The Swiss Customs Museum presents the tasks performed by Customs and explains the different functions of the Swiss border as they are today and as they were in the past.
Welcome to the Customs Museum in Cantine di Gandria
The Customs Museum is located on the shore of Lake Lugano in a former border guard post. The house is situated in an idyllic location, in the middle of a lush chestnut forest right on the border with Italy. It is the perfect location for a customs museum. The Swiss customs authorities use the museum to showcase the wide range of tasks they perform for our country. These include temporary exhibitions on current topics, making a visit to the customs museum a great experience that can be rounded off with a stop at a Ticino grotto in the immediate vicinity.
Winter break
Dear friends of the Customs Museum
The museum is currently closed for the winter break. We look forward to welcoming you again from Easter Sunday, 5 April 2026.
Your Customs Museum Team
Current at the Customs Museum
Species conservation concerns us all
Opening of the new exhibition ‘Species protection concerns us all’. This season, we are focusing on the preservation of protected animal and plant species that are threatened with extinction. We are showing the important work that Swiss Customs does in combating the illegal import of such animals and plants. In addition, due to the great public interest, we have extended the photo exhibition ‘Migration’ for another season.
“Migration” – The exhibition at the Università della Svizzera italiana USI Lugano
Through initiatives such as Scholars at Risk and InclUSIone, USI is committed to openness, inclusion and social responsibility.
In this spirit, in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration IOM Switzerland and the Swiss Customs Museum, it presents the photo exhibition Migration – an invitation to reflect on global movements and human destinies.
22 September - 18 October 2025 at the BiblioAgorà, Campus Est, USI Lugano
Other exhibitions
Other topics
