?

The museum sits right on the water, and the nicest route runs along the Kleinbasel bank via the Wettsteinbrücke, or back to Grossbasel on one of the Rhine ferries. Only the bridges are free; the ferry costs CHF 2 per crossing.

If you want to see the fountain, cross the Rhine afterwards to the Old Town and Theaterplatz, a walk you can combine with the Kunstmuseum on St. Alban-Graben.

Where is the Carnival Fountain?

Not at the museum. The Carnival Fountain (Fasnachtsbrunnen), also called the Tinguely Fountain, stands on Theaterplatz near Klostergasse in Grossbasel, on the other side of the Rhine.

Tinguely created it between 1975 and 1977. It consists of ten mechanical metal figures that create water displays with low-voltage motors, built from parts of the stage machinery of the old municipal theatre, demolished in 1975.

The figures look like actors on a stage, and the name links them with Fasnacht and Theaterplatz. Whether the fountain is running when you visit depends on the weather and maintenance; there is no published schedule. The square lies on the way from Barfüsserplatz to the Kunstmuseum.

Photo: EinDao, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What links Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle to the museum?

Jean Tinguely met Niki de Saint Phalle among the Nouveaux Réalistes, and they married in 1971. The core of the museum is a donation from Niki de Saint Phalle after Tinguely's death, together with the Roche collection, gifts and acquisitions.

That is why Niki de Saint Phalle appears in the museum's history. She did not design the Carnival Fountain, however; it is Tinguely's work alone.

How do you get to Museum Tinguely?

• From SBB station: tram 1 or 2 to Wettsteinplatz, then bus 31 or 38 to the Tinguely Museum stop, as the museum recommends.
• From Badischer Bahnhof: bus 36.
• On foot: from Kleinbasel via the Wettsteinbrücke towards Solitude Park, along the riverbank.
• By car: the Basel Wettsteinallee exit is closed until the end of 2026; the museum recommends Hochbergerstrasse on the A2 or Riehenring on the A3.

The museum gives no car park of its own with capacity and rates, and space around Solitude Park is tight. Free car park spaces are shown on Basel parking live, and trams and buses are explained in getting around Basel.

What do the promotional pictures not show?

• Not a funfair of machines: the works are art; some are stopped, protected or only run under certain conditions.
• Thursday evening is not automatically free: the free-entry claim comes from MemberPlus, while the museum's page mainly confirms the longer opening hours.
• Combined tickets are not documented: no joint ticket with other museums or with Art Basel is confirmed.
• The fountain is elsewhere: it is not in the museum but on Theaterplatz, and it does not always run.

Is there a café, and how accessible is the museum?

The museum has a bistro with its own phone number. Its hours and prices are not published, and it may be closed when the museum is open, for instance during private events.

People with disabilities pay 12 CHF. A price is no proof of accessibility, though: routes, lifts, toilets and handrails are not described in the sources, and a call ahead will clarify the details.

How does Tinguely fit into a Basel visit?

The museum is a good contrast to the painting at the Kunstmuseum Basel and the Fondation Beyeler, and an obvious choice with children. During Art Basel, treat yourself to an hour of movement instead of the art market; the fair is explained in our guide to Art Basel.

Plans for one or two days are in things to do in Basel, and all the sights in things to see in Basel. The map of Basel shows where the museum and fountain are, and during Fasnacht a stop at the fountain is a must.

Sources: Museum Tinguely (information, directions, current and upcoming exhibitions, collection, contact, 2026), Raiffeisen MemberPlus (Museum Tinguely and the Zilla Leutenegger exhibition, 2026), allaroundbasel.ch (Carnival Fountain), SWR (Jean Tinguely at 100).