Bern: top attractions & road trip guide
Bern is the capital of Switzerland, built on a peninsula formed by a sharp bend in the Aare River. Its arcaded sandstone old town, largely rebuilt after a fire in 1405 and little changed since, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city houses the Swiss federal government and parliament in a domed building overlooking the river.
The city sits in the canton of Bern in the west-central part of the country, a common stop for road trips linking Zurich, Lucerne, and Lake Geneva. The Aare loops almost entirely around the old town, its clear water popular for swimming in summer, while paths along the riverbank offer views up toward the medieval rooftops and church spires.
Top attractions
Zytglogge
A medieval clock tower dating to the early 13th century, once part of the city's western gate, with an astronomical clock and a mechanical figure display that performs a few minutes before each hour.
BärenPark
An open-air enclosure along the Aare River below the old town, home to Bern's brown bears, the animal that has symbolized the city since its founding legend in the 12th century.
Federal Palace (Bundeshaus)
The seat of the Swiss federal government and parliament, completed in 1902 with a central sandstone dome, its terrace opening onto a public square with views over the Aare toward the Alps.
Kramgasse and the Old Town arcades
The main street of the old town, lined with roughly six kilometers of covered stone arcades (Lauben) sheltering shops, alongside decorated fountains and the house where Albert Einstein lived from 1903 to 1905.
Rose Garden (Rosengarten)
A hillside park east of the Aare with several hundred rose bushes, offering one of the best panoramic views of the old town's red rooftops and the river below.
Bern Minster (Münster)
A late Gothic cathedral begun in 1421, the tallest church in Switzerland, with a spire completed only in 1893 and a viewing platform reached by 312 steps that overlooks the old town and the Alps.
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