Reasons Why Children Love Technorama And 10 Tips For Parents

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Whenever parents are asked what museum they recommend, the answers tend to be “Technorama in Winterthur” or maybe even “Verkehrshaus in Lucerne”. What is it that keeps parents and other adults recommending Technorama? Why is Technorama famous? 

In a nutshell, the Swiss Science Center Technorama is the only science museum in Switzerland. However, it is a remarkably good science museum. It is also one of the largest science museums in Europe.

If you would like to buy tickets to Technorama now, you could do so via Tiqets by clicking this link – Swiss Museum of Transport Tickets.

Here we discuss why children love Technorama and 10 important tips for parents before they visit.

Overview

Technorama is an Excellent Learning Center

Technorama, one of Switzerland’s best museums, draws visitors of all ages – from grandparents to parents, teenagers, and school-aged children. Technorama is actually the ultimate learning destination for school groups in Switzerland. You will see some of them every now and then. In 2017, over 60,000 school children visited Technorama (see Technorama.ch).

Technorama might not be appropriate for really tiny toddlers. But if the young ones are chasing their older siblings, it can be a safe space for them.  

In Technorama, you can explore, experiment, analyze, and learn actively. You can split the school children into smaller groups of two or three children, and then they can experience various science themes throughout the museum with sufficient freedom. Labs covering biology, chemistry, and physics are also available. Various types of experiments can be performed in the labs regarding the aforementioned topics. 

Technorama is an Interactive Museum

The reason why Technorama is one of the best museums in Switzerland is due to its being interactive.

Technorama is more interactive than most other museums, especially historical museums. It is even more interactive than Verkehrshaus in Lucerne. In fact, almost every station requires some sort of interaction, whether it be through touching, moving, or solving a puzzle.

Consequently, each station’s descriptions will be translated into a variety of languages and written in a way that school children can understand. 

It wasn’t always like this. When Technorama was first built in 1982, it simply displayed machines with descriptions. However, at one point it was heading for bankruptcy. 

Having been inspired by the Exploratorium in San Francisco and under the guidance of Remo Besio, the museum changed and improved. It has become a more interactive museum. Technorama slowly gained popularity as a result of this change. 

Technorama is the Perfect Rainy Day Option

Technorama is primarily indoors, so it is a great choice for rainy days. This museum covers the following topics:

• Mechanics: Located right beside the entrance are various bicycles, balls, wheels, and pendulums that show how movement and mechanics work. Most of these stations have things that rotate. Or you can try out on one of the rotating chairs yourself.
• Electricity and Magnets: This is another fascinating section where children tend to spend quite some time. They can play with magnetic wands, eddy currents, magnetic field lines, and more. My children love the Magnetic Clouds.
• Biology, Chemistry, Physics: These are public workshops and open laboratories for biology, chemistry, and physics. These are typically offered in German and suitable for children 8 years or older. Some topics are better suited for children 12 years or older.
• Water, Nature, Chaos: Air bubbles, fountains, cloud rings, fire tornado and more – this section is located on the first floor of Technorama. There are a lot of fascinating and interactive stations in this section.
• Mindscapes: Optical illusions like those presented here are probably best suited to older children and teens. Rather than tinkering with something with your hands, it is more about seeing and understanding the various forms and shadows. However, the rotating tunnel is a big hit with children and adults alike. It is actually a non-moving tunnel; however, the moving lights and movements will make you feel as if you are falling as you walk through it.
• Wood: Wooden machines and ball tracks. This area is perfect for toddlers and school-aged children.
• Lightning, Adventure Rooms, Toy Trains, and more

Technorama Can Now Be Enjoyed Outdoors

Until recently, the museum was completely indoors. On April 18, 2021, Technorama opened an outdoor section. This is great because if the weather is nice and the sun is shining, it would be a shame to spend the entire day indoors. The children also play and learn outside. 

In the “Technorama Draussen” (Technorama Outside), visitors can admire the panorama of the surrounding villages from the Wunderbrücke (Wonder Bridge). You can reach the platform that overlooks Winterthur and surrounding villages via an elevator or a staircase.

Water, clouds, bridges, and a playground are among the interactive features offered in the outdoor section. 

The children may keep going to the clouds section and the queue to the dryer will become too long, so in that case, bring extra clothing. 

You will find the outside section of the museum if you keep straight and follow the sign “Technorama Draussen”.

Technorama: 10 Relevant Tips for Parents

We have been to Technorama several times. Each time, we learn something new. As the kids grow older, their interests change. What might be interesting in one visit could be replaced by something else in the following visit.

I have included some tips for first-time visitors that I hope might prove helpful to you and your family in your future visits. 

1. Book your ticket online – Online booking can save you a lot of time before you arrive. You will find a separate line for those who have booked online (the fast lane) and a separate, slower line for those who have not yet bought their tickets. You can buy it on Tiqets or on https://www.technorama.ch/.
2. Come early – Technorama has multiple floors and tons of interactive stations. You can easily spend the whole day here.
3. A 2-Franc coin will be handy – There are lockers right after entering the building on your left side. You may leave your belongings here (jackets, bags, etc). For each locker, you will need a 2-Franc coin.
4. Bring food or snacks on a rainy day – Expect LOTS of visitors when it’s rainy unless most children are in school. If you go during school holidays whenever it’s rainy, Technorama will be packed. This means that the restaurant will also be (likely) full. Bring snacks (and/or lunch) with you in case the little ones get hungry.
5. Check for discounts – Sometimes, ZVV, SBB, or Coop offer discounts. Keep an eye out for them.
6. Carry extra clothes and/or a towel for your child/children – The outside portion of Technorama has some water elements and can cause children to get wet. Although there is a drying station outside that is available for free, it takes a long time until the children dry themselves. And if there is a queue, expect to wait at least 5 to 10 minutes until it’s your turn.
7. Children’s strollers can easily be used inside and outside the museum. There are elevators to move in-between various levels. There is ample room to push the strollers around.
8. Try visiting when the weather is nice. It might be counter-intuitive but it is just much more comfortable to come in when the weather is warm and sunny outside. Most locals will opt to go to the mountains, lakes, and pools. This will leave you more room to move around Technorama. Again, as I mentioned, expect it to be very packed during a rainy day. It’s a great rainy day activity. But we have done this once and while we still enjoyed it, I would rather visit it on a non-rainy day next time around.
9. Catch the lightning show and chemistry show – If you can, these are cool to watch.
10. Phone charging stations are available – Probably not the most relevant tip, but if it is absolutely necessary, there are phone charging stations directly next to the lockers.

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