Bern in 24 hours

Strolling through the Old City, sightseeing, a relaxed nightcap in one of the typical vaulted cellars – even if you only have one day in Bern, there’s all kinds of things you can discover and experience. If you have more time, you can visit the cultural institutions and events, enjoy the unique, beautiful view of the city and the peaks of the Bernese Alps and follow the fragrant smell of the famous AOP Emmental cheese into the rolling hills of the Emmental valley.

Morning

A Stroll Through Bern’s Old City

Albert Einstein, Paul Klee and Friedrich Dürrenmatt: they all walked under Bern’s arcades. Be it luminaries, travellers from all around the world or locals – Bern’s Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its distinctive sandstone buildings, charming alleys and grand monuments, fascinates everyone and is best discovered on a relaxed morning stroll. If you’re visiting on a Tuesday or Saturday morning, you should stop by the farmers market, where you can get fresh produce and products from in and around Bern and enjoy the Bernese way of life.

Go for a walk

Bern Minster and Minster Terrace

High above the rooftops, you’ll find the best view of Bern’s Old City: Bern Minster is one of the city’s most important landmarks and has Switzerland’s highest steeple. If you want to reach the very top, you’ll have to climb the 344 steps to the steeple’s viewing platform – but you’ll be rewarded a spectacular panorama that will quickly make you forget all about the climb. If you don’t feel like stairs, there’s still a way get a wonderful view: the terrace right next to the Minster is a pretty little park with a small café (the Einstein au Jardin) and regular markets, as well as a beautiful view of the Aare, our favourite river, and the Matte neighbourhood, the oldest part of Bern.

To the minster

Photo Stop at Rose Garden

From one lookout point to the next: the Rosengarten (Rose Garden) is one of Bern’s most beautiful parks and features a fantastic view of the Old City and the winding Aare river. In good weather, the view extends way beyond the city and all the way to the Bernese Alps, making Rose Garden the perfect place to relax and take some souvenir pictures. If you feel like a homemade iced tea or a freshly brewed coffee, head to Restaurant Rosengarten in the park and keep on enjoying the view from its terrace.

Rose Garden

Noon

Lunch at Altes Tramdepot

The restaurant and brewery Altes Tramdepot lies just a short walk from Rose Garden and on the banks of the Aare river, above the famous Bern Animal Park, BearPark where bears Finn, Björk and Ursina live. 31’000 hectolitres are brewed each year in the two giant, shiny copper tanks that stand right in the middle of the restaurant. Visiting the restroom is also quite the experience, as you pass the brewery in the basement – to laypersons, it looks a bit like chemistry class or a science fiction movie. The restaurant serves seasonal and local dishes as well as Swiss classics such as Bauernrösti (Farmer’s Rösti) and homemade Spätzli (traditional thick pasta).

Eating on a budget

Tour of the Zytglogge (Clock Tower)

Take a peek into the inside of the centuries-old clockwork, find out about the history of the Bernese landmark and enjoy the view of the Old City from the top of the tower – the one-hour tour is equally great for fans of technical masterpieces, history or panoramas. What do the little figurines stand for? How does the elaborate mechanism work? What stories are hidden behind the thick walls of the famous monument? And what can we see when we look out of the tower windows? You’ll find the answers to these and other questions on the tour of the Zytglogge (Clock Tower) in the heart of Bern’s Old City

Book here

Shopping in the Old City

A must when visiting Bern is a bit of «Lädele», which is what the locals call shopping. Studios, boutiques and many different little shops – under the arcades and in the typical vaulted cellars, unique and often locally made treasures await, making a shopping trip to Bern’s Old City a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The best thing about it: on rainy days, you won’t need an umbrella. Bern’s six kilometres of arcades make up the longest covered shopping promenade in all of Europe. You can walk from the main station all the way down to Nydeggbrücke and almost always be covered by the arcades.

Discover Bern’s shopping treasures

Evening

Dinner at Bay

At Bay, the traditional brasserie culture of the past goes hand in hand with current zeitgeist, as French classics are reinterpreted and complemented with new, modern elements. The menu at Bay includes goat’s cheese terrine with iced raspberries, a trio of Knödel dumplings or sole confit with lemon and mint salsa. The architecture of the restaurant combines the old and the new Bern and thus creates the perfect ambiance for an exquisite dinner after a long and exciting day in Switzerland’s capital.

More exquisite restaurants

Nightcap at the Kornhaus Gallerie Bar

Be it nutty Aberlour, smoky Orban or 16-year-old Longmorn – when looking through the drinks menu of the Kornhaus Gallerie Bar, you’ll notice the fine selection of Whiskeys. If you prefer a different drink, you’ll be sure to find something to your liking: the bar in the historic location also offers light wines, refreshing cocktails and bubbly champagnes, for example. Whether you feel like ending the day in one of the typical vaulted cellars, a hip beer café or a relaxed bistro – there are all kinds of different places waiting to be discovered.

Go for a nightcap

Culture and Views

Day 2 in Bern

Discover now