Guided Tours

Guided Tours

Education plays an important part at the Vitra Design Museum. A specially trained team develops specific educational activities that are tailored to audience´s needs and enable visitors of different ages to learn about and engage with design and architecture. Our educational activities are aimed at children and young adults, as well as expert audiences, students and all design- and architecture enthusiasts. A wide-ranging programme of tours, workshops, talks and other events allows visitors to gain a deeper insight into the multifaceted field of design and architecture. We are happy to assist you in choosing an activity suitable for you and your group.

Architecture Tours

Architecture Tours

The Vitra Campus is a magnet for design and architecture enthusiasts. Few other places in the world can boast such a large number of contemporary architectural icons. It was here that Zaha Hadid created her very first structure in 1993 – the Fire Station – and American architect Frank Gehry constructed his first building in Europe in 1989. Designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the VitraHaus of 2010 on the north side of the campus is an eye-catcher, even from afar. Alongside the Vitra Schaudepot, also designed by Herzog & de Meuron, a second public area was created on the campus in 2016. Then, there are other works like the Conference Pavilion by Tadao Ando, a geodesic dome based on the designs of Richard Buckminster Fuller, a petrol station by Jean Prouvé, factory buildings by Nicholas Grimshaw, Álvaro Siza and SANAA and the Vitra Slide Tower by the artist Carsten Höller. Daily guided tours explain the backgrounds of architects and buildings alike. More information about the buildings. 

The architecture tour largely runs alongside the buildings on the outdoor area of the Vitra Campus. Participants are therefore advised to wear suitable clothing and footwear depending on the weather. Umbrellas and parasols can be borrowed on site.

Architecture tour in German

Monday-Thursday, 11 pm 
Friday-Sunday and on public holidays, 11 am & 2 pm 

Meeting point: VitraHaus 
Reservations at the Vitra Campus or here.

Architecture tour in English

Monday-Thursday, 12 pm 
Friday-Sunday and on public holidays, 12 & 3 pm 

Meeting point: VitraHaus 
Reservations at the Vitra Campus or here.

Architecture tour in French
 
First Saturday and Sunday of every month, as well as on French public holidays (1st and 11 November, 25 December, 1st January), 2:30 pm 
 
Meeting point: VitraHaus 
Reservations at the Vitra Campus or here.

Private architecture tours: 
Bookings at: info(at)design-museum.de 

Information guided tours (EN) 
Information guided tours (FR) 

For group bookings: 
Information guided tours (EN) 
Information guided tours (FR) 

 

Guided Tours – Vitra Design Museum

Guided Tours – Vitra Design Museum

The exhibitions in the Vitra Design Museum and Vitra Schaudepot can be visited independently or with guided tours. Groups can book guided tours individually. Along with German and English, we also offer guided tours in French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Swedish, Russian, Chinese and Japanese. Please note that only guides of the Vitra Design Museum are allowed to conduct guided tours through the exhibition and on the Vitra Campus.  

»Nike: Form Follows Motion« 
Guided tour in English 
From 6 October 2024 
Sundays and on public holidays, 3 pm, Vitra Design Museum 

The exhibition tour to »Nike: Form Follows Motion« gives deep insights into Nike’s fascinating design history: from the company’s beginnings in the 1960s and the famous »Swoosh« logo to the innovative Air soles and current research on future materials and sustainability. The exhibition created by the Vitra Design Museum examines the meaning of sports in our society while also shedding light on the almost mythical devotion to sneakers and sportswear in popular culture and social media. 

€ 10 per person, no registration required 

Private exhibition tours: 
Bookings at info@design-museum.de 
 
For group bookings:  
Information guided tours (EN) 
Information guided tours (FR) 
 
Tours for pupils and students: 
Information guided tours (EN) 
Information guided tours (FR) 
 
More information at info@design-museum.de or T +49.7621.702.3200 

Guided Tours – Vitra Schaudepot

Guided Tours – Vitra Schaudepot

The guided tour focusses on the highlights from the Vitra Design Museum collection, including rare and singular pieces from designers such as Gerrit Rietveld, Alvar Aalto, Charles & Ray Eames but also less well-known or anonymous designs, rarities and prototypes. 

»Science Fiction Design: Vom Space Age zum Metaverse« 
Guided tour in German 
Every Sunday and on public holidays, 2pm, Vitra Schaudepot 
The annual themed presentation in the Vitra Schaudepot spotlights visions of a future world manifested in design creations ranging from early science fiction film sets to the design of virtual spaces. The dialogue tour highlights pioneering objects from the Vitra Design Museum collection and examines how technological innovations and utopian concepts found their way into our everyday environment, influencing and shaping the world we live in. 

The tour will be held in german. 

