What to Expect at the H. R. Giger Museum (It’s a Lot!)

Let’s be real. My priority for visiting Gruyères, Switzerland, was the cheese. The town is known for its production of Gruyère cheese, a fact I went to war for if we consider what was happening with my bowels after our visit.

In researching the town, I found another intriguing fact. Gruyères is also home to the H. R. Giger Museum, the largest collection of works from the Academy Award-winning Swiss artist best known for his connection to Alien.

We like to say we collect weird experiences whenever possible, and our visit to Gruyères and the weird, at times disturbing world of H. R. Giger was one of those experiences.

Who was H. R. Giger?

H. R. Giger, or Hans Ruedi Giger if you’re nasty, was a Swiss surrealist artist known for art that blended the organic with the mechanical, but he didn’t start out that way.

Giger was a student of architecture and industrial design first, on his father’s insistence that art would leave him penniless.

Thankfully (or perhaps unfortunately, depending on how you feel about his stuff), he told his dad to buzz off and pursued art anyway.

Giger started with posters, but quickly graduated to an airbrush technique that resulted in some of his most surreal work. From there, he started experimenting with representations of the human form as part machine on both canvases and as sculptures.

H. R. Giger and Alien

Most tourists come upon the place because of Giger’s Hollywood connection. Giger gained widespread acclaim for his work on Ridley Scott’s 1979 film Alien. He was behind the iconic creature in the film, even earning an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

Fun fact: Beyond Alien and its subsequent films, he also contributed to creature features like Species and Poltergeist II.

Giger passed away in 2014, but his legacy continues, both on repeated viewings of the Alien franchise and visits to his museum in Gruyères.

READ MORE: Love an alien encounter? Check out my road trip guide to the Extraterrestrial Highway.

Why is the H. R. Giger Museum in Gruyères?

Giger fell in love with Gruyères after a successful retrospective of his work was held there in 1990.

Fun fact: It was also his 50th birthday at the time, so perhaps he was primed to be in a YOLO sort of mood.

The exhibition drew over 110,000 visitors and set the stage for a connection between the artist and Gruyères. I get it. Despite my initial dairy-fueled interests, Gruyères does have that old-world atmosphere that suits Giger’s otherworldly creations.

By 1997, he purchased the historic Château St. Germain in town and transformed it into a permanent home for his art. The museum officially opened in 1998 and operates as the main hub of his work to this day.

Inside the H. R. Giger Museum

This is one of the strangest places we’ve ever been, and the fact that it’s in this charming Swiss town with cowbells dinging in the distance is truly something else.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first. If you’re here with little ones, this museum is NOT suitable for kids. There’s one adults-only room behind a black curtain inside, but I’d argue the whole place would be sketchy for young ones.

I’m talking about some butts, bosoms, and phalluses going into various orifices and some truly violent, at times scary stuff that comes at you without warning.

Now that you’re prepped, let’s get into why you’re likely here. While inside, you will see paintings, sculptures, furniture, and film designs from his movie career. That includes designs from the Alien franchise.

The rest of this place gets pretty wild. Expect tables made out of baby doll heads and legs, buxom aliens playing flutes, and spider-like creatures that could serve as nightmare fuel later.

If you’re religious, be warned that Giger didn’t see religious figures as off-limits in his controversial art, favoring satanic symbolism over the holy.

One of the more interesting rooms features a table and chairs inspired by an unrealized Dune project during his lifetime. They’re made of polyester, metal, and rubber, and are similar to designs featured in the bar I’ll get into next.

Note: The recent versions of Dune, while pretty great, were completed without Giger’s involvement. That doesn’t make his Harkonnen Chairs less cool.

Unless you’re a super fan of Giger’s work, you likely won’t need too much time inside. It gets to be a lot after a while, although there are a few spots inside to enjoy the views of the town below.

As far as planning your trip to the museum, just go there. Hours vary by season, but this is a year-round attraction.

You don’t need tickets in advance — they don’t sell them anyway — and it’s unlikely that it’ll be that busy upon arrival. Most visitors to the town are here for the cheese, not the nuts.

I’m talking about all of the phalluses inside. “Nuts” just sounded better than euphemisms for the other stuff.

The H. R. Giger Museum Bar

Once you’re done at the museum, you’ll likely want to talk about it with your travel buddy. If you’re traveling solo, head to this spot next to rehash what you saw inside. I know we wanted to unload.

There are actually two Giger Bars in the world. One is in Chur, Switzerland, where Giger was born, and the other is in Gruyères.

Both were designed under Giger’s supervision, so you better believe they’re some of the oddest bars you’ll visit in your travels.

Naturally, you’ll want to visit the site in Gruyères. The interior is straight out of Alien, with bones covering the ceiling and walls and tall chairs that are atmospheric if not the most comfortable.

We went straight with a beer and local cider, but there are themed cocktails and shots if you want to go that route.

Note: We found them to be overpriced, but you do you if you want the “full” experience!

We didn’t experience a wait for the bar on our visit during our summer visit, so I can’t imagine this one gets TOO crowded, even on weekends.

How to Get to Gruyères

The museum is situated in Château St. Germain, a castle within the medieval town of Gruyères in the canton of Fribourg. Driving is the easiest way to make your trip happen. Parking is available in paid lots below the village. Expect a short uphill walk from there.

You can also reach Gruyères by train from major cities like Geneva, Bern, or Zurich. From one of those, you can take a train to Bulle, then transfer to a local train to get to Gruyères. From the station, it’s a short uphill walk to the village and museum.

Timing depends on where you’re starting from, but expect the journey to take at least two hours if you use public transit. Trains may not come as frequently as you’d like, either.

READ MORE: Lausanne is another popular destination with easy driving access to Gruyères. Check out my guide to the Swiss city!

Where to Stay in Gruyères

We visited Gruyères on a day trip from Évian-les-Bains, a French town that was a more budget-friendly base for travel compared to Switzerland. That doesn’t mean you need to do the same.

Use the map below for some options on where to stay in Gruyères:

You have to see the H. R. Giger Museum to believe it.

I can’t say I left the museum as a fan of Giger, but the place certainly left an impression on me, for better or worse. If you’re already planning a trip to Gruyères, it’s one of those odd places that you truly won’t see anywhere else.

While you’re there, make sure to pay the bar a visit, too, if only to sit in one of those Harkonnen Chairs.

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