€ 10 per person, no registration required 
 
For group booking: Information guided tours 
More information at info(at)design-museum.de or  T +49.7621.702.3200 

Special Tours

Special Tours

Garden and Sculpture  
SPECIAL TOUR (DE/EN) 
Saturdays, 1 pm, VitraHaus 

 The unique ensemble on the Vitra Campus not only includes buildings by world-famous architects, but also gardens, sculptures and smaller buildings that break down the boundaries between the genres of architecture, art and design. Many of the places to be seen on the campus offer inspiration and practical ideas for a more sustainable approach to building and living.  For example, the »Garden House« by Tsuyoshi Tane, the »Oudolf Garten« by Piet Oudolf, the Tiny House »Diogene« by Renzo Piano and the recently built »Khudi Bari« by Marina Tabassum. Find out more about the locations, backgrounds and details on a guided tour of the Vitra Campus.  
 
The tour will be held in english. 
 
€ 10 per person, register here.  

Rehberger-Weg
SPECIAL TOUR (DE)

The Rehberger-Weg, which is around five kilometres long, links two countries, two municipalities, two cultural institutions – and countless stories. The path runs between Weil am Rhein and Riehen, between the Fondation Beyeler and the Vitra  Campus. Guided by «24 Stops», 24 waymarkers created by the artist Tobias Rehberger, walkers can explore a uniquely diverse natural and cultural landscape. To discover more about the landscape surrounding the Rehberger-Weg, we offer expert-led tours on a variety of themes.  

Please note that these tours are held in German. 

Full moon and the Rehberger-Weg trail, 18 September 2024, 6:45 pm, Vitra Design Museum 
 
Expert tour »History and stories on the Rehberger-Weg trail«, 22 September 2024, 4 pm, Vitra Design Museum 

Through the vines with wine tasting, 20 October 2024, 2 pm, Naturbad Riehen 

Max. 30 people,  €12 per person, €35 per person with wine tasting

More information at www.24stops.info 

Please register here.

Wunderkammer

Wunderkammer

The »Wunderkammer« presents an engaging display of more than one thousand objects from the collection of former Vitra Chairman Rolf Fehlbaum. Similar to its historical antecedents, the Wunderkammer on the Vitra Campus brings together curiosities and artefacts from around the world. For all their variety and multiformity, the toy robots, space toys, comic book characters, merchandising products, and folk art in the collection share their origins in twentieth-century popular culture. Visitors to the Vitra Campus can explore the Wunderkammer on a guided tour.  

Guided tour in German 
Every second Sunday and on public holidays, 3 pm 

Meeting point: Vitra Schaudepot 
 
€10 per person, reservations here.

For group booking: Information guided tours 
More information at info@design-museum.de or  T +49.7621.702.3200 

 

Vitra Production Tours

Vitra Production Tours

Take a look behind the scenes of the production at the Vitra Campus. Experience different steps of the manufacturing process of the Aluminium Chair on a guided tour in the production hall of Frank Gehry. The chair, developed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1958, is considered one of the greatest furniture designs of the twentieth century. The tour is followed by an introduction to Vitra’s test centre, where the consistently high standards of quality and durability of the furniture are rigorously maintained. 

Every Wednesday and Thursday (except for public holidays) 1:30 pm, VitraHaus. The tour will be held in German.  

For group booking: Information guided tours 

More information at info@design-museum.de or  T +49.7621.702.3200 

 

Offers for Children

Offers for Children

For children, we offer guided tours though the current exhibition and the Vitra Campus which are specially adapted to our young guests. The participants are introduced to the theme in an entertaining way, interact with the guide and are made familiar with the huge importance of design and architecture in their everyday environment. Also many of our workshops for children and pupils include a guided tour, followed by a practical workshop under the direction of experienced teachers.

Find information about our Family Days here

More information and reservations at info@design-museum.de or 
T +49.7621.702.3200

Offers for Schools

Offers for Schools

For school classes, we offer guided tours though the current exhibition and the Vitra Campus which are specially adapted to our young guests. The participants are introduced to the theme in an entertaining way, interact with the guide and are made familiar with the huge importance of design and architecture in their everyday environment. Also many of our workshops for children and pupils include a guided tour, followed by a practical workshop under the direction of experienced teachers.

Information for group booking: Guided Tours for Schools & Students

More information and reservations at info(at)design-museum.de or
T +49.7621.702.3200

Digital Tours

Digital Tours

Explore the Vitra Design Museum’s exhibitions, its collection, or the architecture on the Vitra Campus in exclusive digital tours providing an attractive alternative for groups unable to travel to Weil am Rhein. Learn from experts, join in, ask questions, and get closer to our highlights! Attendees require an internet connection and the free videoconferencing software Zoom.

Find your digital tour here:
Digital Tours

More information and reservations at 
info(at)design-museum.de
or T +49.7621.702.3200